If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death
Encyclopedia
If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death , also known as Sartana, is a 1968 spaghetti western
film directed by Gianfranco Parolini
. The film stars Gianni Garko
, William Berger, Fernando Sancho
and Klaus Kinski
, and features a musical score by Piero Piccioni
.
If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death was the first in a series of spaghetti westerns based on the character Sartana
. It was followed by four other official Sartana films; I Am Sartana Your Angel of Death (Sono Sartana, il vostro becchino, 1969), Have a Good Funeral, My Friend... Sartana Will Pay (Buon funerale, amigos!... paga Sartana, 1970), Light the Fuse... Sartana Is Coming (Una nuvola di polvere... un grido di morte... arriva Sartana, 1971) and Sartana's Here... Trade Your Pistol for a Coffin (C'è Sartana... vendi la pistola e comprati la bara, 1970), in which Garko was replaced by George Hilton. All the four sequels were directed by Giuliano Carnimeo, whereas Parolini was chosen to direct The Sabata Trilogy
, after producer Alberto Grimaldi
saw his work with the first Sartana film. As with Django
a few years earlier, several directors, such as Demofilo Fidani
, made unofficial sequels to cash in on the success of Sartana.
called El General Sartana. The film was very successful in Germany
and known by the short title Sartana. Italian producer Aldo Addobbati noticed the film's success and set up a co-production with a German producer in Italy. Garko was offered a contract and he accepted after inserting a clause stating that the script must be approved by him. In a 2005 interview, Garko said he wanted a subject that would not be based on vengeance
, as he had already portrayed characters bent on revenge in Blood at Sundown and Guns of Violence (10.000 dollari per un massacro, 1967). After he turned down several scripts with a revenge theme, Renato Izzo wrote a story about a smart, non-sentimental character that profits by putting himself between two rival groups. Sartana's use of mechanical gadgets was added by director Parolini, who was a fan of the James Bond
films. If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death then went into production.
is attacked by a gang led by Morgan (Kinski). Sartana
(Garko) arrives on the scene and kills the robbers except for Morgan who gets away. Soon after, another stagecoach is robbed and the passengers murdered by a Mexican
gang, at the order of General Jose Manuel Mendoza (Sancho). However, the gang is ambushed and killed by Lasky (Berger) and his men. Lasky then tells to his gang that he will meet them later. As the men are about to open the strongbox from the coach, Lasky kills them all with a Gatling gun
. After opening the box and seeing it only contained rocks instead of gold, he heads into town to meet Jeff Stewal (Sydney Chaplin
) and Alman (Gianni Rizzo), a politician and a banker, to collect his payment as part of an insurance fraud
.
After Sartana takes Lasky's money in a card game
, Lasky sends Morgan, his now-partner, to kill Sartana but he fails and gets killed. Lasky then collects a gang and goes after Sartana. A shootout
ensues and Sartana kills Lasky's men but allows Lasky to get away. After Lasky blackmails Stewal and Alman, the two inform Mendoza that it was Lasky who killed his men. Mendoza's men capture Lasky and try to make him talk thinking that he knows where the gold is hidden. Lasky tells him that only Sartana knows the location of the gold.
Meanwhile, Stewal plans to escape with the gold, supposedly hidden in the late mayor's coffin, and Alman's wife Evelyn (Heidi Fischer). After Sartana tells him that Mendoza is going to dig up the coffin with the gold and keep it all for himself, Stewal goes to check if it is true and is killed by Mendoza's men. Thinking that Mendoza now has the gold, Lasky attacks his residence and kills him and his men with his Gatling gun. Sartana also arrives and the two open the coffin and discover it is filled with rocks instead of gold. The gold has been hidden by Alman who tells his plan to his wife. Evelyn betrays and kills him, and takes Lasky to the gold, hidden in another coffin. Lasky kills Evelyn, but as Sartana arrives the two engage in a duel
. Sartana kills Lasky and rides out of town with the coffin full of gold.
Spaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western, also known as Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's unique and much copied film-making style and international box-office success, so named by American critics because most were produced and...
film directed by Gianfranco Parolini
Gianfranco Parolini
Gianfranco Parolini is an Italian film director. He is often credited as Frank Kramer. Among his films are The Sabata Trilogy, several sword and sandal films, most of the Kommissar X films and a number of Spaghetti Westerns.He claimed to have written over 100 thriller novels before becoming an...
. The film stars Gianni Garko
Gianni Garko
Gianni Garko is an Italian actor who found much fame as a leading man in Spaghetti Westerns...
, William Berger, Fernando Sancho
Fernando Sancho
Fernando Sancho was a Spanish actor. Sancho was born in Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain, and died in Madrid after surgery....
and Klaus Kinski
Klaus Kinski
Klaus Kinski, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski , was a German actor. He appeared in more than 130 films, and is perhaps best-remembered as a leading role actor in Werner Herzog films: Aguirre, the Wrath of God , Nosferatu the Vampyre , Woyzeck , Fitzcarraldo and Cobra Verde .-Early...
, and features a musical score by Piero Piccioni
Piero Piccioni
Piero Piccioni , was an Italian lawyer turned major film score composer. A pianist, organist, conductor, composer, he was also the prolific author of more than 200 film soundtracks.-Early life:...
.
If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death was the first in a series of spaghetti westerns based on the character Sartana
Sartana
Sartana is the name of a spaghetti western character first played by Gianni Garko and later by George Hilton. Other characters were unofficially called Sartana in unrelated films to capitalize on the success of the official films....
. It was followed by four other official Sartana films; I Am Sartana Your Angel of Death (Sono Sartana, il vostro becchino, 1969), Have a Good Funeral, My Friend... Sartana Will Pay (Buon funerale, amigos!... paga Sartana, 1970), Light the Fuse... Sartana Is Coming (Una nuvola di polvere... un grido di morte... arriva Sartana, 1971) and Sartana's Here... Trade Your Pistol for a Coffin (C'è Sartana... vendi la pistola e comprati la bara, 1970), in which Garko was replaced by George Hilton. All the four sequels were directed by Giuliano Carnimeo, whereas Parolini was chosen to direct The Sabata Trilogy
The Sabata Trilogy
The Sabata Trilogy is a series of Spaghetti Western films released in 1969 and 1971, directed by Gianfranco Parolini, and starring Lee Van Cleef in the first, Sabata, Yul Brynner in the second, Adiós, Sabata, and Van Cleef returning for the third, Return of Sabata.-Sabata:Lee Van Cleef stars as a...
, after producer Alberto Grimaldi
Alberto Grimaldi
Alberto Grimaldi is an Italian film producer.He was born in Naples. He is credited with producing some of the most famous films in film history including "For A Few Dollars More" in 1965, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in 1966, Last Tango in Paris in 1972 and Gangs of New York in...
saw his work with the first Sartana film. As with Django
Django (film)
Django is a 1966 Italian spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Corbucci and starring Franco Nero in the eponymous role. The film earned a reputation as being one of the most violent films ever made up to that point and was subsequently refused a certificate in Britain until 1993, when it was...
a few years earlier, several directors, such as Demofilo Fidani
Demofilo Fidani
Demofilo Fidani was a prolific Italian film director who specialized in spaghetti westerns and used many different pseudonyms....
, made unofficial sequels to cash in on the success of Sartana.
History
The name "Sartana" first appeared in the film Blood at Sundown (Mille dollari sul nero, 1967), in which Garko played an antagonistAntagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
called El General Sartana. The film was very successful in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and known by the short title Sartana. Italian producer Aldo Addobbati noticed the film's success and set up a co-production with a German producer in Italy. Garko was offered a contract and he accepted after inserting a clause stating that the script must be approved by him. In a 2005 interview, Garko said he wanted a subject that would not be based on vengeance
Revenge
Revenge is a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. It is also called payback, retribution, retaliation or vengeance; it may be characterized, justly or unjustly, as a form of justice.-Function in society:Some societies believe that the...
, as he had already portrayed characters bent on revenge in Blood at Sundown and Guns of Violence (10.000 dollari per un massacro, 1967). After he turned down several scripts with a revenge theme, Renato Izzo wrote a story about a smart, non-sentimental character that profits by putting himself between two rival groups. Sartana's use of mechanical gadgets was added by director Parolini, who was a fan of the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
films. If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death then went into production.
Plot
A stagecoachStagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
is attacked by a gang led by Morgan (Kinski). Sartana
Sartana
Sartana is the name of a spaghetti western character first played by Gianni Garko and later by George Hilton. Other characters were unofficially called Sartana in unrelated films to capitalize on the success of the official films....
(Garko) arrives on the scene and kills the robbers except for Morgan who gets away. Soon after, another stagecoach is robbed and the passengers murdered by a Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
gang, at the order of General Jose Manuel Mendoza (Sancho). However, the gang is ambushed and killed by Lasky (Berger) and his men. Lasky then tells to his gang that he will meet them later. As the men are about to open the strongbox from the coach, Lasky kills them all with a Gatling gun
Gatling gun
The Gatling gun is one of the best known early rapid-fire weapons and a forerunner of the modern machine gun. It is well known for its use by the Union forces during the American Civil War in the 1860s, which was the first time it was employed in combat...
. After opening the box and seeing it only contained rocks instead of gold, he heads into town to meet Jeff Stewal (Sydney Chaplin
Sydney Chaplin
Sydney Chaplin was an English actor. He was the elder half-brother of Sir Charlie Chaplin and served as his business manager, and the half-uncle of the actor Sydney Chaplin , who was named after him.-Early life:...
) and Alman (Gianni Rizzo), a politician and a banker, to collect his payment as part of an insurance fraud
Insurance fraud
Insurance fraud is any act committed with the intent to fraudulently obtain payment from an insurer.Insurance fraud has existed ever since the beginning of insurance as a commercial enterprise. Fraudulent claims account for a significant portion of all claims received by insurers, and cost billions...
.
After Sartana takes Lasky's money in a card game
Card game
A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games...
, Lasky sends Morgan, his now-partner, to kill Sartana but he fails and gets killed. Lasky then collects a gang and goes after Sartana. A shootout
Shootout
A shootout is a gun battle between armed groups. A shootout often, but not necessarily, pits law enforcement against criminal elements; it could also involve two groups outside of law enforcement, such as rival gangs. A shootout in a military context A shootout is a gun battle between armed groups....
ensues and Sartana kills Lasky's men but allows Lasky to get away. After Lasky blackmails Stewal and Alman, the two inform Mendoza that it was Lasky who killed his men. Mendoza's men capture Lasky and try to make him talk thinking that he knows where the gold is hidden. Lasky tells him that only Sartana knows the location of the gold.
Meanwhile, Stewal plans to escape with the gold, supposedly hidden in the late mayor's coffin, and Alman's wife Evelyn (Heidi Fischer). After Sartana tells him that Mendoza is going to dig up the coffin with the gold and keep it all for himself, Stewal goes to check if it is true and is killed by Mendoza's men. Thinking that Mendoza now has the gold, Lasky attacks his residence and kills him and his men with his Gatling gun. Sartana also arrives and the two open the coffin and discover it is filled with rocks instead of gold. The gold has been hidden by Alman who tells his plan to his wife. Evelyn betrays and kills him, and takes Lasky to the gold, hidden in another coffin. Lasky kills Evelyn, but as Sartana arrives the two engage in a duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
. Sartana kills Lasky and rides out of town with the coffin full of gold.