Screenplay by Sergio Donati (who worked with Leone on Giu La Testa and Once Upon a Time in the West and was at the time contributing uncredited to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) and Sollima. Follows the same humorous path as the Eastwood / Wallach relationship in GBU, more emphasis on comedy than violence than in Leone's films, though not the slapstick of the Spencer / Hill films.
It was originally based on an idea by political writer Franco Solinas (Salvatore Giuliano, The Battle of Algiers, The Mercenary, A Bullet for the General, Blood and Guns aka Tepepa with Milian and Orson Welles) and Fernando Morandi.
You somehow question immediately whether unseen Mexican bandit Thomas Milian has really raped and murdered a 12 year old girl, and when we meet him we're really doubtful, though the screenplay spins this on its head when we meet him trying to encourage a 13 year old to go swimming with him - it turns out she's the fourth wife of an older Mormon! And the screenplay keeps doing that, twisting the situations into something unexpected. It's a lot of fun, made with lots of style, benefiting of course from the music. Prussian gunslinger Gérard Herter has been playing the Moonlight Sonata on the piano; when he and Lee Van Cleef have their final showdown, Morricone works it into the score ('Morricone', Q says at this point, warmly, recognising the humour and genius.) It's very enjoyable.
DP Carlo Carlini, production design Carlo Simi, music Ennio Morricone, producer Alberto Grimaldi.
We watched the original 111 minute Italian version which has mainly English audio except for the bits that were cut for the 89 minute US version; thus you somewhat disconcertingly experience bits of subtitled Italian in the middle of the scene, but it's good to have the full story (and interesting to see how they approached the cutting).
Good background stuff on Juarez and Mexico; interesting detail. Can well agree with whoever said it was the best non-Leone spaghetti western.
Sollimas also made Run, Man, Run and Face to Face (with Milian and Gian Maria Volote), both highly regarded.
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