Se incontri Sartana prega per la tua morte
From The Spaghetti Western Database
Se incontri Sartana prega per la tua morte (1968, Director: Gianfranco Parolini)
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Also known as
Gunfighters Die Harder | If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death | Sartana (France) | Sartana - Bete um Deinen Tod (Germany) | Sartana Reza pela tua morte (Portugal) | Yksinäinen taistelija (Finland)
Cast and crew
- Cast: Gianni Garko (as John Garko), Klaus Kinski, Fernando Sancho, William Berger, Sydney Chaplin, Gianni Rizzo, Andrea Scotti (as Andrew Scott), Carlo Tamberlani, Franco Pesce, Heidi Fischer, Maria Pia Conte, Sabine, Gianfranco Parolini (as John Francis Littlewords), Sergio Jossa, Rossella Bergamonti (as Patricia Carr), Arrigo Peri, Antonietta Fiorito, Ugo Adinolfi, Sal Borgese, Fortunato Arena (uncredited), Gilberto Galimberti (uncredited)
- Music: Piero Piccioni
- Cinematography: Sandro Mancori
Synopsis
A stagecoach 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.
Opinion
I really liked this flick. The character of Sartana is really one of the coolest or even the coolest. The plot is a little bit complicated but that's what makes the film great. This and the incredible actors - first of all Gianni Garko as Sartana. Next to him a great William Berger (ok, it is not is best role) and a guest appearance of Klaus Kinski. The action and the connected body count is good, the atmosphere all the time filled with tension. The music is nothing special, but fits into this fast western. Definately a must seen. --Lode 16:35, 15 August 2006 (CEST)
Trivia
- The name "Sartana" first appeared in the film Blood at Sundown (Mille dollari sul nero, 1967), in which Garko played an antagonist 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.
- 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 (Nuvola di polvere... un grido di morte... arriva Sartana, Una, 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.[1] As with Django a few years earlier, several directors, such as Demofilo Fidani, made unofficial sequels to cash in on the success of Sartana.
DVD
- German ZYX release (buy @ amazon.de)
- USA WildEast release (buy @ amazon.com)
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