El bandido Malpelo – Spanish titleIl lungo giorno della violenza – Italian title
The Bandit Malpelo – English title
A 1971 Spanish, Italian co-production [Copercines (Madrid), Suprania Films (Rome)]
Producer: Gregorio Manzanos
Director: Giuseppe Maria Scotese
Story: Giuseppe Maria Scotese, Eduardo Manzano (Eduardo Manzano Brochero)
Screenplay: Eduardo M. Brochero (Eduardo Manzanos Brochero)
Cinematography: Giampaolo Santini (Gian Paolo Santini) [Eastmancolor, Panoramico]
Music: Marcello Giombini
Running time: 100 minutes
Cast:
Diego Medina/Mendoza - George Carvell
Juan Cisneros Malpelo - Eduardo Fajardo
Lupe - Charo López (Maria Pinuelas)
El Timbio - Sergio Doria
Fuentes - Gianni Pallavicino (Giovanni Pallavicino)
Captain Orozco - José Nieto
Maruja - Léa Nanni
Pamela - Rita Forzano
guerilla commandant - Giampaolo Santini
guerilla lieutenant - Ruggero Salvatori (Ruggero Salvadori)
Felix Dominguez - Miguel Del Castillo
padre - Sergio Serafini
with; Antonio Cintado, Rafael Albaicin, Rufino Inglés (Rufino Garcia)
“The only spaghetti western directed by Giuseppe Maria Scotese, in the 60s mainly known as a director of adventure movies and – especially – great documentaries. His name also appears as producer on the credits of Mateo Cano’s L’Ultimo dei Mohicani, and he is also named in relation to a script, written by Bruno Corbucci and Mario Amendola, for a movie called La lunga strada per Chihuaha (Que viva Mexico!) that should have been directed by him, but that was never realized. Possibly this script was also the starting point for this movie, Lungo giorno della violenza/El Bandito Malpelo. It must be said that this mysterious production seems to exist more on paper than as an actual film, because nobody saw it when it was first released, nor did anybody see it afterwards. It’s clear that this movie about a bandit called Malpelo, played by Eduardo Fajardo, set in Revolutionary Mexico, is mainly a Spanish production, with a considerable part of the Spanish spaghetti western force supporting it, in the first place Eduardo Manzanos Brochero as producer/screenwriter, the duo Calicia-Cubero signing for the production design and a lot of familiar faces in the cast. The story is about a young revolutionary called Diego Mendoza, who’s is looking for Pancho Villa, because he has some important documents for him. He is persecuted by the federales, and in the middle of the desert, he is captured by the bandit Malpelo. But when Malpelo finds out what is going on, he decides to help the young man fulfill his mission. Absolutely nothing is known of actor George Carvell, the film’s protagonist. It’s also the third film of the beautiful Charo Lopez, who would end up in the cast of Amaldovar’s Kika. Spanish critic Carlos Aguilar calls the film “insignificant”.” – Marco Giusti
You Tube link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbjTTAJIZwU
"Mainly a Spanish production" in a fascist regime with - according to reports - right-of-centre Fajardo in the lead role. No surprise that this film about the revolution apparently never surfaced. Would be highly interesting to see, though.
ReplyDeleteOnly now I watched the youtube clip. So it isn't at all lost but seemingly was shown on Spanish TV?
ReplyDeleteIt played on one of L.A.'s Spanish language TV stations about a decade ago.
ReplyDeleteI have two copies of this film, one washed-out fullscreen which well might be the L.A. TV version, and a much better widescreen print from Spanish TV.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if this was dubbed to English?