THE DESERTER

La spina dorsale del diavolo – Italian title
Dorsale del diavolo – Italian title
Djavolja kicma – Yugoslavian title
Verilöyly – Finnish title
Aspassien kauhu – Finnish title
Les dynamiteros – French title
Die Höllenhunde – German title
Dezerter – Polish title
O Caminho da Aventura – Portuguese title
La quebrada del Diablo – Spanish title
Desertören – Swedish title
Djavulens ryggard – Swedish title
The Devils Backbone – English title
The S.O.B.s – English working title
Ride to Glory – U.S.A. title
Indian Fighter – U.S.A. title
The Deserter – English title

A 1971 Italian, U.S.A., Yugoslavian co-production [Dino DeLaurentis Cinematografica (Rome), Heritage Enterprises (Hollywood), Jadran Film (Zagreb)]
Producers: Dino DeLaurentis, Norman Baer, Ralph B. Serpe
Directors: Burt Kennedy, Niksa Fulgozi
Story: Clair Huffaker
Screenplay: Stuart J. Byrne, William H. James, Massimo D’Avack, Clair Huffaker
Cinematography: Aldo Tonti [Technicolor, Panavision]
Music: Piero Piccioni (Gian Piero Piccioni)
Running time: 105 minutes

Cast:
Captain Victor Caleb - Bekim Fehmiu
General Miles - John Huston
Major Wade Brown - Richard Crenna
Reynolds - Chuck Connors (Kevin Connors)
Natachai - Ricardo Montalban
Captain Crawford - Ian Bannen
Ferguson - Brandon De Wilde (Andre De Wilde)
Sergeant Tattinger - Slim Pickens (Louis Lindley, Jr.)
Schmidt - Albert Salmi (Alfred Salmi)
Jackson - Woody Strode (Woodrow Strode)
Captain Bill Robinso - Patrick Wayne
Orozco - Fausto Tozzi
O’Toole - John Alderson
Mangus Durango - Mimmo Palmara (Domenico Palmara)
John Robinson - Larry Stewart (Laurence Sauber)
Mark - Remo D’Angelis (Remo DeAngelis)
Jeff - Gianni Vanicola
Jed - Lucio Rosato
Justin - Roberto Simmi
Indian prisoner - Giancarlo Zampetti
soldier/Indian -José Terron (José Penaranda)
with; Manfredo Giusto


A U.S. Army cavalry patrol returns from a 2-week mission finding a local village massacred. Its inhabitants have been savagely killed by Apaches just a short distance from Fort Bowie. Among the dead that sought sanctuary in a desecrated church is the dying wife of the patrol's leader Captain Caleb harboring bitter hostility for his wife's brutal murder by the Apaches due to what he believes was army negligence, Capt. Victor Kaleb shoots and wounds the fort commander, Colonel Wade Brown, and deserts the cavalry where he disappears into the southwestern wasteland seeking revenge by killing Apaches.

Two years later when marauding Apaches led by Chief Mangus Durango hold up just out of the cavalry's reach in Mexico, Kaleb is promised amnesty by General Miles in exchange for leading a small band of hand-picked soldiers across the border to wipe out the Indian stronghold known as "La Spina Dorsale Del Diavolo" (The Devil's Backbone).

There a battle to the death ensues with Kaleb's desert-trained forces proving successful. After the conflict, the remainder of Kaleb's band presents themselves to General Miles back at Fort Bowie. General Miles explains that he has been ordered to arrest Kaleb upon his return, but all parties present agree to Colonel Brown's unique resolution to the situation.