NIGHT OF THE SERPENT

La notte dei serpenti – Italian title

Ringo uccidi – Italian title

Gringo uccidi e’… la note dei serpenti – Italian title

Un tueur nommé Luke – French title

Nacht der Schlange – German title

I polis tis orgis – Greek title

La noche de los serpientes – Spanish title

Ringo Kill – English title

Nest of Vipers – English title

Night of the Serpent – English title

A 1969 Italian production [Ascot, Cineraid, Madison Cinematografica (Rome)]

Producer: Gianni Minervini

Director: Giulio Petroni

Story: Fulvia Gicca (Fulvia Palli)

Screenplay: Fulvia Gicca (Fulvia Palli), Enzo Gica Palli (Lorenzo Palli), Giulio Petroni

Cinematography: Mario Vulpiani, Silvio Fraschetti [Technicolor, Techniscope]

Music: Riz Ortolani (Riziero Ortolani)

Running time: 108 minutes

Cast:

Luke – Luke Askew (Francis Askew)

Lieutenant Hernandez – Luigi Pistilli

Dolores – Chelo Alonzo (Alicia Garcia)

Manuel – Luciano Casamonica

Pancho – Benito Stefanelli

Ignacio – Giancarlo Badessi

Maria – Magda Konopka

Antonio Pancaldo – William Bogart (Guglielmo Spoletini)

Luciano – Franco Balducci

Ignazio’s wife – Monica Miguel

Sacristan – Franco Valobra

Barman – Alfonso Giganti

With: Liliana Pavlovic (Liliana Pavlo), Bruno Boschetti, Paola Natale, Clara Colosimo (Alessandro Panaro)

Don Venustiano, the mayor of a small Mexican village, with the innkeeper Ignacio, and a prostitute named Jesus Maria Dolores, have joined forces to get the little orphan Manuel, hoping to collect, the ten thousand dollars that his father left him for an inheritance. Lieutenant Hernandez, the local police chief, however, discovers their plan - which is to kill the child - and has asked for and received by threatening their lives, a part in the deal. Hernandez convinces the bandit Antonio Pancaldo to hire him in exchange for five hundred pesos; a hit man who once has performed the task should be hanged, not to arouse suspicion. The hit man is a gringo named Luke, who has been reduced to an abject drunk for killing his son during a stupid challenge. Arriving at the village, Luke, rejected by all, is befriended by Manuel, who lives with a woman, Mary, who has always cared for him. Gradually Luke takes a liking to Manuel and when he discovers that he is the person he’s been hired to kill, not only refuses to commit the crime, but assumes the protection of the child. Don Venustiano is found dead - hanged by the Hernandez - Dolores is found murdered. Luke manages to rescue Manuel from the hands of Ignacio and finally faces Lieutenant Hernandez, killing him.

YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePYRvrranPU