50th Anniversary of “Paths of War”

Today marks the 50^th Anniversary of Franco & Ciccio’s “Paths of War” a Euro-western comedy film directed by Alberto Grimaldi. The story concerns itself with Franco and Ciccio, two soldiers in the Sicilian army, are forced to flee by the arrival of Garibaldi. The two smuggle themselves out of Sicily by lying in coffins being shipped to America, where they find themselves lost and without any money. They enlist in the U.S. Army and are sent west to fight Indians, despite their stupidity they are able, by a series of fortuitous circumstances, to cause the defeat of the Indians and their final surrender. Things seem to be for the best for Franco and Ciccio, but the sudden discovery of a wrong doing forces them to abandon their enlistment in the army and they find refuge in the desert. To put an end to their troubles, the two hapless friends agree to marry the daughters of an Indian chief and to integrate into an American Indian tribe.

Franco e Ciccio sentiero di guerra - Italian title

Zwei Trottel als Revolverhelden - German title

Franco - Ciccio, oi dyo polemarhoi - Greek title

Franco & Ciccio on the Warpath - English title

Paths of War – English title

A 1969 Italian film production [Mondial Televisione Film (Rome)]

Producer: Sergio Bonotti

Director: Aldo Grimaldi (Arnaldo Grimaldi)

Story: Giovanni Grimaldi, Bruno Corbucci

Screenplay: Giovanni Grimaldi

Cinematography: Fausto Zuccoli [Eastmancolor]

Music: Roberto Pregadio

Running time: 95 minutes

Cast:

Franco Lo Cascio - Franco Franchi (Francesco Benenato)

Ciccio Spampinato - Ciccio Igrassia (Francesco Ingrassia)

Jeff - Renato Baldini

Lucy Foster - Adler Gray

Wowoka - Joseph Persaud (Turam Quibo)

Lieutenant Martin/Morgan - Stelvio Rosi

Colonel Foster - Gianni Solaro (Gianni Lorenzon)

Officer – Silvio Klein

Mormon - Lino Banfi (Pasquale Zagaria)

Indian - Pietro Torrisi

Scotsman - Renato Malavasi

Sergeant Douglas - Alfred Rizzo

Barman - Luigi Bonos

Sheriff - Fulvio Mingozzi

With: Turi Campochiaro (Salvatore Campochiaro), Wolff Fischer (Wolfgang Fischer), Silvano Spada, Veronica Mary Wells