50th Anniversary of “The Deserter”

Today marks the 50^th Anniversary of 1970’s “The Deserter”. Directed by Burt Kennedy and starring Bekim Femiu, John Houston, Richard Crenna and Chuck Connors. An army captain deserter is reinstated to lead a small group of soldiers on a raid to exterminate the Apache tribe that had tortured and murdered his wife. Despite the stoic almost wooden performance by the lead actor Bekim Femiu the film offers an all-star cast of American and Italian actors. Some great action scenes and plenty of drama and suspense.

 

 

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 1970 Italian, U.S.A., Yugoslavian film co-production [Dino DeLaurentis

     Cinematografica (Rome), Heritage Enterprises (Hollywood), Jadran Film (Zagreb)]

Producers: Dino DeLaurentis, Norman Baer, Ralph B. Serpe

Directors: Burt Kennedy, Niksa Fulgosi

Story: Stuart J. Byrne, William H. James, Massimo D’Avack

Screenplay: 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 (Ricardo Montalbán y Merino)

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 Robinson - Patrick Wayne (Patrick Morrison)

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/Apache - José Terron (José Peñaranda)

Apache boy - Manfredo Giusto