50th Anniversary of the premier of “Duck You Sucker”

 Today marks the 50^th Anniversary of the Rome premier of Giu la testa” (Duck You Sucker). The film was directed by Sergio Leon and starred Rod Steiger and James Coburn with a score by Ennio Morricone. The film was not a success and in the USA was renamed “A Fistful of Dollars” to make it sound more like a Leone/Eastwood film. Over the years it has gained in popularity and is now a cult favorite of sorts. The story revolves around John Mallory, an IRA explosives specialist joins the Mexican bandit Juan (Steiger) in his quest to rob the bank of Mesa Verde. What Juan thinks is a nice joint venture to get rich, quickly turns out to become an operation for the revolutionary cause, and the two are being drawn into a fight against the Mexican army, treason and violence, the fight bearing painful similarities to Mallory's IRA past. The two form an unlikely but true friendship that is tested by a fight that is anything but simple. The uncut version must be seen for the film to be appreciated.

 

Giu la testa - Italian title

C’era una volt la rivoluzione - Italian title

Los Héroes de Mesa Verde - Argentinian title

Érase una vez la Revolución - Argentinian title

Quando explode a vingança - Brazilian title

Il était une fois la révolution - French Canadian title

Duk dig fjols - Danish title

Maahan, senkin hölmö! - Finnish title

Il était une fois... la révolution - French title

Todesmelodie - German title

Kato ta kefalia - Greek title

Garsc dynamitu - Polish title

Aguenta-te, canalha! - Portuguese title

Agáchate, maldito! - Spanish title

Ducka skitstovel - Swedish title

For hagra havar dynamit - Swedish title

Yabandan gelen adam - Turkish title

Sagni se naivcina - Yugoslavian title

Za saku dinamita - Yugoslavian title

A Fistful of Dynamite - U.S.A. title

Duck You Sucker - English title

 

A 1971 Italian film production [Rafran, San Marco, Mura Produzione (Rome)]

Producer: Fulvio Morsella

Director: Sergio Leone

Story: Sergio Donat, Sergio Leone

Screenplay: Sergio Donati, Sergio Leone, Luciano Vincenzoni

Cinematography: Giuseppe Ruzzolini [Technicolor, Techniscope]

Music: Ennio Morricone

Running time: 160 minutes

 

Cast:

Juan Miranda - Rod Steiger (Rodney Steiger)

Sean/John H. Mallory - James Coburn

Doctor Villega - Romolo Valli

Adelita - Maria Monti (Maria Monticello)

Santerna - Rick Battaglia (Caterino Bertaglia)

Governor Don Jaime/General Huerta - Franco Graziosi

Juan’s father - Edmondo Tieghi

Landowner - Roy Bosier (Roy Bosshard)

‘The American’ - John Frederick

Notary - Anthony Vernon (Antonio Casale)

Priest - Jean Rougeul

Chullo – Juanito Santiago

Nino – Goffredo Pistoni

Pancho Miranda - Vincenzo Norvese

Sebastian - Corrado Solari

Benito Miranda - Biagio La Rocca

Pepe - Renato Pontecchi

Napolean Miranda - Franco Collace

Miranda family member blown up – José Aquilino Montoya

Miranda family “hole in the roof” – Amelio Pelini

Miguel - Giulio Battiferri

Peon - Amelio Perlinik

Yankee - Michael Harvey

Colonel Guttierez/Reza - Domingo Antoine/Jean Michel (Antoine Saint-John)

Sean Nolan - David Warbeck (David Mitchell)

Coleen - Vivienne Chandler

Revolutionary - Poldo Bendandi (Leopoldo Bendandi), Sergio Calderón, Omar Bonaro,

     Stefano Oppefisano

Captain of the firing squad - Aldo Sambrell (Alfredo Brell)

Executed café owner - Furio Meniconi

Train engineer - D. Andres Lupianze Orphan

Conductor - Simon van Collem

First policeman on train – Franco Tocci

Second policeman on train - Amato Garbini

Man shot at Mesa Verde train station – Francisco Barrilado

Girl on bus - Leonora Carney

Firing squad victim – Luis Bermudez

With: Conrado San Martin (Conrado Prieto), Nazzareno Natale, Benito Stefanelli, Rita Torosh