A Pistol for Ringo

Trailer—A Pistol for Ringo

A Pistol for Ringo_720p(480P)

source: A Pistol for Ringo

Duccio Tessari is one of the fathers of the Italian Western, co-writing Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars. He also wrote Bava's astounding Hercules In the Haunted World and would go on to write and direct films like Kiss Kiss...Bang Bang, The Bloodstained Butterfly and Tex and the Lord of the Deep. Instead of a silent Man with No Name, Tessari based Ringo on the real-life Johnny Ringo and created a well-dressed, talkative cowboy who drank milk while so many others enjoyed whiskey. It helped that he had such a great talent in Giuliano Gemma, who would go on to play Arizona Colt and also appear in Westerns like Day of Anger and Long Days of Vengeance. He was billed here as Montgomery Wood. Ringo starts the movie in prison for killing four men in a gunfight. He is released only if he rescues a land baron and his daughter from a gang of bandits led by Sancho. Sancho also has an evil girlfriend named Delores who gets her claws into the land baron and tries to save her man through her feminine wiles. That makes perfect sense when you realize that she's played by giallo queen Nieves Navarro (Death Walks at Midnight, All the Colors of the Dark, Death Walks On High Heels). Known as Ballad of Death Valley in the U.S., where it was a success, this movie begat an official sequel, The Return of Ringo, as well as numerous Ringo titled films. It's theme song by Morricone also rose to number one on the Italian music charts. Ringo's motto is "God created all men equal, the Colt made them different." Your mileage may vary for the many Italian Westerns made in the wake of Leone's success. This is one of the better examples of the genre.

The following review is an extract from the book "Italo-Western and more...: A filmic guide", which is now available on Amazon. "Very entertaining and enjoyable this Christmas western, one of the first to come out in Italy, a blockbuster and very popular, which would have a sequel that same year. It was released shortly after "For a Fistful of Dollars" (Sergio Leone, 1964) - the emblematic feature film with which the sub-genre was launched, and in which Duccio Tessari, director of the proposal under consideration, served as co-writer. "A Pistol for Ringo" lacks the epic tone that characterizes Leone's western films, and also the melancholy, somber and hypervolent style that is typical of many Italian western gems. The plot is simple and linear, yet rich in nuances and well-crafted characters. The usual vendettas are dispensed with and we are presented with a story of hostage-taking with its corresponding intrigues, albeit in a light-hearted and humorous way. Ringo is very different from the Leonesian/Eastwoodian "man with no name": Although he is also an amoral loner he is much more talkative, and often makes joking remarks. He is well dressed, well shaved, does not smoke and drinks only milk. Just as in the film he is a "turncoat", he also switched sides earlier during the civil war: "At first I was with the Confederates, but when I saw that they were losing, I switched to the North. You should never be with a loser... it's a matter of principle"."

This is one of the better Spaghetti Westerns I've watched but whose reputation – despite the popularity of the title character – seems to me to be relatively underrated (and the film itself criminally unavailable in an affordable DVD edition; the same thing goes for its follow-up, THE RETURN OF RINGO [1965]). While pretty straightforward in comparison to later efforts in the genre (often politically-motivated and thus heavy-going), just because it's unpretentious the film emerges as more readily enjoyable than most of its type – benefiting from the presence of Giuliano Gemma (certainly one of the more likable Italian stars in spite of a somewhat limited range), a typically fine score by Ennio Morricone, but also the unusual time-frame of the plot (it's set largely inside a hacienda under siege over the Christmas period!). Besides, there are agreeable (though not over-emphasized) touches of humor throughout to counter the exciting action sequences, some surprisingly good dialogue (director Tessari also wrote the script) and, equally unexpected for such an early Spaghetti Western, interesting characterizations. In fact, the milksop hero is an opportunist who's extremely resourceful at outwitting burly villain Fernando Sancho; the latter's woman – played by Nieves Navarro, better known as Susan Scott, and the wife of the film's co-producer Luciano Ercoli – is an elegant and seductive Mexican who wins the affections of the aristocratic owner of the remote mansion where the gang is holed in; while the old man's daughter, fiancée of the sheriff but who gradually falls for Gemma, is coveted by one of Sancho's lecherous cronies. Most of the cast and crew were re-assembled soon after for THE RETURN OF RINGO which is superior to the original (mainly because the Homeric inspiration of that film's narrative adds some much-needed depth to the protagonist) but, starting off with Gemma coming home from the Civil War, is actually a prequel to it: his military duty is mentioned in passing in A PISTOL FOR RINGO, though not the fact that he had been married (the latter is possibly an added element to the second film – so that Gemma could finally get together with leading lady Lorella Di Luca, billed as Hally Hammond).

"Merry Christmas". It is with this customary exchange that "A Pistol for Ringo" opens. Christmas is only two days away, but the towns-folks festive celebrations are about to come to an abrupt halt, when a band of mexicans, led by Sancho (played, quite aptly, by Fernando Sancho), take a ranch and its inhabitants hostage following a failed escape from a bank-robbery. The local sheriff, Ben, (played in true Hollywood style by Jorge Martin) has the ranch surrounded, but cannot attack for fear of the hostages being massacred. A particular concern in view of the fact that his love interest is amongst the hostages. Ringo (Gemma) is spending time in jail for the killing (albeit in "self defence") of a local gang. But when Sancho threatens to kill two hostages a day unless he and his gang are freed, the Sheriff has no option but to send in Ringo. This is a really enjoyable movie, that sits somewhere in-between the dirt and grittiness of Leone and his Italian counterparts, and the classic American western. Even Morricone's soundtrack leans towards 50/60's Hollywood, with its crooned (and toe-tappingly catchy) theme tune. The leading roles played by Gemma and Sancho are very convincing, and the dialogue is entertaining and full of classic quotes throughout: "God created men equal. It was the six gun that made them different". Ringo is far cleaner than Eastwood's Man With No Name (thus his name Angel Face), and cares not for alcohol, much preferring milk. But he shares the same ability and ruthlessness with a gun. Sancho meanwhile is gruff and merciless, revelling in carrying out his threat to kill one hostage at sunrise and one at sunset daily. Didn't anyone tell him it was the season of goodwill to all men???? Although not quite as strong as Director Tessari's follow up "Return of Ringo", this is one of the best of the early Spaghettis, and definitely a must view.

A Pistol for Ringo (1965) *** (out of 4) Mexican bandits rob a bank and ride off but the posse following them forces them into a ranch owned by a rich family. The bandits won't allow anyone to get close but the local sheriff offers Ringo (Giuliano Gemma) his freedom if he can get in and save the people there. Ringo manages to get onto the ranch where he decides to play both sides against one another. A PISTOL FOR RINGO turned out to be a lot better than I was expecting it too and a lot of the credit has to go to writer-director Duccio Tessari. What really sets this film apart from the countless other Spaghetti Westerns is the fact that this one here seems to be spoofing the genre. No, it's not a laugh riot but there's no question that the film has fun with the various trappings that these films usually have. One thing I really loved was the over-the-top badness from the bandits as they'd really shoot anyone and anything including shooting people in the back. The film was never cruel or mean about it and in fact all of the violence is done in a rather funny manner. The back and forth between Gemma and Fernando Sancho as the main bad guy is also priceless as the two just perfectly work off one another. Their non-stop back and forth is a lot of fun and certainly helps carry the film. Having the film set around Christmas time was another interesting touch and then you've got Ennio Morricone great score. Throw in the top-notch cinematography and you've certainly got a very entertaining gem. There are a few flaws in the film but there's no question that overall it's a winner

When smarty-pants bandito Fernando Sancho and his gang rob a bank and begin executing hostages while conducting a standoff at a near-bye ranch, local authorities send in ultra-slick (and equally glib) gunfighter Giuliano Gemma to infiltrate the ranch and hopefully rescue the survivors. Sancho is a hoot and Gemma oozes charm in this light-hearted, action-filled, and fast-paced flick that spawned a slew of bogus "sequels" and catapulted the name Ringo to icon status, like fellow one-name spaghetti stars Djang, Sartana, and Trinity. Although not quite a masterpiece, A Pistol For Ringo is an awful lot of fun, with a memorable score by Ennio Morricone, making it worthwhile viewing for fans of European westerns.

One of the very first hit Spaghetti Westerns, directed by a co-scripter of A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS. The very likable and attractive Giuliano Gemma stars as Ringo ("Angel Face", as he is nicknamed), a milk-drinking pretty-boy that also happens to be a ruthless mercenary. Gemma is sprung from prison to help the sheriff capture a band of bandits holed up, with hostages, at a nearby ranch. Much time is spent on the setup and planning of various raids by each side, and on the drama between two women (one hostage, one bandit) and the men that fancy them. Ringo eventually connives and conspires his way through the story and eventually produces the desired result, netting himself a nice payday in the process. I liked the great contradiction of the Ringo character: so nice and handsome, polite, well-dressed... yet also a deadly pistol shot, a wisecracking sarcastic SOB, a cutthroat negotiator. Gemma is gifted at bringing the laconic, edgy charm this character needs to come alive. He is great at acting with his body, whether in dramatic scenes that show his cockiness, or the slam-bang stunts that require his full athleticism. As for Sancho, the head bandit, played by Fernando Sancho, I don't get it. Sancho (the actor) is renowned for his great charisma and charm as a thug in dozens of Western features, but he has never won me over. Yes, he is usually poorly dubbed in a cartoonish voice, he can't help that; it's his wildly flailing reactions to every punch, every gunshot... he strikes me as a big, floppy, rowdy buffoon that is incapable of any dramatic subtlety. Sancho (the character) here shows himself to be undisciplined, hot-tempered, dumb, not at all like the ringleader of a successful gang. A poor performance by (in my opinion) a poor actor. The picture features fine widescreen photography, and also a nice score (with dramatic stings at appropriate moments) by the great Ennio Morricone. The color schemes of the sets and costumes are, however, a little gaudy and stagy, not the usually grime-and-grease look one associates from this genre; it makes the film feel a little more "Hollywood" than other Italo-westerns. This is, overall, a good early-cycle Spaghetti. A little slow and stagy, maybe, but enjoyable. Gemma's performance is the best thing about the pic. 6/10 stars.