Moviedrome Introduction
Film Details
Release Date: 1966
Director: Damiano Damiani
Stars:
Gian Maria Volonté – El Chuncho
Lou Castel – Bill “Niño” Tate
Klaus Kinski – El Santo
Plot Summary
Set during the Mexican Revolution, the film follows El Chuncho, a charismatic bandit leader who steals weapons to sell to revolutionary forces. His gang encounters a mysterious American, Bill Tate, who helps them during a train robbery and is welcomed into the group.
Tate gradually gains Chuncho’s trust, and the two develop an uneasy friendship. However, Tate is secretly a hired assassin with a hidden mission: to infiltrate the revolutionaries and kill their leader, General Elías.
Personal History
Unknown to me.
Current Review
All the hallmarks of a spaghetti western. Bad dubbing, great soundtrack, gurning mexican bandits, train heists - complete with a hostage chained to the railtrack and the quest for the greatest prize known to man - a machine gun.
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| Lays waste to hundreds - no horses harmed |
Concentrate hard enough and there is plenty to admire. This is a parable for American interfering in Central America. When we meet the dandy, blonde haired American he is showing his entitlement by pushing into the ticket queue. To much protestation from the locals. Undeterred, he does this again at the films brilliant ending.
It's a fore-runner for broke-back mountain - with a blink if you miss it homoerotic subtext. El Cruncho - as seen in seen in the fistful movies - protects, nurses and eventually (for 3 minutes) turns into a clone the gay, because he has shiny suits and a handkerchief, Nino.
And after 120 minutes of gun battles, idiot locals trained into the militia and a women who's purpose in the film is unknown, we have a fine ending. The whole film has be subterfuge - with Nino worming his way into the revolutionaries simply to assassinate the general with the titular bullet - for some reason, golden. You thought it might end there, but his relationship with Cruncho is more nuanced. He is waiting to share the bounty with him and convinces him to tidy himself up.
Before Cruncho catches on to himself.
Worth the endurance for something quite different and unexpected.
Oh, and you go you whole life without watching a Klaus Kinski film and then you watch two Moviedromes on the bounce.
Quirky Facts
The original Italian title of A Bullet for the General is Quién sabe?, which translates as “Who knows?” and reflects the film’s atmosphere of ambiguity and hidden motives.
Quotes
El Chuncho: [to a beggar he gave money to earlier] Don't buy bread with your money! No, hombre! Buy dynamite! Dynamite! Dynamite! Dynamite!
El Chuncho: You don't smoke, you don't drink... you don't notice a pretty girl. What the hell do you like, Niño?
Bill 'Niño' Tate: Money.
Chico - Young Mexican at Train Station: [while waiting for Tate to buy a train ticket] Señor, señor? Are you from the United States? Señor? You like Mexico?
Bill 'Niño' Tate: No. Not very much.
Future Inspiration
As per "The Great Silence", I am not tempted to go down a Spaghetti Western route.
I see that Alex Cox has a number of books - including 10,000 Ways to Die about the Spaghetti Western. I might have a look at his Introduction to Film book instead.
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