Mannaja
| Mannaja | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Sergio Martino |
| Produced by | Luciano Martino |
| Written by |
Sergio Martino Sauro Scavolini |
| Starring |
Maurizio Merli John Steiner Sonja Jeannine Donald O'Brien Philippe Leroy |
| Music by | Guido & Maurizio De Angelis |
| Cinematography | Federico Zanni |
| Edited by | Eugenio Alabiso |
Production company |
Devon Film Intes Corporation |
Release dates |
1977 (Italy) 1980 (France) 1983/84 (Norway video) |
Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | Italy |
| Language | Italian |
Mannaja (also known under the English title A Man Called Blade, USA) is an Italian western film from 1977 directed by Sergio Martino. The main role, Blade, is played by Maurizio Merli. Other central roles are played by John Steiner, Sonja Jeannine, Donald O'Brien, Philippe Leroy and Martine Brochard.
Mannaja is an unusual spaghetti western, in that it contains some symbolism and emotional scenes that give the viewer the feel of an adventure or horror film, particularly in the opening scene in the swamp, and the scene in the cave. Mannaja has been compared to a contemporaneous film called Keoma (1976). Like other spaghetti westerns it is sometimes rather brutal, and contains fairly graphic depictions of murder with an axe. It was banned in Sweden.
The film was released on DVD in 2002 (Region 2).
Plot
Bounty hunter Blade (Maurizio Merli), who uses a tomahawk as a throwing weapon, arrives at the mining town of Suttonville with the outlaw Burt Craven (Donald O'Brien) as his prisoner. His real motive is to kill mining big boss McGowan (Philippe Leroy) who has killed his father. Blade gives up his revenge – because McGowan “is not worth it” – and instead accepts to deliver the ransom for the mine owner's daughter (Sonja Jeannine). However, this mission fails because she turns out to be the lover of her kidnapper, McGowan's foreman Voller (John Steiner), who secretly works for a gang that regularly robs the shipments of silver from the mine. Voller then kills his boss and turns his mining empire into bloody chaos by massacring the mine workers. Blade is beaten up and buried up to his neck and left to be blinded by the sun. However, he survives and returns for a showdown with Voller.
Cast
- Maurizio Merli as Blade (Mannaja)
- John Steiner as Theo Voller
- Sonja Jeannine as Deborah McGowan
- Donald O'Brien as Burt Craven
- Philippe Leroy as Ed McGowan
- Martine Brochard as Angela
- Salvatore Puntillo as Johnny
- Antonio Casale as Dahlman
- Enzo Fiermonte as agente del governo
- Rick Battaglia as padre di Mannaja
- Aldo Rendine as uomo derubato
- Enzo Maggio as vecchietto
- Sergio Tardioli as barista
- Sophia Lombardo as Lucy
Reception
In his investigation of narrative structures in Spaghetti Western films, Fridlund ranges Mannaja among stories obeying the "Tragic Mercenary” plot where the pursuit of a monetary motive entails the killing or wounding of someone close to the hero, who then sets out on a vengeance mission. This story appears in the very influential Django. In the case of Blade his economic arrangement with the man he should have killed sets off a course of action leading to him being tortured and to the death of the showgirl Angela, who loves him. The situation where a kidnapped woman betrays her savior because she is the lover of her would-be abductor also appears in Ten Thousand Dollars for a Massacre - another "Tragic Mercenary” story.[1]
References
- ↑ Fridlund, Bert: The Spaghetti Western. A Thematic Analysis. Jefferson, NC and London: McFarland & Company Inc., 2006 pp. 133-34.
External links
- Mannaja at the Internet Movie Database
- Eccentric cinema (review and pictures, English)
- Swedish video cover from 1982
Internet TV
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