Face to Face (1967 film)
| Face to Face | |
|---|---|
 Italian film poster by Morini | |
| Directed by | Sergio Sollima |
| Produced by | Alberto Grimaldi |
| Screenplay by |
Sergio Donati Sergio Sollima |
| Story by | Sergio Sollima |
| Starring |
Gian Maria Volontè Tomas Milian William Berger Jolanda Modio Carole André Gianni Rizzo Lidya Alfonsi |
| Music by | Ennio Morricone |
| Cinematography | Rafael Pacheco |
| Edited by | Eugenio Alabiso |
Production company |
Produzioni Europee Associati (PEA) Arturo González Producciones Cinematográficas |
| Distributed by |
PEA (Italy) Peppercorn-Wormser Film Enterprises (US)[1] |
Release dates | 23 November 1967 |
Running time |
112 minutes (Italy) 93 minutes (US) |
| Country |
Italy Spain |
| Language |
Italian Spanish |
| Box office | 1,116,721,000 ITL (Italy)[2] |
Face to Face (Italian: Faccia a faccia, Spanish title: Cara a cara) is a 1967 Italian Spaghetti Western thriller film co-written and directed by Sergio Sollima. The film stars Gian Maria Volontè and Tomas Milian, and features a musical score by Ennio Morricone.
Face to Face is the second of Sollima's three westerns, following The Big Gundown and predating Run, Man, Run, a sequel to the former. Milian stars in a lead role in all three films.[3]
Plot
During the American Civil War, Brad Fletcher retires from his position as History Professor at Boston University due to suffering from tuberculosis and retreats to Texas, believing the warmer climate will improve his health. The sexually repressed Fletcher is a well-meaning and earnest, if somewhat conceited, liberal who opposes violence and human suffering. While taking a siesta, a stagecoach carrying several lawmen and the captured criminal Beauregard Bennet stops by Fletcher’s hotel. When Fletcher tries to give Bennet a drink of water, he is taken hostage, and they escape on the stagecoach before becoming lost in the desert. Under Bennet’s instructions, Fletcher takes him to a hideout in the forest, where Bennet recovers from his wounds. During this time, Fletcher learns how to fire a revolver from Bennet.
Charley Siringo, a mysterious outlaw, encounters Fletcher and Bennet, convincing the latter to reform his gang, 'Bennet’s Raiders'. Bennet agrees, and he convinces Fletcher to return to Boston. While staying in a hotel in Purgatory City, awaiting a train to the East Coast, Fletcher finds Bennet again, who has been hired by local authorities to dispatch a group of outlaws; in exchange, Aaron Chase, a Raider, will be freed from prison. A gunfight between Bennet and the outlaws ensues, and Fletcher saves Bennet’s life by killing one of them. Later, as Fletcher prepares to board his train, he changes his mind and decides to follow Bennet and Aaron; they are soon joined by fellow Raiders Vance and Jason.
Bennet and Fletcher ride to the de Winton estate and enjoy the hospitality of another Raider, the Southern gentleman Maximillian de Winton. Siringo returns and proves his loyalty by killing a sheriff attempting to capture Bennet and the gang. Bennet's Raiders ride to their main hideout of Puerto de Fuego, a hippie-esque community of outsiders and desperados. When Bennet and the other Raiders leave to partake in a train robbery, Fletcher accosts Maria, Vance’s girlfriend.
Vance physically confronts Maria and Fletcher; the latter subsequently kills him in self-defense. Later, Fletcher suggests to Maria and the Raiders that they rob the Willow Creek Bank, disguising themselves as ordinary citizens to lower the chances of gunplay. The plan runs smoothly until a peasant boy recognises Bennet and blows his cover. Siringo, revealing himself as an undercover Pinkerton agent, captures Bennet and aids the local authorities in killing Jason, Maximillian and Aaron. Fletcher and Maria return to Puerto del Fuego with the stolen money, but Maria dies from wounds sustained in the battle. Driven to madness by Maria’s death and Siringo’s betrayal, Fletcher declares leadership of Bennet’s Raiders, turning Puerto del Fuego into a fascist state fuelled by money, violence and fear.
In Silvertown, the authorities call for the organization of a posse to capture Bennet’s Raiders. Siringo and Bennet, who has lost his passion for violence as a result of his friendship with Fletcher and the death of the peasant boy during the robbery, refuse to lead the vigilantes, but Zachary Shawn, a former, jailed member of the Raiders, agrees. The next morning, Bennet escapes his prison cell and rides to Puerto del Fuego, where he finds many innocent people massacred.
As Fletcher attempts to take the other refugees across a desert, one of the transport wagons breaks down, and the people on board are forced to travel on foot. Upon being separated, the group is preyed upon by Zachary's vigilantes and wiped out. Bennet meets Fletcher and the others just as the vigilantes prepare to attack. As the refugees escape, Fletcher and Bennet prepare to hold Zachary’s gang off. Siringo arrives to stop the posse, killing Zachary and a vigilante to prevent further bloodshed, and confronts Bennet and Fletcher alone. Fletcher, angry at Siringo for his betrayal of the Raiders and the people of Puerto del Fuego, prepares to kill him, but he is shot by Bennet. Expressing regret over his unfulfilled plans for Bennet’s Raiders, Fletcher dies. Bennet allows Siringo to execute him, but Siringo, noticing Bennet's desire for redemption, shoots the face of the vigilante's corpse, creating a 'fake' Bennet to present to the authorities. Confused but thankful, Bennet rides off.
Cast
- Gian Maria Volontè as Professor Brad Fletcher (Brett Fletcher in Italian)
- Tomas Milian as Solomon "Beauregard" (Beau) Bennet
- William Berger as Charley Siringo
- Jolanda Modio as Maria
- Carole André as Cattle Annie
- Gianni Rizzo as Williams
- Lydia Alfonsi as Belle de Winton
- Angel del Pozo as Maximilian de Winton
- Aldo Sanbrell as Zachary Shawn (Zachary Shot in Italian)
- Nello Pazzafini as Vance
- José Torres as Aaron Chase
- Linda Veras as Fletcher's Mistress
- Antonio Casas as Leading Citizen of Puerto del Fuego
- Frank Braña as Jason
- Guy Heron as Sheriff at de Winton Estate
- Rossella D'Aquino as Elizabeth Wilkins/Purgatory City Hotel maid
- Giovanni Ivan Scratuglia as Taylor Henchman
- Federico Boido as Sheriff of Purgatory City (uncredited)
- Calisto Calisti as Sheriff of Willow Creek (uncredited)
- Remo Capitani as Taylor Henchman (uncredited)
- Vera Drudi as Mrs. Lee (Watson in Italian) (uncredited)
- Antonio Gradoli as Carson (uncredited)
- John Karlsen as University Dean (uncredited)
- Gastone Moschin as Bennet's Raiders Member (uncredited)
- Guillermo Méndez as Bennet's Raiders Member (uncredited)
- Joaquín Parra as Deputy at Way Station (uncredited)
- Filippo Perego as Bank Clerk (uncredited)
- Osiride Pevarello as Blacksmith of Willow Creek (uncredited)
- Domenico Ravenna as Man in office (uncredited)
- Lorenzo Robledo as Wallace (uncredited)
- Alfonso Rojas as Sheriff that convoys Bennet (uncredited)
- Francisco Sanz as Rusty Rogers (uncredited)
- Guglielmo Spoletini as Deputy at Way Station (uncredited)
- John Stacy as Sam Taylor (uncredited)
- Goffredo Unger as Taylor Henchman (uncredited)
- José Luis Zalde as Innkeeper (uncredited)
References
- ↑ "Face to Face (1976)". FilmRatings.com. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ↑ Fisher, Austin (2014). Radical Frontiers in the Spaghetti Western: Politics, Violence and Popular Italian Cinema. I.B.Tauris. p. 220.
- ↑ Broughton, Lee. "The Sergio Sollima Italo-Western Box: The Big Gundown, Face to Face & Run Man Run". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2006-12-25.
External links
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