Navajo Joe

Navajo Joe
Directed by	Sergio Corbucci
Produced by	Ermanno Donati Luigi Carpentieri
Screenplay by	Dean Craig Fernando Di Leo
Story by	Ugo Pirro
Starring	Burt Reynolds Aldo Sanbrell Nicoletta Machiavelli Tanya Lopert Fernando Rey
Music by	Leo Nichols
Cinematography	Silvano Ippoliti
Edited by	Aurelio Crugnola
Production company	Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica C.B. Films S.A.
Distributed by	Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica (Italy) United Artists (US)
Release dates	25 November 1966 (Italy)
Running time	93 minutes (Italy/USA) 88 minutes (Spain)
Country	Italy Spain
Language	Italian

Navajo Joe is a 1966 Spaghetti Western film, directed by Sergio Corbucci,^[1] and stars Burt Reynolds as the titular Navajo Indian who opposes a group of bandits responsible for killing his tribe.^[2] The film's score was composed by Ennio Morricone (credited as Leo Nichols).

Plot

Having massacred an Indian village, outlaw Duncan finds his men falling victim to a solitary rider, Navajo Joe. Joe saves three prostitutes who have overheard Duncan plot with Lynne, the town doctor, to steal a train full of money belonging to the bank. Joe steals the train back from Duncan's gang. He asks the townspeople of Esperanza to pay him to protect them from Duncan, making an offer of "I want a dollar a head from every man in this town for every bandit I kill". The townspeople reject him, as they "don't make bargains with Indians." Lynne's wife Honor persuades them otherwise. Joe sets a trap for Duncan but is caught and tortured; Lynne and Honor are killed. Rescued by an old man from the saloon, Joe again steals the train and eradicates Duncan's gang. There is then a showdown in an Indian cemetery, where Joe reclaims the pendant which Duncan stole from his wife when he murdered her. As Joe turns, Duncan shoots Joe with a hidden gun. Injured, Joe grabs a tomahawk and throws it, hitting Duncan square in the forehead. With Duncan dead, Joe sends his horse back to town, carrying the Bank's money.

Cast

• Burt Reynolds as Navajo Joe
• Aldo Sambrell as Mervyn 'Vee' Duncan - Bandit Leader (credited as Aldo Sanbrell)
• Nicoletta Machiavelli as Estella (Mrs. Lynne's maid)
• Fernando Rey as Father Rattigan
• Pierre Cressoy as Dr. Chester Lynne (credited as Peter Cross)
• Lucio Rosato as Jeffrey Duncan - Member of Duncan's Gang
• Tanya Lopert as Maria (saloon girl)
• Franca Polesello as Barbara (saloon girl)
• Lucia Modugno as Geraldine - Wounded saloon girl
• Mario Lanfranchi as Jefferson Clay (Esperanza mayor) (credited as Mario Lanfranchi)
• Nino Imparato as Chuck Holloway - Banjo Player (credited as Antonio Imparato)
• Ángel Álvarez as Oliver Blackwood - Bank manager
• Álvaro de Luna as Sancho Ramirez - Member of Duncan's Gang
• Maria Cristina Sani as Joe's wife

Production

Reynolds wore a wig for his role. "I looked like Natalie Wood", he joked.^[3]

Music

The original soundtrack for the film^[4] was composed by Ennio Morricone (credited as Leo Nichols) and contains the following tracks:

1. Titoli Di Testa-Navajo Joe (Main Title)
2. Pelli Conciate E Pelli Morte (Raw Hides and Dead Hides)
3. Profilo del Destino (A Silhouette of Doom)
4. Saloon Pyote (The Pyote Saloon)
5. Storia Indiana (An Indian Story)
6. Verso Esperanza (To Esperanza)
7. Bandito Prende Il Treno (The Bandit Gets the Train)
8. Ma Joe Dice No (But Joe Says No)
9. Fine Di Barbara, E Il Ritornio Di Joe (The Demise of Barbara and the Return of Joe)
10. Paura E Silenzio (Fear and Silence)
11. Navajo E Prigioniero (The Navajo and the Prisoner)
12. Guarendo le Ferite (Healing the Wound)
13. Addio a Fratello Jeffrey (Goodbye to Brother Jeffrey)
14. Navajo Joe
15. Dopo la Fine (After the End)
16. Titoli Di Coda-Navajo Joe (End Title)

Credits notes

• The lead female vocalist heard in the main title and in most of the tracks is Gianna Spagnulo,^[5][4] who also participated on the soundtrack Once Upon a Time in the West.

Song notes

• The track "A Silhouette of Doom" has been used for The Bride's introductory speech and for her duel with Elle Driver in the second volume of the two-part Quentin Tarantino film, Kill Bill.
• The track "The Demise of Barbara and the Return of Joe" was used in the well-received comedy Election (1999), when Tracy Flick rips up all of Paul Metzler's posters. It also accompanies one of the final sequences of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004).

Bibliography

• Hughes, Howard (2010). Spaghetti Westerns. Harpenden: Kamera Books. ISBN 978-1-84243-303-4.

References

1. Hughes, p.59
2. Crowther, Bosley (December 7, 1967). "Navajo Joe". The New York Times.
3. Burt Reynolds, Who Plays Haff-Breeds Stoic About Roles Clifford, Terry. Chicago Tribune (1963-Current file) [Chicago, Ill] 06 Apr 1969: f14.
4. Screenarchives.com
5. p.7 Ehresmann, Patrick "Western, Italian Style"

External links

• Un Dollaro a Testa at AllMovie
• Navajo Joe at the Internet Movie Database
• Navajo Joe at the Spaghetti Western Database
• Navajo Joe at Rotten Tomatoes