A Fistful of Dynamite [Blu-ray]

Rod Steiger Director: Sergio Leone, Fulvio Morsella, Ugo Tucci, Claudio Mancini Sergio Leone

Overview

Originally titled Giù la Testa, Duck, You Sucker! is a Mexican-revolution yarn, filmed in Italy by spaghetti Western maven Sergio Leone. James Coburn is top-billed as John H. Mallory, an Irish soldier of fortune with a penchant for explosives. Rod Steiger plays Juan Miranda, another mercenary who wants to utilize Mallory's specialty to blast into a bank. Despite his avaricious intentions, Miranda becomes a hero when the hole he blows in the bank wall frees dozens of political prisoners. Duck, You Sucker originally ran 150 minutes, with U.S. release prints heavily trimmed. Taking into consideration the previous "Man With No Name" films masterminded by Leone, the distributors of Duck, You Sucker! reissued the film as A Fistful of Dynamite.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/06/2018
UPC:	0738329225889
Original Release:	1972
Rating:	PG
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound]
Language:	English
Time:	2:37:00

Special Features

Audio commentary by filmmaker Alex Cox; Audio commentary by film historian Sir Christopher Frayling; Featurette: the myth of the revolution; Featurette: Sergio Donati remembers; Featurette: once upon a time in Italy (The Autry Exhibition); Featurette: sorting out the versions; Featurette: restoration italian style; Featurette: location comparisons; "Trailers From Hell" with Brian Trenchard-Smith; 2 animated image galleries; 6 radio spots; Trailers for all 5 Sergio Leone westerns

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Rod Steiger	Juan Miranda
James Coburn	John H. Mallory
Romolo Valli	Dr. Villega
Maria Monti	Woman on Stagecoach
Rik Bataglia	Santerna
Franco Graziosi	Governor Jaime
Michel Antoine	Col. Günther Reza
Vivienne Chandler	John's Girlfriend
David Warbeck	Sean Nolan
Giulio Battiferri	Miguel
Poldo Bendandi	Revolutionary
Omar Bonaro	Revolutionary
Roy Bosier	Landowner on Stagecoach
John Frederick	American on Stagecoach
Amato Garbini	Policeman on Train
Michael Harvey	Coachman,Yankee
Biagio La Rocca	Actor
Furio Meniconi	Innkeeper
Natale Nazzareno	Actor
Vincenzo Norvese	Miranda Gang Member
Stefano Oppedisano	Revolutionary
Memé Perlini	Miranda's Son
Goffredo Pistoni	Miranda's Father
Renato Pontecchi	Pepe Miranda
Jean Rougeul	Priest on Stagecoach
Corrado Solari	Napoleon Miranda
Antonio Casale	Notary on Stagecoach,Mesa Verde Bank Prisoner
Benito Stefanelli	Actor
Franco Tocci	Actor
Rosita Torosh	Actor
Aldo Sanbrell	Mexican Officer
Florencio Amarilla	Revolutionary
Jean Michel Antoine	Actor
Sergio Calderón	Revolutionary
Frank Fargas	Soldier in Mesa Verde Bank
Simon van Collem	Conductor
Alberigo Donadeo	Santerna's Man
Antoine Domingo	Guttierrez
Nino Casale	Notary
Biacio La Rocca	Benito
Romano Milani	Mesa Verde Bank Prisoner
Claudio Mancini	Mexican Army Captain
Ennio Morricone	Conductor,Composer
Luigi Tripodi	Revolutionary
Riccardo Pizzuti	Santerna's Man
Franco Ukmar	Soldier in Mesa Verde Bank
Antonio Montoya	Miranda Gang Member

Technical Credits

Sergio Leone

Luciano Vincenzoni

Sergio Donati

Sergio Leone	Director,Screenwriter
Luciano Vincenzoni	Screenwriter
Sergio Donati	Screenwriter
Fulvio Morsella	Producer
Claudio Mancini	Producer
Giovanni Corridori	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

In its uncut version, Sergio Leone's final foray into Western territory opens with a quote from Mao -- flashed a few words at a time, à la Godard -- establishing its political nature immediately. Though not the first to see the spaghetti Western's potential for political commentary, Leone predictably claims the burgeoning (since the 1968 uprisings) genre variation as his own. A fantastic opening pitting Rod Steiger's earthy bandito against a stagecoach filled with rich bigots begins the film on a fantastic note that Leone has difficulty sustaining. But what the film loses in momentum, it gains in complexity. Pairing Steiger's character with James Coburn's nearly disillusioned Irish revolutionary expands the scope of the film in ways other than the geographical. While other political spaghetti Westerns simply pitted the haves against the have-nots, Duck, You Sucker! (named after a "popular" American catchphrase known only to Leone), attempts to portray the full scope of revolution. That the director includes chilling scenes of wholesale massacre on the part of the ruling class would seem to betray his sympathies, but he also portrays the impact of revolutionary activity on those who rebel. Mao's words about revolution being an act of violence take on new meaning in light of the losses incurred by the two heroes over the course of the film. Does Leone endorse the statement, reject it, or simply view it as an inevitability? Whatever the case, the debate is housed in a film unmistakable for the work of any other director -- one that's larger than life but still quite affecting and contains inimitable suspense sequences. Though it includes too many awkwardly paced passages to qualify as anyone's favorite Leone film, the film's disastrous financial performance in America granted it an undeserved obscurity. The strange (even by his own standards) score by Ennio Morricone alone makes it worth seeking out.

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