The Professionals (1966)

Director:

Richard Brooks

Writers:

Frank O'Rourke (novel)
Richard Brooks (written for the screen by)

Release Date:

2 November 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Western

Tagline:

It Captures The Flavor Of A Brawling Lusty Mexico!

Plot:

An arrogant Texas millionaire hires four adventurers to rescue his kidnapped wife from a notorious Mexican bandit.

Plot Keywords:

Mexican | Contract | Train | Explosives Expert | Border

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Burt Lancaster	...	Bill Dolworth
Lee Marvin	...	Henry 'Rico' Fardan
Robert Ryan	...	Hans Ehrengard
Woody Strode	...	Jake Sharp
Jack Palance	...	Jesus Raza
Claudia Cardinale	...	Mrs. Maria Grant
Ralph Bellamy	...	Joe Grant
Joe De Santis	...	Ortega
Rafael Bertrand	...	Fierro
Jorge Martínez de Hoyos	...	Eduardo Padilla - Goatkeeper (as Jorge Martinez de Hoyos)
Marie Gomez	...	Chiquita
José Chávez	...	Revolutionary (as Jose Chavez)
Carlos Romero	...	Revolutionary
Vaughn Taylor	...	Grant's Banker
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
David Cadiente	...	(uncredited)
Vincente Cadiente	...	(uncredited)
Elizabeth Campbell	...	Mexican Girl (uncredited)
Don Carlos	...	Bandit (uncredited)
Leigh Chapman	...	Lady (uncredited)
Roberto Contreras	...	Bandit (uncredited)
Dirk Evans	...	Man at Door (uncredited)
Foster Hood	...	(uncredited)
Darwin Lamb	...	Hooper - Grant's Associate (uncredited)
Eddie Little Sky	...	Jake's Prisoner (uncredited)
John Lopez	...	Mexican Servant (uncredited)
John McKee	...	Sheriff (uncredited)
Henry O'Brien	...	(uncredited)
Philip L. Parslow	...	Deputy Sheriff (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Brooks

Writing credits
Frank O'Rourke		(novel "A Mule for the Marquesa")
Richard Brooks		(written for the screen by)

Produced by
Richard Brooks	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Maurice Jarre

Cinematography by
Conrad L. Hall		(director of photography) (as Conrad Hall)

Film Editing by
Peter Zinner

Art Direction by
Ted Haworth		(as Edward S. Haworth)

Set Decoration by
Frank Tuttle

Makeup Department
Jackie Bone	....	hair stylist
Robert J. Schiffer	....	makeup artist (as Robert Schiffer)

Production Management
Lee Lukather	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tom Shaw	....	assistant director

Art Department
Joe LaBella	....	property master (as Joseph La Bella)

Sound Department
Del Harris	....	sound effects
Jack Haynes	....	sound
William M. Randall Jr.	....	sound (as William Randall Jr.)
Charles J. Rice	....	sound supervisor
Kay Rose	....	sound effects

Special Effects by
Willis Cook	....	special effects
Chuck Gaspar	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Boyd Cabeen	....	stunt double (uncredited)
John Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tony Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Hudkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
John McKee	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bobby Somers	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ron Veto	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Williams	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Harry Sundby	....	chief electrician
Bobby Byrne	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Jordan Cronenweth	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
William A. Fraker	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Michael A. Jones	....	assistant chief lighting technician (uncredited)
Charles Rosher Jr.	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jack Martell	....	wardrobe

Music Department
Maurice Jarre	....	conductor
Maury Winetrobe	....	music editor
Leo Arnaud	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
John Franco	....	script supervisor
Cheryl Leigh	....	script supervisor (uncredited)
Dominic Santarone	....	caterer (uncredited)
Ruth Santarone	....	caterer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation
• Pax Enterprises

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures
• Columbia-Bavaria Filmgesellschaft m.b.H. (1966) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Film (1966) (France) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1972) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1999) (video)
• Columbia TriStar (Brazil) (DVD)
• LK-TEL Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Pioneer Entertainment (19??) (USA) (VHS)
• Pioneer Entertainment (19??) (USA) (laserdisc)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (19??) (USA) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (19??) (USA) (laserdisc)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2003) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2005) (Sweden) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Technicolor  color
• U.S. Department of Interior  courtesy of
• Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources  courtesy of
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence and nudity (re-rating: 1999)

Runtime:

117 min | UK:123 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Recording) | Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #21227) (original rating) | New Zealand:PG | USA:PG-13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | West Germany:16 | USA:GP (1970) | USA:PG-13 (re-rating: 1999)

Filming Locations:

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The shooting was plagued by many complications including rain, snow, sleet, the blazing sun, intense desert heat and even a flash flood.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the team makes it back to the train after capturing Mrs. Grant Claudia Cardinale and the ambush is waiting for them, Ehrengard Robert Ryan is initially shown from inside the train car sitting facing sideways to the open door of the train car, then from outside he is shown with his back to the door of the train, then back to inside and he is sideways again.

Quotes:

Rico:Before you blow a gasket, think you can blow the water tower?
Bill Dolworth:How do you want it?
Rico:Like it was hit by a French 75. Blow it to hell and gone.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Story of Eloise (1976)

4 soldiers of fortune, one kidnapped wife, one explosive mission.

The Professionals comes out of Columbia Pictures and it is based around the novel A Mule for the Marquesa by Frank O'Rourke. Written and directed by Richard Brooks it stars Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan, Woody Strode, Jack Palance and Claudia Cardinale. A Panavision and Technicolor presentation it features cinematography by Conrad L. Hall and Maurice Jarre scores the music.

One of the stand out Oaters from the 1960s that is often forgotten in light of what was to come from Sam Peckinpah three years later. Tho far more light hearted than Bloody Sam's Magnum Opus that was The Wild Bunch, Richard Brook's film has many similarities. Themes of friendship, loyalty, disillusionment and of course the changing of the Old West all get dealt a hand here. With Brooks and his team upping the action stakes in a ball of explosions, gun fights and verbal jousting. Hell the film is even a touch risqué with nudity, sex and a wife in distress that is not as saintly as one would expect.

Set in 1917 on the Mexican-Texas border after the Mexican revolution, The Professionals' only real problem is its thin story. But Brooks is not interested in going too deep with his plot, he's more concerned with playing it for thrills and back slapping camaraderie. Which works magnificently due to the impressive cast that has assembled for the movie. Marvin plays it restrained as Henry 'Rico' Fardan, the weary leader of the group sent into Mexico to "rescue" Claudia Cardinale's (sultry but some fluctuating accent issues) Mrs. Maria Grant from the clutches of Palance's (excellent) Bandido supreme Jesus Raza. Lancaster is a whirlwind of testosterone as explosives expert Bill Dolworth, while Ryan and Strode are smooth background characters as the conscientious Hans Ehrengard & muscular tracker and bowman, Jake Sharp, respectively. The only complaint in the characters comes with Ralph Bellamy's Joe Grant, the apparently fraught husband who sets the men off on their mission. He's in the beginning and the end but it's just not enough screen time to grasp his make up and the character therefore is underdeveloped.

Hall's photography is exceptional as he shoots on location at Death Valley, Lake Mead and the Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. The browns are smooth on the eye and the capturing of the odd rock formations a real treat. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his work, as was Brooks in the Best Direction and Best Screenplay categories. The shoot actually suffered some serious problems such as dust storms and flash floods, thus causing severe delays. But the end result was worth it for the film was a success at the box office. The public promptly lapped it up, yes it's a bit close to the knuckle sometimes, but there's never a dull moment in it. It's a ripper. 8/10