Genio, due compari, un pollo, Un (1975)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Damiano Damiani
(more)

Writers:

Damiano Damiani (screenplay)
Ernesto Gastaldi (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

16 December 1975 (West Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Western

Plot:

Three rogues set out to rob $300,000 from an Indian-hating cavalry major.

Plot Keywords:

Love Triangle | Cult Western | Sequel | Spoof | Gambling

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Terence Hill	...	Joe Thanks
Miou-Miou	...	Lucy (as Miou Miou)
Robert Charlebois	...	Bill Locomotiva
Patrick McGoohan	...	Major Cabot
Raimund Harmstorf	...	Sergeant Milton
Piero Vida	...	Jacky Roll
Rik Battaglia	...	Captain
Mario Valgoi	...	Thomas Trader
Mario Brega	...	Coach driver
Friedrich von Ledebur	...	Don Felipe, the priest (as Frederick von Ledebur)
Jean Martin	...	Colonel Pembroke
Klaus Kinski	...	Doc Foster
Clara Colosimo	...	La ruffiana
Ferdinando Cerulli	...	Her husband
Benito Stefanelli	...	Mortimer
Renato Baldini	...	Sheriff in saloon
Roy Bosier	...	Jeremy
Gérard Boucaron	...	Village idiot
Miriam Mahler	...	Pembroke's Daughter
Carla Cassola
Vittorio Fanfoni
Armando Bottin
Valerio Ruggeri
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Karl Braun	...	Poker Player (uncredited)
Lina Franchi	...	Mary Gomez (prostitute) (uncredited)
Furio Meniconi	...	(uncredited)
Pietro Torrisi	...	Mortimer Henchman (uncredited)

Directed by
Damiano Damiani
Sergio Leone		(uncredited)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Damiano Damiani		screenplay
Ernesto Gastaldi		screenplay
Ernesto Gastaldi		story
Fulvio Morsella		screenplay
Fulvio Morsella		story

Produced by
Claudio Mancini	....	producer
Fulvio Morsella	....	producer
Sergio Leone	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Ennio Morricone

Cinematography by
Giuseppe Ruzzolini

Film Editing by
Nino Baragli

Production Design by
Francesco Bronzi
Carlo Simi

Set Decoration by
Massimo Tavazzi

Costume Design by
Franco Carretti

Makeup Department
Carboni	....	wig maker
Fausto De Lisio	....	hair stylist: Terence Hill
Grazia De Rossi	....	hair stylist
Maurizio Giustini	....	makeup artist: Terence Hill
Pierantonio Mecacci	....	makeup artist
Rocchetti	....	wig maker

Production Management
Franco Coduti	....	unit manager
Claudio Cuomo	....	unit manager
Claudio Giugno	....	production supervisor
Diego Gómez Sempere	....	production manager: Spain
Vasco Mafera	....	unit manager
Claudio Mancini	....	general manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Stefano Rolla	....	first assistant director
Stefano Vicario	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Francesco Bronzi	....	art director: Italy
Gilberto Carbonaro	....	set constructor
Gianni Fiumi	....	property master
Carlo Simi	....	art director: Spain

Sound Department
Fausto Ancillai	....	sound mixer
Roberto Arcangeli	....	sound effects
Gaetano Testa	....	sound

Special Effects by
Giovanni Corridori	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Augusto Diamanti	....	key grip
Romano Mancini	....	gaffer
Alessandro Ruzzolini	....	camera operator
Claudio Sabatini	....	assistant camera
Enzo Tosi	....	second assistant camera
Franco Vitale	....	still photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Orsola Liberati	....	seamstress

Editorial Department
Rossana Maiuri	....	assistant editor
Marco Roselli	....	assistant editor
Olga Sarra	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Mills	....	composer: song "Glory, Glory, Glory"
Ennio Morricone	....	composer: song "Glory, Glory, Glory"
Ennio Morricone	....	conductor

Other crew
Maurizio Mancini	....	production secretary
Benito Stefanelli	....	master of arms
Giorgio Ubaldi	....	director: acrobatic scenes
Vittoria Vigorelli	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• AMLF
• Rafran Cinematografica
• Rialto Film Preben-Philipsen

Distributors

• Tobis Filmkunst (1975) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Concorde Film (1976) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Alberto Bitelli Intl. Films (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Astro Distribution (1995) (Germany) (video) (laserdisc)
• Bridge Entertainment Group (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• DMEG (2004) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Future Film (2005) (Finland) (DVD)
• On Air Video (2004) (Denmark) (DVD)
• Roadshow Entertainment (1976) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Taurus Video (19??) (West Germany) (VHS) (as CIC Taurus Video)
• Valio-Filmi (1977) (Finland) (theatrical)
• marketing-film (19??) (West Germany) (all media) (8 mm)

Other Companies

• Rocchetti e Carboni  wigs

Also Known As:

A Genius, Two Friends, and an Idiot (USA)
A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe
Nobody ist der Größte (West Germany)
Nobody's the Greatest (video title)
The Genius
Trinity Is Back Again (USA)
Un génie, deux associés, une cloche (France)

Runtime:

Italy:126 min | Spain:114 min | UK:117 min

Country:

Italy | France | West Germany

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | West Germany:12 | Australia:R

Filming Locations:

Monument Valley, Utah, USA

Company:

AMLF

Trivia:

The film was released in West Germany under the title "Nobody ist der Größte", and in Denmark under the name "Jeg hedder stadigvæk Nobody", to create the illusion that it was a sequel to Mio nome è Nessuno, Il (1973) (aka "Mein Name ist Nobody"/"Mit navn er Nobody").

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Major Cabot brings Bill and Lucy to the cell, they go through a room with flags which are supposed to be the state flags of the United States. If you watch closely you can see the flags of the European Union and of East Germany.

Quotes:

Doc Foster: [to Joe] In a few moments you'll be the deadest man that ever lived!

A GENIUS, TWO PARTNERS AND A DUPE (Damiano Damiani and, uncredited, Sergio Leone, 1975) **1/2

This popular latter-day Spaghetti Western proved a disappointment overall, considering the talents involved; to begin with, I've always been wary of semi-comic genre entries such as this – which stars one of its major exponents, Terence Hill (in fact, I recall having misgivings about even his MY NAME IS NOBODY [1973]): incidentally, that film was produced by the foremost director of Spaghetti Westerns – Sergio Leone – who was also involved with this one in an uncredited capacity (as a matter of fact, the striking and violent opening sequence is attributed to him!).

Anyway, the film clearly owes a huge debt to Leone's THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (1966) – several genre outings, actually, tried to cash-in on that classic by devising (often amusing) variants on its title – though there are so many characters involved that it's hard to determine who the various epithets are referring to! The international cast, then, includes – besides Italian Hill – Irishman Patrick MacGoohan (though playing a U.S. Cavalry officer), French Miou-Miou and Robert Charlebois, and German Klaus Kinski (appearing in a bit early on as a gambler/gunslinger). Director Damiani had dabbled in the genre previously with one of the politically-oriented efforts, A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL (1967); the film under review, though, isn't nearly as stylish or engaging – also, as with a number of examples of its kind, it's overstretched for no real purpose!

Another underwhelming element here is the score by "Euro-Cult" guru/genre stalwart Ennio Morricone – while pleasant in itself and occasionally inventive, it's decidedly forgettable in the long run: it seems he'd been doing it for so long that inspiration had pretty much withered by this time! There's not even that much action throughout the film: it's merely a collection of incidents which sees opportunistic Hill, gruff and dim-witted Charlebois (who's not only unhappy to be constantly reminded of his Indian heritage but he gets to negotiate terms with them over land rights while posing as a U.S. Colonel!), charming Miou-Miou, and shrewd villain MacGoohan (who's wasted here: what was he thinking?!) teaming up and/or double-crossing each other for possession of the proverbial booty (the plot, thin and all-too-typical – as can be surmised – is still separated by a good deal of padding). To be fair, the film is mildly enjoyable as such (a reasonable assessment for an outing emanating so late in the game) – but hardly unmissable as Spaghetti Westerns go…