Keoma (1976)

Director:

Enzo G. Castellari

Writers:

Enzo G. Castellari (screenplay)
Nico Ducci (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

25 November 1976 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama | Western | Action

Plot:

Half-breed Keoma returns to his border hometown after service in the Civil War and finds it under the control of Caldwell...

Plot Keywords:

Half Brother | Half Breed | Slave | Revenge | Dead Woman On Bed

Cast

Franco Nero	...	Keoma
William Berger	...	William Shannon
Olga Karlatos	...	Lisa
Orso Maria Guerrini	...	Butch Shannon
Gabriella Giacobbe	...	The Witch
Antonio Marsina	...	Lenny Shannon
Joshua Sinclair	...	Sam Shannon (as John Loffredo)
Donald O'Brien	...	Caldwell (as Donald O'Brian)
Leonardo Scavino	...	Doctor (as Leon Lenoir)
Wolfango Soldati	...	Confederate Soldier
Victoria Zinny	...	Brothel Owner
Alfio Caltabiano	...	Member of Caldwell's Gang
Woody Strode	...	George
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Domenico Cianfriglia	...	Member of Caldwell's Gang (uncredited)
Giovanni Cianfriglia	...	Gang Member (uncredited)
Pierangelo Civera	...	Plague Victim (uncredited)
Arnaldo Dell'Acqua	...	Member of Caldwell's Gang (uncredited)
Roberto Dell'Acqua	...	Member of Caldwell's Gang (uncredited)
Riccardo Pizzuti	...	Gunman (uncredited)
Angelo Ragusa	...	Member of Caldwell's Gang (uncredited)
Sergio Ruggeri	...	Man Hit in the Saloon (uncredited)
Franco Ukmar	...	Confederate Soldier (uncredited)
Massimo Vanni	...	Confederate Soldier (uncredited)

Directed by
Enzo G. Castellari

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Enzo G. Castellari		screenplay
Nico Ducci		screenplay
George Eastman		screenplay (as Luigi Montefiori)
George Eastman		story (as Luigi Montefiori)
Mino Roli		screenplay
Joshua Sinclair		dialogue (uncredited)

Produced by
Manolo Bolognini	....	producer

Original Music by
Guido De Angelis
Maurizio De Angelis

Cinematography by
Aiace Parolin

Film Editing by
Gianfranco Amicucci

Production Design by
Carlo Simi

Set Decoration by
Carlo Gentili

Costume Design by
Massimo Lentini
Carlo Simi

Makeup Department
Giusy Bovino	....	hair stylist (as Giuseppina Bovino)
Carboni	....	wig maker
Alfonso Gola	....	makeup artist
Gilberto Provenghi	....	assistant makeup artist
Rocchetti	....	wig maker

Production Management
Nicolò Forte	....	production manager
Carlo Giovagnorio	....	unit manager
Stefano Pegoraro	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Giuseppe Giglietti	....	second assistant director
Rocco Lerro	....	assistant director

Art Department
Gilberto Carbonaro	....	set constructor
Silvano Natali	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Benito Alchimede	....	boom operator
Nick Alexander	....	dubbing editor (voices: Orso Maria Guerrini)
Tonino Cacciottolo	....	sound effects
Bernardino Fronzetti	....	sound recordist
Romano Pampaloni	....	re-recording engineer

Special Effects by
Giovanni Corridori	....	special effects

Stunts
Rocco Lerro	....	stunt coordinator
Angelo Ragusa	....	stunt double: Franco Nero

Camera and Electrical Department
Giovanni Bergamini	....	camera operator
Massimo Carta	....	assistant camera
Maurizio Cipriani	....	assistant camera
Guglielmo Maga	....	key grip
Bruno Pasqualini	....	gaffer
Ermanno Serto	....	still photographer: action stills

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Maria Castrignano	....	seamstress

Editorial Department
Roberto Amicucci	....	assistant editor
Cesarina Casini	....	first assistant editor

Other crew
Rocco Lerro	....	master of arms
Luigi Scardino	....	production accountant
Vivalda Vigorelli	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Uranos Cinematografica

Distributors

• Adria Filmverleih (1977) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Vadib International Films (1978) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Astro Distribution (1998) (Germany) (VHS)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Argent Films (2004) (UK) (all media)
• Kamras Film Agency (1979) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Nordic Video (????) (Finland) (VHS)
• Firebox (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1991) (Finland) (TV)
• Blue Underground (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Argent Films (2008) (UK) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2009) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Succéfilm AB (19??) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Another World Entertainment (2007) (Denmark) (DVD)
• Divisa Home Video (2011) (Spain) (DVD)
• European Video Corporation (EVC) (1981) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Mill Creek Entertainment (2012) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• New Line Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)
• Poletel (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Studio T Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Videocast (198?) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Rocchetti e Carboni  wigs

Also Known As:

"Desperado" - USA (cut version)
"Django Rides Again" - USA (informal English title)
"Django's Great Return" - USA (informal English title)
"Keoma: The Avenger" - USA (dubbed version)

Runtime:

Norway:97 min | Italy:105 min | West Germany:90 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (cut) (1978) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Sweden:15 | Norway:15 (DVD release) (2007) | UK:12 (re-rating) (2004 ) (cut) | Spain:18 | West Germany:16 (f) | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (self applied) (2007) | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | France:-12 | Norway:16 (video rating) | UK:18 | Norway:(Banned) (1978-2003) (cinema release)

Filming Locations:

Campo Imperatore, L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy

Company:

Uranos Cinematografica

Trivia:

The storyline of the film was mostly improvised same time the film was made. First version of the script was written by Luigi Montefiori (aka George Eastman), but director Enzo G. Castellari didn't like the story. Because of problems with schedule, they written script for next day every evening after filming of the day.

Quotes:

Keoma:Pa. What was it all about.
William Shannon:What?
Keoma:The war. I never could figure it out.
William Shannon:The war. Im not sure I know. I figure after we got through slaughtering all those Indians, we thought we ought to do somethin'... generous. So we gave freedom to the black man. Now we feel good, we can go back to... finish off the Indians.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Denn sie kennen kein Erbarmen - Der Italowestern (2006) (TV)

Half-breed this, half-breed that.

A half-breed Indian Keoma returns back to his hometown after fighting in the Civil War, and finds his town is being run by an ex-Confederate soldier Caldwell and his outlaws. He holds power over the town by letting the plague infect the inhabitants, and since he won't let any sort of treatment be transported in. He sets up a community for those infected, and this where Keoma rescues a pregnant woman on her way there and returns her back to town. His three half-brothers have joined Caldwell, and I don't think that highly of their brother's return. But loyalty to their father, they won't kill him. His father William Shannon and former family servant/only friend George eventually join Keoma to break the strangle hold Caldwell possess.

Whoa! How good? Real good. Director Enzo G. Castellari's grand looking and interesting spaghetti western comes across as a powerful and beautifully constructed Greek tragedy with a cynical and almost psychological edge bound to it. There's a bit everything chucked into this passionate and intelligent exercise. Breathing high on mood and atmosphere, photographer Aiace Parolin exquisitely frames the mercilessly brooding locations and Castellari's stylishly first-rate direction keeps the film sombre with a brutally unsparing and dirt-laced tone in its dramatic images and context. Good use of abstract lighting and composition, he knows how to keep the viewer at bay with slam-bang set pieces towards the end and a downbeat undercurrent. Inventive framing and exposition also shows the quality of his direction. The glorious slow-motion shootouts and editing technique (ala Sam Peckinpah) are dazzling and how about the constant jumping or leaping in the air. Was there a hidden trampoline on set?! Everything about it held a nice rhythm to it and you just get swept along. Even the flashback sequences are positioned in the story accordingly and in a fulfilling style. The lyrical story is full of symbolic and thematic issues (freedom being the main focal point) that do pack a punch, but also showing a vulnerable side. This gave it a real singular vibe to set it apart from the crowd. Hell, I didn't mind the uncanny and soaring ballad soundtrack too. The way it actually interlocked with the film's sequences, I thought it gave the film some soul and a backbone (well other than always charismatically reliable Nero). A rugged Franco Nero was outstanding. Both mentally and psychically in his scrappy determination and seldom figure Keoma. The impressively committed Woody Strode was excellent. William Berger brought class, and Olga Karlatos decently balanced out an innocent side that really was moving. Donald O'Brien nails it down in a starch turn as the villainous Caldwell.