Blood at Sundown (German: Sartana; Italian: 1000 dollari sul nero, lit. '1000 dollars on the black') is a Spaghetti Western film directed by Alberto Cardone. The film is notable as the primary inspiration for the Sartana film series, starring Gianni Garko as a antiheroic incarnation of the villainous character he previously portrayed in Blood at Sundown.
| Blood at Sundown | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Alberto Cardone |
| Screenplay by |
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| Story by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Gino Santini[1] |
| Edited by | Romeo Ciatti[1] |
| Music by | Michele Lacerenza[1] |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Indipendenti Regionali[1] |
Release date |
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| Countries |
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Plot
editJohnny Liston heads back to his hometown after 12 years in jail, during which time his ruthless brother Sartana (Garko) has taken over control of the town. Johnny is determined to battle Sartana and bring him to justice.
Cast
edit- Anthony Steffen as Johnny Liston
- Gianni Garko as Sartana Liston (as John Garko)
- Erika Blanc as Joselita Rogers
- Carlo D'Angelo as Judge Waldorf (as Charles of Angel)
- Sieghardt Rupp as Ralph
- Roberto Miali as Jerry Holt (as Jerry Wilson)
- Carla Calò as Rhonda Liston (as Carrol Brown)
- Angelica Ott as Mary
- Daniela Igliozzi as Manuela Holt
- Franco Fantasia as Sheriff
- Gianni Solaro as Forrester
- Chris Howland as Doodle Kramer
- Gino Marturano as Man in bar
- Sal Borgese as Mexican in bar
- Ettore Arena
- Mario Dionisi
Release
editBlood at Sundown was released in Italy as 1000 dollari sul nero on 18 December 1966.[2]
Legacy
editThe character of Sartana proved to be so popular that when Blood at Sundown was released in Germany, it was re-titled to simply Sartana.[3] On noting the film's success, Italian producer Aldo Addobbati and a German producer wanted Garko to continue making films as the Sartana character, but as a hero rather than a villain, with the actor accepting a contract to star as Sartana in several Spaghetti Western films, with a clause granting him script approval;[3] looking to portray a different type of character compared to those he had played in Ten Thousand Dollars for a Massacre and Per 100.000 dollari ti ammazzo, which were not very popular with audiences, Garko turned down several scripts with a vengeance theme, before accepting one by Renato Izzo envisioning Sartana as a smart, non-sentimental character that profits by putting himself between two rival groups, which would become If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death.[3][4][5][6]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "1000 dollari sul nero (1966)". Archvio del cinema Italiano (in Italian). Retrieved September 22, 2018.
- ^ a b "Sartana" (in German). Filmportal.de. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
- ^ a b c Grant 2011, p. 255.
- ^ Fridlund, Bert (2008). "'A First Class Pall-bearer!': The Sartana/Sabata Cycle in Spaghetti Westerns". Film International. Vol. 6, no. 3.
- ^ Curti 2018, p. 18.
- ^ Garko, Gianni (2005). "Interview with Gianni Garko". If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death DVD (Interview). Interviewed by Inga Seyric. Wild East Productions.
Works cited
edit- Curti, Roberto (2018). "If You Meet Sartana...". The Complete Sartana (Booklet). Arrow Video. FCD1762 / AV151.
- Grant, Kevin (2011). Any Gun Can Play. Fab Press. ISBN 9781903254615.
External links
edit- Blood at Sundown at IMDb
- Spaghetti Western database Archived 2008-08-30 at the Wayback Machine
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