''Keoma'' is a 1976 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Enzo G. Castellari and starring

Franco Nero Francesco Clemente Giuseppe Sparanero (born 23 November 1941), known professionally as Franco Nero, is an Italian actor, producer, and director. His breakthrough role was as the title character in the Spaghetti Western film '' Django'' (1966), ...

. It is frequently regarded as one of the better 'twilight' Spaghetti Westerns, being one of the last films of its genre, and is known for its incorporation of newer cinematic techniques of the time (such as slow motion and close/medium panning shots) and its vocal soundtrack by

Guido & Maurizio De Angelis Guido and Maurizio De Angelis, also known as Oliver Onions, are a prolific duo of Italian musicians, multi-instrumentalists, composers and singers, as well as television and film producers. They reached the height of their popularity in the 1970 ...

Plot

After the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, ex-

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

soldier Keoma Shannon, part-

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

and part-

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, returns to his home town to find his half-brothers in alliance with a petty tyrant named Caldwell. Caldwell and his gang rule over the town with an iron fist. With the help of his father and George, an old Black friend, he vows revenge. Keoma also shows compassion when he saves a pregnant woman from a group sent by Caldwell's group to be quarantined in a mine camp full of plague victims. Keoma is constantly visited by the apparition of an older woman ("The Witch") who saved him during the massacre of an Indian camp.

Cast

as Keoma Shannon * William Berger as William H. Shannon *

Olga Karlatos Olga Karlatos ( el, Όλγα Καρλάτου; born Olga Vlassopulos, April 20, 1945) is a retired Greek actress and Bermudian lawyer, known primarily for performing in Italian horror cinema. Career Between the end of the sixties and the e ...

as Liza Farrow *

Woody Strode Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode (July 25, 1914 – December 31, 1994) was an American athlete and actor. He was a decathlete and football star who was one of the first Black American players in the National Football League in the postwar era. Aft ...

as George *

Orso Maria Guerrini Orso Maria Guerrini (born 25 October 1942) is an Italian film, television and stage actor and voice actor. Life and career Born in Florence, Guerrini started his career with several small roles in Spaghetti Westerns and genre films. He became ...

as Butch Shannon *

Gabriella Giacobbe Gabriella Giacobbe (1923–1979) was an Italian stage, film and television actress. Born in L'Aquila, Giacobbe graduated at the drama school of Giorgio Strehler and worked long with his company at the Piccolo Teatro, debuting in 1953 with the d ...

as The Witch *Antonio Marsina as Lenny Shannon * John Loffredo as Sam Shannon * Donald O'Brian as Caldwell *Leon Lenoir as León Lenoir, The Doctor *Wolfango Soldati as Wolf, Confederate Soldier *Victoria Zinny as Brothel Owner *

Riccardo Pizzuti Riccardo Pizzuti (born 28 May 1934) is an Italian actor and stuntman. He is known for playing the role of gunfighter Morton Clayton in the 1972 film ''Man of the East''. Pizzuti appeared in '' They Call Me Trinity'', and its sequel '' Trinity Is ...

as Caldwell Gang Member #1 * Alfio Caltabiano as Caldwell Gang Member #2

Production

While participating in the filming of ''

21 Hours at Munich ''21 Hours at Munich'' is a 1976 American historical drama television film directed by William A. Graham and starring William Holden, Shirley Knight and Franco Nero. It is based on the 1975 non-fiction book ''The Blood of Israel'' by Serge Grou ...

'',

was approached by his longtime friend and collaborator Enzo G. Castellari and producer Manolo Bolognini on the proposition of appearing in a Spaghetti Western, despite dwindling demand for films of that genre. At the time, no stories or scripts had been written - Nero, Castellari and Bolognini did, however, decide to name their pet project '' Keoma'', which was a Native American name that, according to Bolognini, meant 'freedom' (in reality, the name means 'far away'). ''Keoma'' was reportedly planned as a sequel to

Sergio Corbucci Sergio Corbucci (; 6 December 1926 – 1 December 1990) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed both very violent Spaghetti Westerns and bloodless Bud Spencer and Terence Hill action comedies. He is the older bro ...

's '' Django'', which Bolognini co-produced. The original treatment was written by actor

George Eastman George Eastman (July 12, 1854March 14, 1932) was an American entrepreneur who founded the Eastman Kodak Company and helped to bring the photographic use of roll film into the mainstream. He was a major philanthropist, establishing the Eastman ...

(Luigi Montefiori) and developed into a script by Mino Roli and Nico Ducci, neither of whom were experienced writers of Spaghetti Westerns. Roli and Ducci's screenplay arrived three days after shooting began and was quickly thrown out by Castellari and Nero, unanimously believing that it was not appropriate for a Western. Castellari proceeded to rewrite the script on a daily basis throughout filming, taking suggestions from cast and crew members, as well as being influenced by the works of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

and

Sam Peckinpah David Samuel Peckinpah (; February 21, 1925 – December 28, 1984) was an American film director and screenwriter. His 1969 Western epic '' The Wild Bunch'' received an Academy Award nomination and was ranked No. 80 on the American Film Institut ...

, among other sources. Most of the dialogue as it appears in the film was written by actor John Loffredo, although Nero also contributed a substantial amount of his own lines, including his final exchange with "The Witch". In a 2012 interview, Nero explained that he lifted a line from a book called ''The Cowboy and the Cossack,'' by Nero's friend Claire Huffaker, for the scene with the Witch. The film was shot over a period of eight weeks, with most

principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...

being done at the Elios Studios in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, where Corbucci had previously filmed ''Django''. The studio's set was in dire need of repair, which made it easier for Castellari to film as they did not have to redress the sets. The film was also shot on location at Lago di Camposecco. According to Nero, the music by

was inspired by

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

Release

''Keoma'' premièred in Italy on November 25, 1976, and was considered a mild success in Italy at the time. The film grossed a total of 1,571,995,000

Italian lira The lira (; plural lire) was the currency of Italy between 1861 and 2002. It was first introduced by the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy in 1807 at par with the French franc, and was subsequently adopted by the different states that would eventually ...

in Italy on its theatrical release. It was later released on Blu-ray by Mill Creek Entertainment as a double-feature with '' The Grand Duel'' utilizing a restored print. Some countries promoted the film as a ''Django'' film. These included France (''Django Rides Again'') and West Germany (''Django's Great Return''). In the UK, the film was released in 1977 by Intercontinental Films as ''The Violent Breed'', while Vadib Productions released the film in the United States as ''Keoma the Avenger'' in 1978. Spanish promotion for the film lists Sergio Leone as a producer which he is not credited with anywhere else.

Reception

In a contemporary review, the ''

Monthly Film Bulletin ''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with ...

'' reviewed a dubbed 85 minute version of the film. The review noted that the film was "too severely cut to follow its plot easily let alone its multiple Freudian undercurrents", but stated that "visually it has many impressive if conventional aspects", noting the introduction and various flash back scenes. The review also praised

as "endlessly enjoyable" and concluded that ''Keoma'' "is an effective reminder that the Italian Western was always formally more intriguing than its critics would have one believe." In a retrospective review, AllMovie gave the film four stars out of five, and referred to the film as one of the "finest efforts" of the Spaghetti Western genre. The review noted that the "plentiful gunplay is choreographed with balletic grandeur, the camera work is sweeping and lyrical" and Luigi Montefiore's script "is heavy with spiritual metaphor while still adhering to established Western tenets." AllMovie also commented on the score as "the film's sole drawback", finding it "often tone-deaf".

Footnotes

References

* * * *

External links

* {{Enzo G. Castellari 1976 films Spaghetti Western films Films directed by Enzo G. Castellari 1976 Western (genre) films Films scored by Guido & Maurizio De Angelis Films about dysfunctional families Italian films about revenge Italian vigilante films 1970s vigilante films 1970s exploitation films 1970s Italian films