''The Deserter'' ( it, La Spina Dorsale Del Diavolo) is a 1970
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
-
Yugoslav American
international co-production
A co-production is a joint venture between two or more different production companies for the purpose of film production, television production, video game development, and so on. In the case of an international co-production, production companie ...
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
film produced by
Dino De Laurentiis
Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (; 8 August 1919 – 10 November 2010) was an Italian-American film producer. Along with Carlo Ponti, he was one of the producers who brought Italian cinema to the international scene at the end of World War II. He ...
. It was directed by
Burt Kennedy
Burton Raphael Kennedy (September 3, 1922 – February 15, 2001) was an American screenwriter and director known mainly for directing Westerns. Budd Boetticher called him "the best Western writer ever."
Biography
Kennedy was born in 1922 i ...
and written by
Clair Huffaker
Clair Huffaker (September 26, 1926 – April 3, 1990) was an American screenwriter and author of westerns and other fiction, many of which were turned into films.
Biography
Born in Magna, Utah, Huffaker wrote of his childhood in ''One Time I ...
.
Scripted during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
in the style of ''
The Dirty Dozen
''The Dirty Dozen'' is a 1967 American war film directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Lee Marvin with an ensemble supporting cast including Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Richard Jaeckel, George Kennedy ...
'' (1967) with a party of professional or misfit soldiers going into an enemy sanctuary, it was designed as a vehicle for
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
n theater and film
matinee idol Bekim Fehmiu
Bekim Fehmiu (; ; 1 June 1936 – 15 June 2010) was a Yugoslavian theater and film actor of Albanian ethnicity. He was the first Eastern European actor to star in Hollywood during the Cold War.
Biography
Early life
Fehmiu was born in S ...
. The film featured an
ensemble cast of well-known American actors. Noted as the boy in ''
Shane
Shane may refer to:
People
* Shane (actress) (born 1969), American pornographic actress
* Shane (New Zealand singer) (born 1946)
* iamnotshane (born 1995), formerly known as Shane, American singer
* Shane (name)
Shane is mainly a masculine g ...
'' (1953), actor
Brandon deWilde
Andre Brandon deWilde (April 9, 1942 – July 6, 1972) was an American theater, film, and television actor. Born into a theatrical family in Brooklyn, he debuted on Broadway at the age of seven and became a national phenomenon by the time he com ...
appears in his last
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
film before his death in 1972.
[RememberingBrandon.net](_blank)
/ref>
Plot
A US Army cavalry unit returns from a two week patrol to find the inhabitants of a Christian mission
A Christian mission is an organized effort for the propagation of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries, to carry on evangelism or other activities, such as ...
near its home fort
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
have been killed by Apache Indians. Among the victims is the savagely torture
Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. definitions of tortur ...
d wife of the patrol's leader, Capt. Victor Kaleb (Bekim Fehmiu
Bekim Fehmiu (; ; 1 June 1936 – 15 June 2010) was a Yugoslavian theater and film actor of Albanian ethnicity. He was the first Eastern European actor to star in Hollywood during the Cold War.
Biography
Early life
Fehmiu was born in S ...
). Still alive after she was skinned alive, Kaleb has to execute his wife to take her out of her terminal pain.
Kaleb believes part of the fault lies with the passive fort
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
commander, Major Wade Brown (Richard Crenna
Richard Donald Crenna (November 30, 1926 – January 17, 2003) was an American film, television and radio actor.
Crenna starred in such motion pictures as ''The Sand Pebbles'', ''Wait Until Dark'', ''Un Flic'', ''Body Heat'', the first three ' ...
) and loudly criticizes him in front of his command. Major Brown responds to Captain Kaleb by asking who was it who shot his wife, the Apaches or him? Captain Kaleb responds by shooting Major Brown in his leg and arm, then deserts the army. He disappears into the southwestern frontier to wage a private one man war of revenge against the Apache.
Two years later General Miles ( John Huston) arrives at the fort with criticism of now Colonel Brown's unsuccessful military command and an offer of pardon for Kaleb. The scouts Natchai (Ricardo Montalbán
Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG (; ; November 25, 1920 – January 14, 2009) was a Mexican and American film and television actor. Montalbán's career spanned seven decades, during which he became known for performances in a var ...
) and Tattinger (Slim Pickens
Louis Burton Lindley Jr. (June 29, 1919 – December 8, 1983), better known by his stage name Slim Pickens, was an American actor and rodeo performer. Starting off in the rodeo, Pickens transitioned to acting and appeared in dozens of movies and ...
), old friends of Kaleb, are sent out to entice him (and his pet wolf-dog) back to the fort. With a bit of trickery they succeed.
General Miles tells Kaleb that Apaches led by Chief Mangus Durango have gathered in Mexico, intending to cross the border and attack at any time. As the United States Army is prohibited from entering Mexico, the General, over Brown’s objections, promises Kaleb amnesty in exchange for leading a select band of soldiers in plain clothes across the border to wipe out the Apache stronghold known as "La Spina Dorsale Del Diavolo", the Devil's Backbone.
In a reversal of the scenario of ''The Dirty Dozen'', the formerly wanted Kaleb has his pick of the soldiers at the fort for his mission. Those willing to go on the mission include dynamite expert Reynolds (Chuck Connors
Kevin Joseph Aloysius "Chuck" Connors (April 10, 1921 – November 10, 1992) was an American actor, writer, and professional basketball and baseball player. He is one of only 13 athletes in the history of American professional sports to have p ...
), who also is an Army Chaplain, knife-fighting expert and military prisoner Corporal Jackson (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 ...
), Gatling gun expert Captain Robinson (Patrick Wayne
Patrick John Morrison (born July 15, 1939), better known by his stage name Patrick Wayne, is an American actor. He is the second son of movie star John Wayne and his first wife, Josephine Alicia Saenz. He made over 40 films, including eleven w ...
), grizzled veteran Quartermaster Sergeant Schmidt (Albert Salmi
Albert Salmi (March 11, 1928 – April 22, 1990) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. Best known for his work as a character actor, he appeared in over 150 film and television productions.
Early life
Salmi was born and raised ...
) and young army Lt. Ferguson (Brandon deWilde
Andre Brandon deWilde (April 9, 1942 – July 6, 1972) was an American theater, film, and television actor. Born into a theatrical family in Brooklyn, he debuted on Broadway at the age of seven and became a national phenomenon by the time he com ...
). A blustery Englishman, Crawford (Ian Bannen
Ian Edmund Bannen (29 June 1928 – 3 November 1999) was a Scottish actor with a long career in film, on stage, and on television. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in '' The Flight of the Phoenix'' (1965), the first ...
), sent by the British Army to study frontier tactics is selected by Kaleb's wolf dog. Kaleb selects the post's surgeon Dr. Robinson (Larry Stewart). Most of the men hate Kaleb, especially Trooper O'Toole ( John Alderson).
Kaleb leads them into the desert to train them for the mission. It is severe, and results in a death of one of the party. The band also encounters Apaches, who they kill. On their return to the fort, Major Brown reveals that, despite the general’s amnesty offer, he intends to arrest Kaleb for having shot him two years ago. In response the general orders Brown to accompany Kaleb on the mission. Brown cannot disobey. Natchai and Tattinger go along as well.
They cross the border and successfully infiltrate the Apache stronghold of The Devil's Backbone by bringing their mounts and equipment up hazardous cliffs. After a successful smaller attack on part of the Apaches, due to one man's sense of morality the rest of the Apaches are alerted leading to a fierce battle with the main body of the Apaches. Kaleb's elite force wins, in large part due to the advantages proffered by dynamite and machine gun fire. The victorious survivors return to the fort, where an embarrassed General Miles explains that despite his amnesty offer he has been ordered to arrest Kaleb. Colonel Brown suggests the resolution: they will all say Kaleb was killed in action at the Devil's Backbone. Kaleb mounts up and rides away from the fort back into the desert.
Cast
Production
Bekim Fehmiu
Bekim Fehmiu (; ; 1 June 1936 – 15 June 2010) was a Yugoslavian theater and film actor of Albanian ethnicity. He was the first Eastern European actor to star in Hollywood during the Cold War.
Biography
Early life
Fehmiu was born in S ...
who had starred as Ulysses in Dino De Laurentiis
Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (; 8 August 1919 – 10 November 2010) was an Italian-American film producer. Along with Carlo Ponti, he was one of the producers who brought Italian cinema to the international scene at the end of World War II. He ...
' 1968 television miniseries
A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. " Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...
'' L'Odissea'' had recently starred in Paramount's '' The Adventurers'' (1970).
The film was shot largely on location in Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
and Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
. Many exterior scenes were filmed at the Fort Bowie set built in the Province of Almería, Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, where the desert landscape and climate that characterizes part of the province have made it a much utilized setting for Western films, among those ''A Fistful of Dollars
''A Fistful of Dollars'' ( it, Per un pugno di dollari, lit=For a Fistful of Dollars titled on-screen as ''Fistful of Dollars'') is a 1964 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood in his first leading role, ...
'' (1964), ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' ( it, Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo, literally "The good, the ugly, the bad") is a 1966 Italian epic spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood as "the Good", Lee Van Clee ...
'' (1966) and later '' 800 Bullets'' (2002). This same set was also used in the films ''Blindman
''Blindman'' (also known in Italian as ''Il Pistolero Cieco'', lit. "The Blind Gunfighter") is a 1971 Spaghetti Western film directed by Ferdinando Baldi and co-written and co-produced by Tony Anthony. The film's protagonist, played by Anthony, ...
'' (1971) with Ringo Starr and ''A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die
''A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die'' (originally titled ''Una Ragione Per Vivere E Una Per Morire'', also known as ''Massacre at Fort Holman'') is a 1972 in film, 1972 Technicolor Italian Spaghetti Western movie starring James Coburn, Bud Spencer ...
'' (1972).
Reception
In his investigation of narrative structures in Spaghetti Western films, Fridlund writes that ''The Deserter'' mainly follows the "Professional Plot", as described by Will Wright in his analysis of American Westerns, that is the cooperation of a group of professionals fulfilling a mission.[Fridlund, Bert: ''The Spaghetti Western. A Thematic Analysis''. Jefferson, NC and London: McFarland & Company Inc., 2006 pp. 209–210.]
Home media
Video
''The Deserter'' was originally released on VHS in the United States by Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment (formerly Paramount Home Media Distribution, and originally Paramount Home Video) is the home video distribution arm of Paramount Pictures, a division of Paramount Global.
The division oversees PPC's home entertainme ...
, on September 9, 1992. Paramount has not released the film as a DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
in North American Region 1. It was available at one time in DVD Region 0
DVD region codes are a digital rights management technique introduced in 1997. It is designed to allow rights holders to control the international distribution of a DVD release, including its content, release date, and price, all according to ...
by East West Entertainment LLC in standard non-widescreen
Widescreen images are displayed within a set of aspect ratios (relationship of image width to height) used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than t ...
VHS conversion and Region 4 by Reel Corporation
Reel Corporation is an independent Australian film distributor. Reel Corporation Australia established a joint venture sales company with Roadshow Entertainment called Reel DVD.
History
Reel Corporation distributes many films, children's program ...
, Australia.
Soundtrack
The score for ''The Deserter'' had music composed and conducted by Piero Piccioni
Piero Piccioni (; December 6, 1921 – July 23, 2004) was an Italian film score composer and lawyer.
A pianist, organist, conductor, composer, he was also the prolific author of more than 300 film soundtracks. He played for the first time on ...
. Originally a practicing lawyer securing movie rights for Italian film distributors, he was eventually credited with scoring over 300 films. Piccioni was influenced in his use of jazz by 20th century classical composers and American cinematography and this is apparent in ''The Deserter'' soundtrack.
Piccioni's score was released on CD in Italy in 1997 on the Legend label, as CD 28, 14-tracks under the title ''Piero Piccioni: La Spina Dorsale Del Diavolo''. Recent discovery of the stereo master tapes of the original session, with an extra 25 minutes of music, is featured on the limited 1500 unit special edition Legend CD 32 DLX, released July, 2010, as a 26-track 74:34 CD.
See also
* List of American films of 1971
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
* List of films shot in Almería
* List of Spaghetti Western films
References
External links
*
*
*
Fort Bowie/Spanish on-location set
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deserter, The
1970 films
1970 Western (genre) films
Italian drama films
American Western (genre) films
Western (genre) cavalry films
Films about deserters
Films directed by Burt Kennedy
Films produced by Dino De Laurentiis
Films shot in Almería
Films scored by Piero Piccioni
1970 drama films
Films shot in Italy
Films shot in Yugoslavia
English-language Italian films
English-language Yugoslav films
Yugoslav drama films
1970s English-language films
1970s American films
1970s Italian films