Day of Anger
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''Day of Anger'' ( it, I giorni dell'ira, lit. "The Days of Wrath") is a 1967 Spaghetti Western film directed and co-written by
Tonino Valerii Tonino Valerii (20 May 1934 – 13 October 2016) was an Italian film director, most known for his Spaghetti Westerns. Tonino (Antonio) Valerii started his film career as an assistant director on Sergio Leone's ''A Fistful of Dollars'', before mo ...
and starring
Lee Van Cleef Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef Jr. (January 9, 1925 – December 16, 1989) was an American actor. He appeared in over 170 film and television roles in a career spanning nearly 40 years, but is best known as a star of Italian Spaghetti Westerns, parti ...
and Giuliano Gemma, and features a musical score by
Riz Ortolani Riziero Ortolani (; 25 March 192623 January 2014) was an Italian composer, conductor, and orchestrator, predominantly of film scores. He scored over 200 films and television programs between 1955 and 2014, with a career spanning over fifty yea ...
. The film credits the novel ''Der Tod ritt dienstags'' ("Death Rode on Tuesdays") by Ron Barker (Rolf O. Becker) as its basis, although Valerii and screenwriter
Ernesto Gastaldi Ernesto Gastaldi (born 10 September 1934) is an Italian screenwriter. Film historian and critic Tim Lucas described Gastaldi as the first Italian screenwriter to specialize in horror and thriller films. Gastaldi worked within several popular ge ...
have attested that this credit was primarily included to appease the
West German West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
co-producers, and that although some scenes are partially borrowed from it, the film is not an adaptation of Becker's novel. ''Day of Anger'' was Valerii's second film, as well as his second Spaghetti Western, following ''
Taste for Killing ''Per il gusto di uccidere'' (internationally released as ''Taste of Killing'', ''Lanky Fellow'' and ''For the Taste of Killing'' and originally titled as ''Cacciatore di taglie'') is the 1966 Italian Spaghetti Western film debut directed by Ton ...
''. Valerii went on to film his third Spaghetti Western, ''
The Price of Power ''The Price of Power'' ( it, Il prezzo del potere) is a 1969 Spaghetti Western directed by Tonino Valerii. The film stars Giuliano Gemma as the hero Bill Willer who tries to get revenge against the killers of his father while at the same time tr ...
'', also featuring Gemma, in 1969.


Plot

Scott is a young man working as a
street sweeper A street sweeper or street cleaner may refer to a person's occupation or to a machine that cleans streets. Street sweepers have been employed in cities as "sanitation workers" since sanitation and waste removal became a priority. A stre ...
in the town of Clifton,
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
. Scott is looked down upon by the town people, as he has never known his father and only knows his mother's first name was Mary. The only two people who show him respect and friendship are Murph Allan Short, a former gunslinger, and Blind Bill, a partially blind old beggar. When Frank Talby rides into town and kills Perkins, one of Scott's bullies, Scott realizes the opportunity to change his life, and decides to prove his worth as a
gunfighter Gunfighters, also called gunslingers (), or in the 19th and early 20th centuries gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in gunfights and shootouts. Today, the t ...
to him. Talby soon leaves town to go after Wild Jack, his former associate, who owes him 50,000 dollars of a planned robbery. Scott follows him and Talby reluctantly lets him tag along and agrees to teach him ten essential rules about gunfighting. Talby and Scott find Wild Jack, but the criminal tells the pair that he does not have the money anymore, as he was double-crossed by a group of Clifton's most seemingly respectable citizens, the same citizens who despised and mistreated Scott. A gunfight ensues and Scott manages to convince Talby of his skills with a revolver. After taking care of Wild Jack's gang, the pair return to Clifton, where Scott changes his name to "Scott Mary", after Talby's suggestion. Scott showcases his shooting skills to those who resented him, and quickly becomes a feared man. With Scott's help Talby takes over the town, killing first Perkins' gang and later the inner circle who runs Clifton and conspired to kill Talby when he revealed their dirty secret. Talby becomes the
de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
town manager and Scott his second-in-command. Nevertheless, Scott's old friend Murph, who taught Scott how to shoot, explains to Scott that his fast draw and accuracy has now become a threat to Talby, who is aging and wants to settle in Clifton. Soon after, Murph takes the Sheriff's badge and forbids the carrying of guns. Scott warns Talby not to mess with his former mentor, but Talby obliquely says that he won't back down. Murph knows that he can't defeat Talby in a duel, but he still decides to face him, as he also knows that in doing so Scott will finally realize that Talby and his ruthless ways are not Scott's true path. When Murph comes to take Talby's gun with Scott watching, Talby shoots and kills him in cold blood. Accordingly, Scott flees in anger and decides to settle things in a shoot-out. Scott finds that Murph left him famous gunfighter Doc Holliday's gun, adjusted for quick fire, as well as some instructions on how to defeat Talby. Scott defeats Talby's gang by taking advantage of the rules Talby once taught him, and then kills Talby in an open duel. Triumphant but despondent, Scott discards his gun and walks away from the scene of the duel with Blind Bill.


Cast

* Giuliano Gemma as Scott Mary *
Lee Van Cleef Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef Jr. (January 9, 1925 – December 16, 1989) was an American actor. He appeared in over 170 film and television roles in a career spanning nearly 40 years, but is best known as a star of Italian Spaghetti Westerns, parti ...
as Frank Talby *
Walter Rilla Walter Rilla (22 August 1894 – 21 November 1980) was a German film actor of Jewish descent.Siegbert Salomon Prawer, ''Between Two Worlds: The Jewish Presence in German and Austrian Film, 1910-1933'', Berghahn Books (2007), pg. 213 He appea ...
as Murph Allan Short * Andrea Bosic as Abel Murray *
Al Mulock Alfred Mulock Rogers (June 30, 1926 – May 1968), better known as Al Mulock or Al Mulloch, was a Canadian character actor. Early life Alfred Mulock Rogers was born on June 30, 1926 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was the only child of Adèle ...
as Wild Jack *
Lukas Ammann Lukas Ammann (29 September 1912 – 3 May 2017) was a Swiss actor who appeared mainly in German and Swiss films and television shows. He continued to work steadily for over 60 years. He is best known for his title role in the German televi ...
as Judge Cutcher *
Anna Orso Anna Maria Orso (December 11, 1938 – August 14, 2012) was an Italian film actress whose career in international and Italian cinema spanned more than fifty years. Career Orso made her film debut in '' The Bible: In the Beginning'', a 1966 r ...
as Eileen Cutcher *
Ennio Balbo Ennio Balbo (18 April 1922 – 18 June 1989) was an Italian film, television and voice actor. Biography Born in Naples, Balbo made his debut on stage immediately after the Second World War alongside Paola Borboni and Lamberto Picasso in Lu ...
as Turner * Pepe Calvo as Blind Bill *
Christa Linder Christa Linder is a German film actress.Weisser p.307 Selected filmography * ''Condemned to Sin'' (1964) * ''Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill'' (1966) * ''Seven Vengeful Women'' (1966) * ''The Strangler of the Tower'' (1966) * '' Countdown to Doomsday'' (19 ...
as Gwen * Giorgio Gargiullo as Sheriff Nigel *
Yvonne Sanson Yvonne Sanson ( el, Υβόν Σανσόν; 29 August 1925 – 23 July 2003) was a Greek-Italian film actress. She appeared in 46 films between 1946 and 1972, mainly working in Italy. Born in Thessaloniki, Sanson was a naturalised Italian cit ...
as Vivien Skill *
Benito Stefanelli Benito Stefanelli (2 September 1928 – 18 December 1999) was an Italian film actor, stuntman and weapons master who made over 60 appearances in film between 1955 and 1991. Biography and career Stefanelli is best known in world cinema for his ...
as Owen White *
Franco Balducci Franco Balducci (23 November 1922 – 7 June 2001) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 75 films between 1947 and 1978. He was born in Umbria, Italy. Selected filmography * '' Bullet for Stefano'' (1947) - Giacomo * ''Tempesta su Pari ...
as Slim * Paolo Magalotti as Deputy Cross * Ferruccio Viotti as Sam Corbitt *
Romano Puppo Romano Puppo (25 March 1933 – 11 May 1994) was an Italian stuntman and actor. Life and career Born in Rome, Puppo debuted in 1961 in the Mauro Bolognini's drama '' Careless'', and after a number of very minor roles he soon became a regular ...
as Hart Perkins * Vladimir Medar as Old Man Perkins *
Ricardo Palacios Ricardo López-Nuño Díez (2 March 1940 – 11 February 2015), better known as Ricardo Palacios, was a Spanish actor, film director and screenwriter. Born in Reinosa (Cantabria), Palacios graduated from the Official Film School in Madrid as a ...
as Bowie Bartender *
Nazzareno Natale Nazzareno Natale (4 April 1938 – 21 June 2006) was an Italian actor He played Rojo Gang Member in '' Per un pugno di dollari'', Paco in ''For a Few Dollars More'' (1965), and Bountyhunter in '' Il buono il bruto il cattivo'' (1966), by Sergio ...
as Wild Jack's Henchman *
Román Ariznavarreta Román Ariznavarreta (born December 15, 1932) was a Spanish actor and stuntman. He appeared in the Spaghetti Western films '' For a Few Dollars More'' (1965) and ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' (1966), directed by Sergio Leone. He was a stu ...
as Wild Jack's Henchman * Virgilio Gazzolo as Mr. Barton * Eleonora Morana as Mrs. Barton *
Fulvio Mingozzi Fulvio Mingozzi was an Italian actor. Active from 1966 as a character actor, he acted, albeit in brief and marginal roles and cameos, in all the films of Dario Argento ranging from ''The Bird with the Crystal Plumage ''The Bird with the Crysta ...
as Bank Teller * Giancarlo Bastianoni as Talby's Henchman * Angelo Susani as Talby's Henchman * Nino Nini as Doctor Cullen * Hans Otto Alberty as Blonde Deputy with Harmonica * Omero Capanna as Perkins' Henchman Source:


Release

''Day of Anger'' was released in Italy on December 19, 1967 and in Germany on January 12, 1968. Westerns were especially popular in Italy in 1967. Among the top 15 films of the year, eight were Westerns. The highest-grossing film of the year was '' God Forgives... I Don't!''; the second was ''Day of Anger'' which grossed a total of 1,997,440,000
Italian lire 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 f ...
domestically. The Italian board of censors rated ''Day of Anger'' as V.M.14, meaning it was forbidden to audiences under 14 years of age. In February 1968, Sansone and Chrosicki submitted another version of the film cutting it down to 111 minutes and 11 seconds opposed to the originals 115 minutes and 18 seconds which toned the violent scenes which passed with a "Per Tutti" rating allowing it to be viewed by all audiences. ''Day of Anger'' opened in the United States in 1969 with two different versions: a longer one rated M and another one cut to 85 minutes which was re-titled ''The Days of Wrath'' and ''Gunlaw''.


Home video

''Day of Anger'' was released on DVD and Blu-ray by
Arrow Video An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers ca ...
on March 31, 2015. ''
Video Watchdog ''Video Watchdog'' was a bimonthly, digest size film magazine published from 1990 to 2017 by publisher/editor Tim Lucas and his wife, art director and co-publisher Donna Lucas. Although devoted chiefly to the horror, science fiction, and fantas ...
'' commented that the release was "a substantial improvement over the older "PAL-converted, non-anamorphic release" and that "The 2K scanned 2.35:1 presentation looks spotless and extremely sharp, with nicely saturated colors and excellent detail." The release includes a shorter (by 28 minutes) cut of the film distributed internationally, and was described by ''Video Watchdog'' as "a poor re-edit of the movie that all but ruins it." The ''Day of Wrath'' version includes one extra scene not in the longer version of the film. The review concluded that it "may be welcomed by ompletists but we would recommend avoiding it."


Reception

In contemporary reviews, 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 ...
'' stated that "Until about halfway through this is a quite likable variation on an old Western theme." but that as Talby's involvement in the story becomes less prominent, "plot interest wanes" and "as credibility takes off into wish-fulfilment and interest dwindles to vanishing point".
Roger Greenspun Roger Greenspun (December 16, 1929 – June 18, 2017) was an American journalist and film critic, best known for his work with ''The New York Times'' in which he reviewed near 400 films, particularly in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and for '' ...
(''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'') found the film to be "strange and muddled ..very long and mostly boring, depending for its plot upon notions of class and caste that seem foreign to the genre if not to real history." "Robe." of ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' found the film to give Lee Van Cleef "a bit more character than the Italo-Western usually provides" and that "technical credits are generally excellent with one of those Riz Ortolani scores which he must grind out overnight" eventually concluding that the film was "No better, no worse, than predecessors" From retrospective reviews, in his investigation of narrative structures in Spaghetti Western films, Fridlund ranges ''Day of Anger'', together with ''
Death Rides a Horse ''Death Rides a Horse'' ( it, Da uomo a uomo, lit=As man to man) is a 1967 Italian Spaghetti Western directed by Giulio Petroni, written by Luciano Vincenzoni and starring Lee Van Cleef and John Phillip Law. Plot Bill ( John Phillip Law), a boy ...
'' as prime examples of a "tutorship variation" that further develops the play on age/experience between the protagonists in '' For a Few Dollars More'', with
Lee Van Cleef Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef Jr. (January 9, 1925 – December 16, 1989) was an American actor. He appeared in over 170 film and television roles in a career spanning nearly 40 years, but is best known as a star of Italian Spaghetti Westerns, parti ...
playing the older partner in all three films. In the "Tutorship" films a younger protagonist seeks the more or less reluctant partnership of an older one, but differences of motivation eventually bring them into conflict.Fridlund, Bert: ''The Spaghetti Western. A Thematic Analysis''. Jefferson, NC and London: McFarland & Company Inc., 2006 pp. 165-7.
Kim Newman Kim James Newman (born 31 July 1959) is an English journalist, film critic and fiction writer. Recurring interests visible in his work include film history and horror fiction—both of which he attributes to seeing Tod Browning's ''Dracula'' at ...
(''
Sight & Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (also spelled ''Sight & Sound'') is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). It conducts the well-known, once-a-decade ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time, ongoing ...
'') noted that the film "unusually combines the mythic characterisation frequently found in the genre with a more nuanced, complicated vision of society and violence." and that Gemma's character of Scott is "a rare spaghetti-western hero with a character arc" and that the ending is "deeply ambiguous". Newman commented on the secondary characters as "all thing archetypes" but that Gemma, Van Cleef and Rilla are "impressive."


Bibliography

* *


References


External links

* {{Tonino Valerii 1967 films German Western (genre) films West German films 1960s Italian-language films Spaghetti Western films 1960s buddy films 1967 Western (genre) films Films directed by Tonino Valerii Films scored by Riz Ortolani Italian buddy films Films based on German novels Films shot in Almería Films with screenplays by Ernesto Gastaldi 1960s Italian films 1960s German films