A Bullet for the General
Encyclopedia
A Bullet for the General (It. El Chucho, quién sabe?), is a 1966
film which stars Gian Maria Volonté
, Klaus Kinski
, Lou Castel
and Martine Beswick
. Originally entitled El Chucho, quién sabe?, it is the story of El Chucho, the bandit, and Bill Tate (or El Nino) who is a counter-revolutionary in Mexico
. Chucho soon learns that social revolution is more important than mere money. This is one of the more famous Zapata Westerns
, a subgenre of the spaghetti western
which deals with the radicalizing of bad men and bandits into revolutionaries when they are confronted with injustice. Others in this subgenre include Companeros
, The Mercenary
and perhaps most famously A Fistful of Dynamite
(also known as Duck, You Sucker).
Some parts of the soundtrack, composed by Luis Enríquez Bacalov
, are featured in the videogame Red Dead Revolver
.
1966 in film
The year 1966 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Animation legend Walter Disney, well known for his creation of Mickey Mouse, died in 15 December 1966 of acute circulatory collapse following a diagnosis of, and surgery for, lung cancer...
film which stars Gian Maria Volonté
Gian Maria Volontè
Gian Maria Volonté was an Italian actor. He is perhaps most famous outside of Italy for his roles as the main villain in Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More.-Early life:Volonté was born in Milan, and graduated in Rome in 1957...
, Klaus Kinski
Klaus Kinski
Klaus Kinski, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski , was a German actor. He appeared in more than 130 films, and is perhaps best-remembered as a leading role actor in Werner Herzog films: Aguirre, the Wrath of God , Nosferatu the Vampyre , Woyzeck , Fitzcarraldo and Cobra Verde .-Early...
, Lou Castel
Lou Castel
Lou Castel is a Colombian actor known primarily for his work in Italian films.Born Ulv Quarzell in Bogotá, Castel moved to Europe as a young man. Interested in acting from an early age, he attended the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, but was quickly kicked out. His first movie role was an...
and Martine Beswick
Martine Beswick
Martine Beswick is an English actress and model, best known for her roles in two James Bond films.-Biography:Beswick was born on 26 September 1941 in Port Antonio, Jamaica to English parents....
. Originally entitled El Chucho, quién sabe?, it is the story of El Chucho, the bandit, and Bill Tate (or El Nino) who is a counter-revolutionary in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Chucho soon learns that social revolution is more important than mere money. This is one of the more famous Zapata Westerns
Zapata Westerns
Zapata Westerns is a nickname given to a subgenre of Italian "Spaghetti Westerns", dating largely from the mid 1960s to early 1970s, which were set in and around Mexico and dealt with overtly political themes. They were named after Emiliano Zapata, the famous Mexican revolutionary from the Mexican...
, a subgenre of the spaghetti western
Spaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western, also known as Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's unique and much copied film-making style and international box-office success, so named by American critics because most were produced and...
which deals with the radicalizing of bad men and bandits into revolutionaries when they are confronted with injustice. Others in this subgenre include Companeros
Compañeros
Compañeros is an Italian Zapata-themed spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Corbucci in 1970. The film stars Franco Nero, Tomas Milian, Jack Palance and Fernando Rey...
, The Mercenary
The Mercenary (film)
The Mercenary , also known as A Professional Gun, is a 1968 spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Corbucci. The film stars Franco Nero, Jack Palance, Tony Musante and Giovanna Ralli, and features a musical score by Ennio Morricone and Bruno Nicolai...
and perhaps most famously A Fistful of Dynamite
A Fistful of Dynamite
Duck, You Sucker! , also known as A Fistful of Dynamite and Once Upon a Time… the Revolution, is a 1971 Zapata Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Rod Steiger and James Coburn....
(also known as Duck, You Sucker).
Some parts of the soundtrack, composed by Luis Enríquez Bacalov
Luis Enríquez Bacalov
Luis Enríquez Bacalov is a prolific Argentine, naturalized Italian, composer of film scores. Early on in his career, he composed scores for Spaghetti Western films. In the early 1970s, he collaborated with Italian progressive rock bands. Bacalov has been nominated twice for the Academy Award...
, are featured in the videogame Red Dead Revolver
Red Dead Revolver
Red Dead Revolver is a western third-person shooter video game published by Rockstar Games and developed by Rockstar San Diego. It was released in North America on May 4, 2004, for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox....
.
Cast
- Gian Maria VolontéGian Maria VolontèGian Maria Volonté was an Italian actor. He is perhaps most famous outside of Italy for his roles as the main villain in Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More.-Early life:Volonté was born in Milan, and graduated in Rome in 1957...
- 'El Chucho' Munoz - Klaus KinskiKlaus KinskiKlaus Kinski, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski , was a German actor. He appeared in more than 130 films, and is perhaps best-remembered as a leading role actor in Werner Herzog films: Aguirre, the Wrath of God , Nosferatu the Vampyre , Woyzeck , Fitzcarraldo and Cobra Verde .-Early...
- El Santo - Martine BeswickMartine BeswickMartine Beswick is an English actress and model, best known for her roles in two James Bond films.-Biography:Beswick was born on 26 September 1941 in Port Antonio, Jamaica to English parents....
- Adelita - Lou CastelLou CastelLou Castel is a Colombian actor known primarily for his work in Italian films.Born Ulv Quarzell in Bogotá, Castel moved to Europe as a young man. Interested in acting from an early age, he attended the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, but was quickly kicked out. His first movie role was an...
- Bill 'Niño' Tate/Il Gringo - Jaime Fernández - General Elías
- Andrea ChecchiAndrea ChecchiAndrea Checchi was a prolific Italian film actor.Born in Florence, Checchi appeared in over 150 films in his lengthy career, which spanned from 1934 to his death in 1974...
- Don Felipe/Feliciano - Spartaco Conversi - Cirillo
- Joaquín Parra - Picaro
- Aldo SambrellAldo SambrellAlfredo Sanchez Brell , known as Aldo Sambrell, was a Spanish film actor, director and producer who made over 150 appearances in film between 1961 and 1996....
- Teniente Alvaro Ferreira - José Manuel Martín - Raimundo
- Santiago Santos - Guapo
- Guy Heron - Pedrito
- Santiago Santos - Guapo
- Antoñito Ruiz - Chico
- Valentino Macchi train engineer
- Carla GravinaCarla GravinaCarla Gravina is an Italian film actress. She appeared in 40 films between 1957 and 1998. She won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in La terrazza at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival.-Selected filmography:...
- Rosario - Aldo SambrellAldo SambrellAlfredo Sanchez Brell , known as Aldo Sambrell, was a Spanish film actor, director and producer who made over 150 appearances in film between 1961 and 1996....
- Lieutenant Alvaro Pereda - Vicente Roca - hotel clerk
- Sal BorgeseSal BorgeseSal Borgese, sometimes credited as Salvatore Borghese, is a film actor. He is noted for extensive work in the Italian film industry from the 1960s to present day, and for his work as a stuntman and acrobat....
- bandit - Bianca Manini