The Revengers (film)
Encyclopedia
The Revengers is a 1972 Western film
written by Wendell Mayes
based upon a story by Steven W. Carabatsos. The film was directed by Daniel Mann
and stars William Holden
and Ernest Borgnine
.
One day while John is away, he sees Comanche Indians riding from the ranch. He returns to find his family killed, Morgan hanged inside a barn.
Vowing vengeance, John ignores a posse organized by sheriff Whitcomb and forms his own band, freeing six men from a prison. If they help him find Tarp, who apparently led the slaughter of his family, John will do everything in his power to pardon them from jail.
One of the six, Chamaco, bonds with John, feels like a son to him, but is offended by John's reaction to that. He shoots John in the chest. Elizabeth Reilly nurses him back to health, saying the bullet missed his heart by an inch.
The six convicts, including Chamaco, continue to follow John in his quest. The trail leads them to a U.S. Army camp, where the six help fend off an Indian attack. By the time John comes face to face with Tarp, his thirst for revenge is gone and he rides home.
, the film was distributed by National General Pictures
and Estudios Churubusco Azteca with an original theatrical release in 1972. The film was commercially re-released in 1979 on NBC's Tuesday Night at the Movies. The film was shot in New Mexico
in 1971 and marked both the American film debut of German
actor Reinhard Kolldehoff
, and Susan Hayward
's return from voluntary retirement.
of New York magazine
offered that the film was "another kind of high-class trash ... with William Holden
as a proud rancher out to get the villains..." Dave Billington of the Montreal Gazette compared the film with other genre films, writing that while the film does not come near to Return of the Seven
or The Dirty Dozen
"in smoothness and clean direction, it does fill in a hot afternoon with some cool entertainment." He shares that Holden
as the owner of a horse ranch is seen as "rather too coy" in the opening few minutes when his character's wife, sons, daughters, and ranch hands are all murdered before he finally loses his temper. Billington writes that of the six killers hired to help Holden seek revenge, "the two best are certainly Ernest Borgnine
and Woody Strode
"... noting further that this was "probably Borgnine's best performance since Marty
".
Ernest Borgnine
wrote in his autobiography, "This western was an attempt to return audiences to the dark territory of The Wild Bunch
with a dash of The Dirty Dozen
. We had Bill Holden again, and Daniel Mann—who'd directed Willard
—tried real hard, but we didn't make it."
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
written by Wendell Mayes
Wendell Mayes
Wendell Mayes was a Hollywood screenwriter. His father Von Mayes was a lawyer and his mother Irene was a teacher.Mayes began as an actor...
based upon a story by Steven W. Carabatsos. The film was directed by Daniel Mann
Daniel Mann
Daniel Mann, also known as Daniel Chugerman , was an American film and television director.Daniel Mann was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was a stage actor since childhood, and attended Erasmus Hall High School, New York's Professional Children's School and the Neighborhood Playhouse...
and stars William Holden
William Holden
William Holden was an American actor. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1954 and the Emmy Award for Best Actor in 1974...
and Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine is an American actor of television and film. His career has spanned more than six decades. He was an unconventional lead in many films of the 1950s, including his Academy Award-winning turn in the 1955 film Marty...
.
Plot
The Civil War is over and Congressional Medal of Honor winner John Benedict is a Colorado rancher now, with a wife and four children. His pride and joy, son Morgan, is invited to attend West Point, but prefers to help run his father's ranch.One day while John is away, he sees Comanche Indians riding from the ranch. He returns to find his family killed, Morgan hanged inside a barn.
Vowing vengeance, John ignores a posse organized by sheriff Whitcomb and forms his own band, freeing six men from a prison. If they help him find Tarp, who apparently led the slaughter of his family, John will do everything in his power to pardon them from jail.
One of the six, Chamaco, bonds with John, feels like a son to him, but is offended by John's reaction to that. He shoots John in the chest. Elizabeth Reilly nurses him back to health, saying the bullet missed his heart by an inch.
The six convicts, including Chamaco, continue to follow John in his quest. The trail leads them to a U.S. Army camp, where the six help fend off an Indian attack. By the time John comes face to face with Tarp, his thirst for revenge is gone and he rides home.
Background
Produced by Cinema Center FilmsCinema Center Films
Cinema Center Films was the theatrical film production division of the CBS television network. Founded in 1967 , its films were distributed by National General Pictures. CBS closed the unit in 1972; its last film was the Peanuts animated musical Snoopy Come Home...
, the film was distributed by National General Pictures
National General Pictures
National General Pictures was a Distribution and Film production company which was active between 1967 and 1973. NGP produced nine motion pictures inhouse and was the distributor of eighty films....
and Estudios Churubusco Azteca with an original theatrical release in 1972. The film was commercially re-released in 1979 on NBC's Tuesday Night at the Movies. The film was shot in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
in 1971 and marked both the American film debut of German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
actor Reinhard Kolldehoff
Reinhard Kolldehoff
Reinhard Kolldehoff was a German film actor. He appeared in 140 films between 1941 and 1988.He was born and died in Berlin, Germany.-Selected filmography:* Bürgermeister Anna * Hanussen...
, and Susan Hayward
Susan Hayward
Susan Hayward was an American actress.After working as a fashion model in New York, Hayward travelled to Hollywood in 1937 when open auditions were held for the leading role in Gone with the Wind . Although she was not selected, she secured a film contract, and played several small supporting...
's return from voluntary retirement.
Cast
- William HoldenWilliam HoldenWilliam Holden was an American actor. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1954 and the Emmy Award for Best Actor in 1974...
as John Benedict - Ernest BorgnineErnest BorgnineErnest Borgnine is an American actor of television and film. His career has spanned more than six decades. He was an unconventional lead in many films of the 1950s, including his Academy Award-winning turn in the 1955 film Marty...
as Hoop - Woody StrodeWoody StrodeWoodrow Wilson Woolwine "Woody" Strode was a decathlete and football star who went on to become a pioneering black American film actor. He was nominated for a Golden Globe award for best supporting actor for his role in Spartacus in 1960...
as Job - Roger HaninRoger HaninRoger Hanin is a French actor , best known for playing the title role in the 1989-2006 TV crime series, Navarro.-Personal life:...
as Quiberon - Susan HaywardSusan HaywardSusan Hayward was an American actress.After working as a fashion model in New York, Hayward travelled to Hollywood in 1937 when open auditions were held for the leading role in Gone with the Wind . Although she was not selected, she secured a film contract, and played several small supporting...
as Elizabeth Reilly - Reinhard KolldehoffReinhard KolldehoffReinhard Kolldehoff was a German film actor. He appeared in 140 films between 1941 and 1988.He was born and died in Berlin, Germany.-Selected filmography:* Bürgermeister Anna * Hanussen...
as Zweig (as René Koldehoff) - Jorge Martínez de HoyosJorge Martínez de HoyosJorge Martínez de Hoyos was a Mexican actor. He died from lung cancer on May 6, 1997.-Selected filmography:* The Hidden One * Beyond All Limits * The Magnificent Seven...
as Cholo - Arthur HunnicuttArthur HunnicuttArthur Lee Hunnicutt was an American actor known for his portrayal of wise, grizzled, old rural characters...
as Free State - Warren VandersWarren VandersWarren Vanders was an American character actor on television and in films. He was initially a substitute teacher before breaking into the industry....
as Tarp - Larry PennellLarry PennellLarry "Bud" Pennell , aka Alessandro Pennelli, is an American television and film actor.Born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, he is mainly a supporting actor, best known for his role as "Dash Riprock," the conceited, image-conscious, and macho Hollywood movie star courting "Elly May Clampett" in the...
as Arny - John KellyJohn Kelly- People :* John Kelly of Killanne , leader of the Irish Rebellion of 1798 in Wexford* John Kelly , Congregational minister* John Larry Kelly, Jr. , originator of the Kelly criterion...
as Whitcomb - James DaughtonJames DaughtonJames Daughton is a film and television actor who is widely known for his role as Gregg Marmalard in National Lampoon's Animal House. He also had a role in the 1982 film The Beach Girls, in which he was noted primarily for stripping naked and running into the sea.-External links:...
as Morgan - Scott Holden as Lieutenant
- Lorraine Chanel as Mrs. Benedict
- Jorge Luke as Chamaco
- Raúl Pérez Prieto as Warden
Reception
Judith CristJudith Crist
Judith Crist is an American film critic. She appeared regularly on the Today show from 1964-1973 and has appeared in one film, Woody Allen's Stardust Memories...
of New York magazine
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
offered that the film was "another kind of high-class trash ... with William Holden
William Holden
William Holden was an American actor. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1954 and the Emmy Award for Best Actor in 1974...
as a proud rancher out to get the villains..." Dave Billington of the Montreal Gazette compared the film with other genre films, writing that while the film does not come near to Return of the Seven
Return of the Seven
Return of the Seven , is the first sequel to the 1960 western, The Magnificent Seven. Made in 1966, Yul Brynner is the sole returning cast member from the first film, portraying Chris Adams....
or The Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen is a 1967 film directed by Robert Aldrich and released by MGM. It was filmed in England and features an ensemble cast, including Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Telly Savalas, and Robert Webber. The film is based on E. M...
"in smoothness and clean direction, it does fill in a hot afternoon with some cool entertainment." He shares that Holden
William Holden
William Holden was an American actor. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1954 and the Emmy Award for Best Actor in 1974...
as the owner of a horse ranch is seen as "rather too coy" in the opening few minutes when his character's wife, sons, daughters, and ranch hands are all murdered before he finally loses his temper. Billington writes that of the six killers hired to help Holden seek revenge, "the two best are certainly Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine is an American actor of television and film. His career has spanned more than six decades. He was an unconventional lead in many films of the 1950s, including his Academy Award-winning turn in the 1955 film Marty...
and Woody Strode
Woody Strode
Woodrow Wilson Woolwine "Woody" Strode was a decathlete and football star who went on to become a pioneering black American film actor. He was nominated for a Golden Globe award for best supporting actor for his role in Spartacus in 1960...
"... noting further that this was "probably Borgnine's best performance since Marty
Marty (film)
Marty is a 1955 American film directed by Delbert Mann. The screenplay was written by Paddy Chayefsky, expanding upon his 1953 teleplay of the same name. The film stars Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair. The film enjoyed international success, winning the 1955 Academy Award for Best Picture and...
".
Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine is an American actor of television and film. His career has spanned more than six decades. He was an unconventional lead in many films of the 1950s, including his Academy Award-winning turn in the 1955 film Marty...
wrote in his autobiography, "This western was an attempt to return audiences to the dark territory of The Wild Bunch
The Wild Bunch
The Wild Bunch is a 1969 American Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah about an aging outlaw gang on the Texas-Mexico border, trying to exist in the changing "modern" world of 1913...
with a dash of The Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen is a 1967 film directed by Robert Aldrich and released by MGM. It was filmed in England and features an ensemble cast, including Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Telly Savalas, and Robert Webber. The film is based on E. M...
. We had Bill Holden again, and Daniel Mann—who'd directed Willard
Willard (1971 film)
Willard is a 1971 horror film starring Bruce Davison and Ernest Borgnine, directed by Daniel Mann. The movie is based on the novel Ratman's Notebooks by Stephen Gilbert, and was nominated for an Edgar Award for best picture...
—tried real hard, but we didn't make it."