ma-cortes
The war with Mexico over , the new republic of Texas is born . Set in 1836's Texas just after the Republic won its independence from Mexico. President Houston is actively working to have the new republic join the United States of America . But rebel forces , aided by a foreign power , are plotting against him . Houston , busy reorganizing the exhausted forces of Texas sends his faithful scout Erastus . As President Sam Houston instructs one of his agents to put down the plotters , the tough deaf-mute Erastus Smith (Anthony Quinn and based on real-life character) to carry out a dangerous mission . Deaf Smith is the man who hears with his eyes and speaks with his gun . Accompanying him is his best friend the sex-obsessed Johnny Ears, (Franco Nero) who falls for a beautiful prostitute (Pamela Tiffin) , Susie the ¨hooker¨ . But the rebels and the general Martin (Franco Graziosi) have intercepted a message that a deaf-mute spy is in their midst . At the beginning ,there takes a place a massacre executed by rebel henchmen (Romano Puppo , Luciano Martino) against McDonald family and things go wrong .Pasta Western picture is set post American-Mexican war but ignores the wealth of the authentic history and becomes yet another action/adventure/humor Western and this decent production delivers what it should . However , it relies heavily on the peculiar relationship between Deaf Smith/Anthony Quinn and Johnny Ears/Franco Nero . Here there are some historical remarks about Texas , as the Republic's future is in doubt, with various factions and foreign powers hoping to sway matters to their own advantage . And based on facts , as Deaf Smith was a soldier in Houston's army distinguished for destroying a bridge and there's actually a Deaf Smith County in Texas . Although it has some anachronisms as an out of time machine gun and hokey historical events . It is a decent Western with comedy , tongue-in-cheek , action and plenty of shoot'em up , gun-play , explosion , and some moments results to be quite entertaining . Including a spectacular ending when our protagonists using a machine gun and a lot of dynamite execute a slaughter in which they take down themselves the enemy army . Anthony Quinn gives over-acting as the deaf-mute Erastus "Deaf" Smith , to infiltrate and put down one of the growing rebel factions and sympathetic acting by Franco Nero as his companion Johnny Ears who must not only do Smith's hearing for him, but must also conceal Smith's handicap . Acceptable support cast full of ordinary Spaghetti secondaries as Luciano Rossi , Goffredo Unger , Tom Felleghi , Renato Romano and Romano Puppo . It packs an anti-climatic musical score by Daniel Pattucci and attractive ¨ballad of Deaf Smith and Johnny Ears¨ sung by Ann Collin . And an atmospheric cinematography in Eastmancolor by Tonino Delli Colli , though a perfect remastering is necessary , being shot on location in Gelato falls , El Lacio , Rome and Almeria , Spain , as usual . The motion picture was regularly directed by Paolo Cavara , a craftsman who made all kinds of genres . As Paolo directed Giallo as ¨Black belly Tarantula¨ , ¨E Tanta Prava¨, Drama/war : ¨La Cattura¨, ¨comedy : "Virility" , ¨Il Lucamone¨, ¨La Lacandiera¨ and especially shock-documentary as ¨L'Occhio Salvaggio¨, ¨Mondo cane¨ , ¨La Donna Nel Mondo¨, ¨Witchdoctor in Tails¨, and ¨I Malamondo¨ .
Chris Cuervo
It is not really a good movie. The best things are the character of Deaf Smith (Quinn), the beautiful prostitutes appearing in the film and the moves of the camera around a deaf gunman, that help us to understand how he is aware of the people around him. Anthony Quinn performance is incredible, being the most notable character without pronouncing a single word. All the scenes where he appears flows around him, even when the apparently most charming Johnny Ears (Nero) tries to be funny (sometimes he creates the opposite effect). Smith is funnier, harder and more interesting than Ears, and maybe that is the main reason to watch this film.
doppelganger36
The plot of this movie and the characters may be a little bit suspect but the photography is brilliant and, to add to the appeal, so was the music which was written by a name that I have never heard of before i.e. Daniele Patucchi. Soundtrack collectors like myself may be interested to know that the main themes are available on a CD entitled "Wanted - Dead or Alive". catalogue No. CVS 900-020. I enclose the number as it is an Italian CD but if I found it in Australia you can guarantee that it is more readily available elsewhere.Anthony Quinn and Franco Nero, who have appeared together in other productions, have this rapport between them that is so obvious. See this movie! Don't analyse it. Just sit back and enjoy it!
