The Hills Run Red (1967) - Turner Classic Movies

Brief Synopsis

After doing prison time for a payroll job, an outlaw wants revenge on his former partner.

Cast & Crew

Read More

Lee W. Beaver

Thomas Hunter

Henry Silva

Dan Duryea

Nando Gazzolo

Nicoletta Machiavelli

Film Details

Also Known As

Un fiume di dollari

Genre

Western

Release Date

Jan 1967

Premiere Information

Los Angeles opening: 27 Sep 1967

Production Company

Dino De Laurentiis Cinematografica S.p.A.

Distribution Company

United Artists

Country

Italy

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 29m

Sound

Mono

Color

Color (Technicolor)

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

2.35 : 1

Synopsis

At the end of the Civil War, Confederate veterans Jerry Brewster and Ken Seagall find themselves possessing an army payroll. Brewster leads pursuing troops astray while Seagall flees with the money, and Brewster is captured and sentenced to 5 years in prison. Upon his release Brewster learns that his former friend has become a wealthy and powerful landowner, despised by ranchers throughout the area. Seagall, responsible for the death of Brewster's wife, realizes that his life is in danger and sends a hired gunman, Mendez, to kill his adversary. Getz, a stranger, intervenes by rescuing Brewster while at the same time making it look as though Brewster was slain. Getz then conceives a plan for Brewster to infiltrate Seagall's band of outlaws and plot their downfall. Learning that Seagall's men are about to ride out to "punish" a rebellious town, Brewster organizes the townspeople for a defense. Brewster is wounded in the ensuing gunfight and is nursed back to health by Seagall's daughter, Mary Ann. Eventually Seagall recognizes Brewster and the battle becomes a personal one. Getz, a government agent, joins with Brewster in the final shoot-out in which Mendez, Seagall, and the unfortunate Mary Ann are killed. Brewster is reunited with his lost son; Getz appoints Brewster sheriff; and law and order is restored to the community.

Director

Lee W. Beaver

Cast

Thomas Hunter

Henry Silva

Dan Duryea

Nando Gazzolo

Nicoletta Machiavelli

Gianna Serra

Loris Loddi

Geoffrey Copleston

Paolo Magalotti

Tiberio Mitri

Federal sergeant

Vittorio Bonos

Mirko Valentin

Guglielmo Spoletini

Guido Celano

Mauro Mannatrizio

Gianluigi Crescenzi

Crew

Luigi Carpentieri

Dean Craig

Story-Screenplay

Aurelio Crugnola

Ermanno Donati

Elio Micheli

Ornella Micheli

Leo Nichols

Leo Nichols

Audrey Nohra

Antonio Secchi

Director of Photography

Film Details

Also Known As

Un fiume di dollari

Genre

Western

Release Date

Jan 1967

Premiere Information

Los Angeles opening: 27 Sep 1967

Production Company

Dino De Laurentiis Cinematografica S.p.A.

Distribution Company

United Artists

Country

Italy

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 29m

Sound

Mono

Color

Color (Technicolor)

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

2.35 : 1

Articles

The Hills Run Red

March 16, 2007

Though only a handful of spaghetti Westerns are now familiar to American audiences, they were in distribution all over the U.S. during the late sixties. In barely a decade there were about 300 made, ranging from such classics as The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) to bottom-of-the-barrel concoctions like Grandsons of Zorro (1975). One of the better examples, though, is The Hills Run Red (1966) which shows the genre in full gallop, complete with a musical score by the composer most associated with spaghetti Westerns, Ennio Morricone. Incidentally, the Italian title Un Fiume di dollari actually translates as "River of Dollars," obviously attempting to play off Sergio Leone's similarly titled films.

In The Hills Run Red, Thomas Hunter and Nando Gazzolo play two friends on their way home from the Civil War with a stolen payroll. Unfortunately they run into trouble when Hunter gets caught by the authorities while Gazzolo manages to escape. Several years later when Hunter is released from prison he finds that not only has Gazzolo taken all the loot and created his own mini-empire, he's managed to kill Hunter's wife. Can you spell "revenge"?

Though the lead roles went to Hunter and Gazzolo, their careers were brief and almost entirely in little-known European exploitation films. Better known are two of the supporting actors. Dan Duryea (as Getz) was in dozens of Hollywood films including Criss Cross (1949) and Winchester '73 (1950). Henry Silva's name may not be too familiar but you'll instantly recognize his pinched, skeletal look from such films as The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Ghost Dog (1999) and Sharky's Machine (1981) among the almost 100 films he's made. Nicoletta Machiavelli appeared in several other spaghetti Westerns like 1966's Navajo Joe (airing on TCM on June 23 at 8 pm ET) and A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die (1968). Machiavelli also worked with such high-profile directors as Hans-Jurgen Syberberg and Liliana Cavani.

Director Carlo Lizzani was in his mid-40s at the time, a former critic who worked his way through Italy's apprentice system while co-writing such classics as Germany Year Zero (1947) and Bitter Rice (1948), earning an Oscar nomination for the latter. As a director he contributed one segment to Love in the City (1953) alongside Antonioni and Fellini and though his Chronicle of Poor Lovers (1954) won a special award at Cannes it was banned by the Italian government. He did numerous films throughout Italy's busy sixties and seventies and is in fact still working today, having done a documentary about Visconti in 1999.

Producer: Luigi Carpentieri, Ermanno Donati
Director: Carlo Lizzani (as Lee W. Beaver)
Screenplay: Piero Regnoli (as Mario Pierotti)
Art Direction: Aurelio Crugnola
Cinematography: Antonio Secchi
Film Editing: Ornella Micheli
Original Music: Ennio Morricone
Cast: Thomas Hunter (Jerry Brewster), Henry Silva (Mendez), Dan Duryea (Getz), Nando Gazzolo (Ken Seagull), Nicoletta Machiavelli (Mary Ann).
C-89m. Letterboxed.

by Lang Thompson

The Hills Run Red

The Hills Run Red

Though only a handful of spaghetti Westerns are now familiar to American audiences, they were in distribution all over the U.S. during the late sixties. In barely a decade there were about 300 made, ranging from such classics as The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) to bottom-of-the-barrel concoctions like Grandsons of Zorro (1975). One of the better examples, though, is The Hills Run Red (1966) which shows the genre in full gallop, complete with a musical score by the composer most associated with spaghetti Westerns, Ennio Morricone. Incidentally, the Italian title Un Fiume di dollari actually translates as "River of Dollars," obviously attempting to play off Sergio Leone's similarly titled films. In The Hills Run Red, Thomas Hunter and Nando Gazzolo play two friends on their way home from the Civil War with a stolen payroll. Unfortunately they run into trouble when Hunter gets caught by the authorities while Gazzolo manages to escape. Several years later when Hunter is released from prison he finds that not only has Gazzolo taken all the loot and created his own mini-empire, he's managed to kill Hunter's wife. Can you spell "revenge"? Though the lead roles went to Hunter and Gazzolo, their careers were brief and almost entirely in little-known European exploitation films. Better known are two of the supporting actors. Dan Duryea (as Getz) was in dozens of Hollywood films including Criss Cross (1949) and Winchester '73 (1950). Henry Silva's name may not be too familiar but you'll instantly recognize his pinched, skeletal look from such films as The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Ghost Dog (1999) and Sharky's Machine (1981) among the almost 100 films he's made. Nicoletta Machiavelli appeared in several other spaghetti Westerns like 1966's Navajo Joe (airing on TCM on June 23 at 8 pm ET) and A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die (1968). Machiavelli also worked with such high-profile directors as Hans-Jurgen Syberberg and Liliana Cavani. Director Carlo Lizzani was in his mid-40s at the time, a former critic who worked his way through Italy's apprentice system while co-writing such classics as Germany Year Zero (1947) and Bitter Rice (1948), earning an Oscar nomination for the latter. As a director he contributed one segment to Love in the City (1953) alongside Antonioni and Fellini and though his Chronicle of Poor Lovers (1954) won a special award at Cannes it was banned by the Italian government. He did numerous films throughout Italy's busy sixties and seventies and is in fact still working today, having done a documentary about Visconti in 1999. Producer: Luigi Carpentieri, Ermanno Donati Director: Carlo Lizzani (as Lee W. Beaver) Screenplay: Piero Regnoli (as Mario Pierotti) Art Direction: Aurelio Crugnola Cinematography: Antonio Secchi Film Editing: Ornella Micheli Original Music: Ennio Morricone Cast: Thomas Hunter (Jerry Brewster), Henry Silva (Mendez), Dan Duryea (Getz), Nando Gazzolo (Ken Seagull), Nicoletta Machiavelli (Mary Ann). C-89m. Letterboxed. by Lang Thompson

Quotes

Trivia

Notes

Copyright length: 94 min. Opened in Rome in September 1966 as Un fiume di dollari. Lee W. Beaver is a pseudonym for Carlo Lizzani; Leo Nichols for Ennio Morricone. Additional song: "I Know a Girl With Golden Hair."

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