Django Against Sartana (1970)

Tony Kendall is Django, who returns home after ridding the territory of the Juan Corvo gang to find his brother Steve dead. In fact, his body is hanging in the middle of town.

Seems he was suspected of robbing the town bank with the help of Sartana (George Ardisson). After all, he was found in a whore’s bed with about $3,000 of the bank’s money on him.

And someone also killed the banker, Philip Singer, shortly after a clandestine meeting between Steve and Sartana.

Django sets out to find Sartana and clear his brother’s name. When he locates him, Sartana insists he doesn’t rob banks.

And Django’s friend Loco shows up with a diary explaining why Steve had the $3,000 on him.

So there’s a mystery to solve, one that becomes even more intriguing when they discover that Philip Singer’s grave isn’t filled with a body.

Tony Kendall as Django in Django Against Sartana (1970)

George Ardisson as Sartana in Django Against Sartana (1970)

Review:

Ardisson brings absolutely no spark to the Sartana character. Add a slow start and Z-grade action scenes, and you’re left with a film that could have been and should have been much better.

Tania Albarado plays Maria, Singer’s money-hungry and rather sadistic mistress. John Alvar is Django’s brother. And, in a plot flaw, he’s at least guilty of this — taking $3,000 of the bank’s money and giving it to his favorite whore, who just happens to be Maria.

Looking for more plot problems? Django begs his friend to tell him what’s happened to Steve, though that friend named Loco is a mute. And Sartana says he knows why someone framed Steve for the bank robbery; it’s because Django’s brother knew the combination to the bank safe. Now how the hell would Sartana know that?

Bernard Farber as Philip Singer in Django Against Sartana (1970)

Jose Torres as Loco in Django Against Sartana (1970)

Directed by:
Pasquale Squitieri
(as William Redford)

Cast:
Tony Kendall … Django
George Ardisson … Sartana
Jose Torres … Loco
John Alvar … Steve Farwell
Bernard Farber … Philip Singer
Tania Albarado … Maria
Alder Gray … Singer’s niece
Teodoro Corra … Juan Corvo
as Doro Corra
Fulvio Mingozzi … Sheriff

aka:
Django sfida Sartana
Django Defies Sartana
Django Challenges Sartana

Score: Piero Umiliani
Song: “They Call Him Django” sung by John Balfour

Runtime: 90 min.

John Alvar as Steve Farwell in Django Against Sartana (1970)

Tania Albarado as Maria in Django Against Sartana (1970)

Memorable lines:

Larry: “Django, we wipe out this bunch of bandits, and I swear I’ll start raising sows.”
Django: “You’ve been pulling triggers for so long, I don’t think you’d know one end of the pig from the other.”

Maria: “Stop playing around with that bastard. Kill him.
Philip Singer: “Killing is a fine art, my dear. A fine art.”

Fulvio Mingozzi as the sheriff in Django Against Sartana (1970)

Teodoro Corra as Juan Corvo in Django Against Sartana (1970)

Trivia:

Director Pasquale Squitieri was the longtime companion of Claudia Cardinale and the father of her daughter, also named Claudia.

Born Luciano Stella in 1936, Tony Kendall started his career in show business as a model for Italian Fumetti, comics done in photographs. He did Nov. 28, 2009, at age 73 of cancer.

Tania Albarado as Maria and John Alvar as Steve Farwell in Django Against Sartana (1970)

Tony Kendall as Django and Alder Gray as Singer’s niece in Django Against Sartana (1970)