Shadow of Sartana … Shadow of Your Death (1969)

Jeff Cameron is Sartana who has a $12,000 price tag on his head though according to one sheriff he’s a “fair dealing man always ready to help any poor underdog.”

That includes a young woman whose father has been robbed, a young townsman being harassed because he’s black and another lovely lady kidnapped for the ransom her father will pay.

So when the good folks of Silver City need help with the Randall brothers, they send for him.

Sartana doesn’t exactly have to go looking for the bandits. They’re seeking him out, under orders from Benny Randall (Paolo Figlia) to eliminate the threat.

And so Sartana begins collecting six-guns, his way to prove he’s dispatched of the bad guys. He’ll save the six guns belonging to Benny and his brother Babyface (Benito Pacifico) for last.

Review:

This is an early Spaghetti Western from Demofilo Fidani and it barely has a plot. It certainly doesn’t have any character development.

It does have lots of riding around, lots of stuntmen going through all sorts of contortions as they’re gunned down by the invincible Sartana and lots of closeups of Cameron loading his pistol.

Cameron doesn’t have a line of dialogue for the first 20 minutes of the film. We’re more than halfway through it before we know who the real villains are.

Meanwhile, we get a brief introduction to a pretty gal who pines for Sartana and hopes he doesn’t become infatuated with Dodge City.

Same for the director’s daughter Simonetti Vitelli, who’s freed from her kidnappers, but apparently left to fend for herself as Sartana rides off with three more pistols in his saddlebags.

At one point, Sartana has his horse shot from under him and has to wander through the barren landscape carrying his saddle. He stumbles upon a stage holdup and, of course, guns down all the bandits.

Neat way to hitch a ride, right? Except in the next scene, Sartana’s still on foot and still carrying his saddle.

Directed by:
Demofilo Fidani
as Sean O’Neil

Cast:
Jeff Cameron …. Sean “Sartana” Barrett
Benito Pacifico … Babyface Randall
as Dennys Colt
Paolo Figlia … Benny Randall
as Frank Fargas
Dino Strano … Sheriff Logan
as Dean Stratford
Simonetta Vitelli … Kidnap victim
as Simone Blondell
Elisabetta Fanti … Babyface’s girl
Mariella Palmich … Robbery victim
Demofilo Fidani … Mayor
as Miles Deem

Runtime: 87 min.

aka:
Passa Sartana… è l’ombra della tua morte
Sartana and His Shadow of Death
Meet the Sign of the Cross

Memorable lines:

Bandit, robbing a gambling house: “Tonight, I win!”

Sheriff “One man up against those thieves and murderers wouldn’t have a chance.”
Mayor: “That all depends on the man’s ability and courage. This man could shoot his way out of hell.”

Bandit: “That was my friend you threw that saddle on.”
Sartana: “Some friend.”

Sartana: “Sheriff, do you know where I can find a no-account coward and a low-down skunk in this town.”
Sheriff Logan: “You’re drunk. You better get out of here.”
Sarana: “Oh, no. Cause you’re the person I’m a lookin’ for.”

Sartana to Sheriff Logan: “We’ll settle our account like gentlemen — with bullets.”

Sartana, to three men harassing another: “He was paid to water my horse.”
One of the men: “Your horse will have to wait, stranger.”
Sartana: “I’m afraid that animal’s been spoiled. And he’s object to hanging around, waiting for three jackasses.”

Trivia:

This marked the only time Demofilo Fidani used the Sean O’Neal pseudonym as director. He also plays the role of the mayor — the man, in fact, who suggests sending for Sartana because “he can shoot his way out of hell.” For the acting bit, he used the name Miles Deem, making two pseudonyms in one film for Fidani.

This also marked the first time Simonetta Vitelli (Simone Blondell’s) bright blue eyes would brighten one of daddy’s films. She doesn’t have a line of dialogue, but puts up a spirited fight as she’s gagged, tied up and taken away on horseback to be held for ransom. She spends most of her scene looking on as three bandits determined which of them will be the fortunate one to keep her company while the others go off to collect the money. Then Sartana comes to her rescue. Though he inexplicably leaves her standing in the barren countryside as he rides off on his horse.