Vendetta at Dawn (1971)

George Eastman is Dr. George Benton, who returns to his home from San Francisco, where he’s been studying to become a doctor.

His plans include marrying childhood sweetheart Lory Baxter (Laura Troschel as Constanza Spada), then moving back to the city.

Older brother Jonathan (Ty Hardin) would prefer George and his fiancé move in with his wife and three children and live on the ranch he’s carved out of the wilderness

As for Lory, she encourages a move to San Francisco. And as soon as possible. Rumors of a nearby gold strike have attracted riff-raff to the area and prompted many of the good citizens in the nearby town to flee.

George promises San Francisco is part of their future, but asks her to be patient. He’s hoping to convince Jonathan and his family to leave as well.

Turns out Lory was right. While George is off tending a pregnant patient, three brothers descend on the Benton ranch, killing all but one member of the family.

George, naturally, wants revenge. But he isn’t sure who’s responsible for the killings.

Review:

Better than average for a serious 1970s Western thanks to a plot that’s different enough to make it interesting, some fine camera work and some very nasty villains.

Yep, this is another revenge for a murdered family Spaghetti. But in this case, we get to know the family before they’re murdered.

We also get a closer-than-normal look at the villains, led by Bruno Corazzari as Rod Fargas.

He’s a filthy, lecherous man, inpatient with the hard work of mining gold, determined to line his pockets by illegal means when gold nuggets prove difficult to find.

Nello Pazzafini also turns in a fine performance as a bandit who keeps being mistaken for the man who committed other people’s murders.

And Guido Lollobrigida is the sheriff determined to track down the outlaws, but finding himself undermanned as more and more ruffians turn up in his town.

Particularly interesting is the way director Sergio Garrone juxtaposes scenes of desperation and violence with cuts to scenes of tenderness and happy moments.

He serves up an interesting ending too.

Directed by:
Sergio Garrone
as Willy S. Reagan
w/ Luigi Mangini

Cast:
George Eastman … Dr. George Benton
Ty Hardin .. Jonathan Benton
Bruno Corazzari … Rod Fargas
Laura Troschel … Lory Baxter Benton
as Costanza Spada
Lucia Catullo … Hannah Benton
Roberto Dell’Acqua … Dan Benton
as Leo Widmark
Anita Saxe … Jane, saloon girl
Steffen Zacharias … Gregory, saloon owner
Guido Lollobrigida … Sheriff Jed
as Lee Burton
Jean Louis … Wal
Nello Pazzafini … Barry
Rick Boyd … Peter Fargas
Dominic Barto … Carl Fargas
Piero Nistri … Ralph
Benard Farber … Joe
Manfred Freyberger … Sam
Franco Ukmar … Deputy

Runtime: 94 min.

aka:
Quel maledetto giorno della resa dei conti
Terrible Day for a Big Gundown

Music: Francesco De Masi
Song: “Walk By My Side” sung by Raoul

Memorable lines:

Jonathan Benton, to George: “I figure, now that you’re back, you can pitch in and help us a little. For instance …”
Hannah, Jonathan’s wife, jokingly: “For instance, to begin with, you can cure his rheumatism, his backache and operate on his corns at no cost to him.” Turning to her husband. “Leave him alone, can’t you? A man’s got to live his own life.”

Jonathan Benton, providing advice to George about women: “For six years (his wife) Hannah was the proverbial kitten. Then we got married. She turned into a mountain lion. You be careful that Lory doesn’t do the same thing.”

Sheriff Jed to a prisoner: “Don’t worry about your rights. You’ll be legally tried. And legally hanged.”

Jane to saloon owner Gregory: “You know, compared to you, all the men I’ve bedded are angels.”

Trivia:

This marked the last of several Spaghettis directed by Sergio Garrone, who also helped “If You Want to Live … Shoot” (1968), “Three Crosses Not to Die” (1968), “No Room to Die” (1969), “Django the Bastard” (1969) and “Kill Django … Kill First” (1971).

Bruno Corazzari, the instigator behind most of the trouble in this movie, made his film debut as a bartender in 1967’s “Death Rides a Horse.” He went on to rack up more than 100 film and TV credits and had minor roles in Spaghetti classics like “The Great Silence” and “Once Upon a Time in the West.”