Hannie Caulder

Last updated
Hannie Caulder
HannieCaulder.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Burt Kennedy
Screenplay byBurt Kennedy
David Haft
(as Z.X. Jones) [1]
Story byPeter Cooper
Based onCharacters
by Ian Quicke
Bob Richards
Produced by Patrick Curtis
Starring Raquel Welch
Robert Culp
Ernest Borgnine
Strother Martin
Jack Elam
Christopher Lee
Diana Dors
Cinematography Edward Scaife [1]
Edited by Jim Connock [1]
Music by Ken Thorne
Production
companies
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date
  • November 8, 1971 (1971-11-08)(London)
Running time
85 minutes [1]
CountryUnited Kingdom [1]
LanguageEnglish

Hannie Caulder is a 1971 British Western film directed by Burt Kennedy and starring Raquel Welch, Robert Culp, and Ernest Borgnine. [2]

Contents

Plot

Hannie Caulder is a frontier wife, living with her husband at a horse station between towns in the American West. After a disastrous failed bank robbery raid, the inept Clemens gang, three brothers, arrive at the horse station. After acting friendly, they murder Caulder's husband, gang-rape her, burn down the family house, and leave her for dead in the burning house. The brothers then go on a crime spree, while Caulder recruits bounty hunter Thomas Price to help her get revenge by training her to be a gunfighter. The pair travels to Mexico to have gunsmith Bailey build her a specialized revolver, to be a fast draw specialist. In the meantime, the two grow closer. When bandidos surround the Bailey house, a gun battle erupts, but Hannie is unable to kill a man face-to-face. Price recommends she give up her quest for revenge, but she refuses, telling him to get out and that she was only using him and does not need him anymore. Price leaves, telling Hannie she is a bad liar.

As he goes, Price sees the Clemens brothers arrive in town. His attempt to take down Frank for a reward goes awry, because Emmett throws a knife into Price's belly, mortally wounding him. Hannie goes after them, killing Frank in a whorehouse. The two brothers swear revenge on her, but she gets Rufus in a store when he tries to kill her. Hannie lures Emmett to an old prison for a showdown and almost meets the same fate as Price, but Emmett's attempt to throw a knife into her back is thwarted by the preacher, who shoots the knife from his hand. Hannie kills Emmett face-to-face, but realizes that Price was right – taking revenge will change her forever.

Cast

Production

Patrick Curtis, then married to Raquel Welch, met with Tony Tenser of Tigon British Film Productions with a view to obtaining funding for a movie starring Welch. Curtis proposed a horror movie or a Western; Tenser, who had always wanted to make a Western, picked that. Tigon put up 100% of the budget, while Curtwel (Curtis and Welch's production company) put up their services. Neither Curtis nor Welch took a salary, instead taking profit participation. Before Hannie Caulder was released, Tigon and Curtwel co-produced The Sorcerers (1967), a horror film starring Boris Karloff. Thus, Curtis and Tenser teamed up for both a Western and a horror film. [3]

The screenplay was rewritten by Kennedy, who was not credited. [4]

It was the third film from Curtwel, following A Swingin' Summer (1965) and The Beloved (1971). [5]

Robert Culp was signed to co-star in December 1970. [6]

The movie was filmed in Spain, mostly around Almería, beginning on January 18, 1971. [7] Burt Kennedy and the cast were reportedly not paid after the first two weeks of filming, causing tension on the set. [8]

Stephen Boyd has a brief, uncredited appearance as a gunfighter known simply as the "Preacher". Flamenco guitar virtuoso Paco de Lucía makes a cameo appearance as a Mexican musician.

Fast-draw artist Rodd Redwing was a technical adviser to the film, working with Culp. Redwing suffered a heart attack on the plane returning from the filming in Spain and died shortly after landing in Los Angeles.[ citation needed ]

Release

Hannie Caulder opened in London on November 8, 1971. [9]

On September 8, 1971, the British Board of Film Classification announced that the film would receive a AA certificate rating. As of November 1988 a 15 certificate was applied on the video. [10]

Reception

Box office

The film performed well at the UK box office and was reasonably successful in the United States.[ citation needed ]

Critical response

In contemporary reviews, the Monthly Film Bulletin described the film as "a disappointing Western" that was an "uneasy course between parody and imitation in an unlikely amalgam of The Wild Bunch and One Million Years B.C. , with the odd nod to Myra Breckinridge ." [1] The review noted the lack of dialogue from Welch and that the Clemens brothers in the film are allowed some "rather tedious verbal horseplay". [1]

In 2016 Filmmaker Magazine , saw the film as a "...fascinating bridge between the classical period, represented by John Ford and John Wayne, and the postmodern age of Peckinpah, Corbucci, and Leone. A bouillabaisse of elements that should not work together but do – lyricism, graphic violence, moral contemplation, broad humour, feminist inquiry – it is a masterful hybrid of tried and true Hollywood conventions and the more confrontational style of the Italian Westerns that supplanted American oaters in the mainstream consciousness". [11]

Legacy

Quentin Tarantino said the film was one of his inspirations for Kill Bill . "Why I love Hannie Caulder so much is Robert Culp. He is so magnificent in that movie. I actually think there's a bit of similarity between Pai Mei and the Bride (in Kill Bill: Volume 2)." [12]

Dominique Mainon and James Ursini note in The Modern Amazons: Warrior Women On-Screen that "With Sam Raimi's The Quick and the Dead (1995), producer-star Sharon Stone revisits the domain carved out by Raquel Welch in Hannie Caulder. . . . Like Hannie Caulder before her, as a woman who has taken on the traditional role of a man, she is derided and shunned for that decision." [13]

Home media

The film was released on VHS. In 1995, a LaserDisc was released on a single extended-play disc by Paramount Pictures and distributed by Pioneer Video Manufacturing. It was presented in anamorphic widescreen and a full screen version with no extra features. A DVD was issued in the United Kingdom in 2006 with no extra features. It was reissued in 2010 on anamorphic widescreen with theatrical trailer and stills gallery as extra features. In 2011, Olive Films released the film for the first time on Blu-ray disc in the United States (region A) with no bonus features. [14] It was again released in the U.S. on November 15, 2016, as a digitally restored signature edition Blu-ray with four new bonus features including an audio commentary by Western expert and director Alex Cox, "Exploitation or Redemption?" a 12-minute featurette on the examination of rape-revenge movies with Ben Sher, a 21-minute interview with cultural historian Sir Christopher Frayling on the making of Hannie Caulder, and the history of Tigon Studios titled "Win or Lose" and a 10-page essay titled "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" by film critic Kim Morgan in digital and booklet form. [15] [16]

Novelization

A novelization of the film was written by author Terry Harknett using the pen name William Terry. The book was published on 1 September 1971 by New English Library.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raquel Welch</span> American actress (1940–2023)

Jo Raquel Welch was an American actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strother Martin</span> American actor (1919–1980)

Strother Douglas Martin Jr. was an American character actor who often appeared in support of John Wayne and Paul Newman and in Western films directed by John Ford and Sam Peckinpah. Among Martin's memorable performances is his portrayal of the warden or "captain" of a state prison camp in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke, in which he utters the line, "What we've got here is failure to communicate." The line is number 11 on the American Film Institute list of 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes.

<i>One Million Years B.C.</i> 1966 film by Don Chaffey, Ray Harryhausen

One Million Years B.C. is a 1966 British adventure fantasy film directed by Don Chaffey. The film was produced by Hammer Film Productions and Seven Arts, and is a remake of the 1940 American fantasy film One Million B.C.. The film stars Raquel Welch and John Richardson, set in a fictional age of cavemen and dinosaurs coexisting together. Location scenes were filmed on the Canary Islands in the middle of winter, in late 1965. The UK release prints of this film were printed in dye transfer Technicolor. The U.S. version released by 20th Century Fox was cut by nine minutes, printed in DeLuxe Color, and released in 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Richardson (actor)</span> English actor (1934–2021)

John Richardson was an English actor who appeared in films from the late 1950s until the early 1990s. He was a male lead in Italian genre films, most notably Mario Bava's Black Sunday (1960) with Barbara Steele, but he was best known for playing the love interest of Ursula Andress in She (1965) and then of Raquel Welch in One Million Years B.C. (1966).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Culp</span> American actor (1930–2010)

Robert Martin Culp was an American actor and screenwriter widely known for his work in television. Culp earned an international reputation for his role as Kelly Robinson on I Spy (1965–1968), the espionage television series in which co-star Bill Cosby and he played secret agents. Before this, he starred in the CBS/Four Star Western series Trackdown as Texas Ranger Hoby Gilman in 71 episodes from 1957 to 1959. The 1980s brought him back to television as FBI Agent Bill Maxwell on The Greatest American Hero. Later, he had a recurring role as Warren Whelan on Everybody Loves Raymond, and was a voice actor for various computer games, including Half-Life 2. Culp gave hundreds of performances in a career spanning more than 50 years.

<i>Witchfinder General</i> (film) 1968 British period horror film by Michael Reeves

Witchfinder General is a 1968 British period folk horror film directed by Michael Reeves and starring Vincent Price, Ian Ogilvy, Hilary Dwyer, Robert Russell and Rupert Davies. The screenplay, by Reeves and Tom Baker, was based on Ronald Bassett's 1966 novel Witchfinder General. The film is a heavily fictionalised account of the murderous witch-hunting exploits of Matthew Hopkins (Price), a lawyer who falsely claimed to have been appointed as a "Witch Finder Generall" [sic] by Parliament during the English Civil War to root out sorcery and witchcraft. The plot follows Roundhead soldier Richard Marshall (Ogilvy), who relentlessly pursues Hopkins and his assistant John Stearne (Russell) after they prey on his fiancée Sara (Dwyer) and execute her priestly uncle John Lowes (Davies).

<i>Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte</i> 1964 film by Robert Aldrich

Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte is a 1964 American psychological horror thriller film directed and produced by Robert Aldrich, and starring Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead and Mary Astor in her final film role. It follows a middle-aged Southern woman, suspected in the unsolved murder of her lover from decades before, who is plagued by bizarre occurrences after summoning her cousin to help challenge the local government's impending demolition of her home. The screenplay was adapted by Henry Farrell and Lukas Heller, from Farrell's unpublished short story "What Ever Happened to Cousin Charlotte?"

<i>100 Rifles</i> 1969 American Western film

100 Rifles is a 1969 American Western film directed by Tom Gries and starring Jim Brown, Raquel Welch and Burt Reynolds. It is based on Robert MacLeod's 1966 novel The Californio. The film was shot in Spain. The original music score was composed by Jerry Goldsmith, who had previously also scored Bandolero!, another Western starring Welch.

<i>Skin Game</i> 1971 film by Gordon Douglas, Paul Bogart

Skin Game is a 1971 American independent comedy western directed by Paul Bogart and Gordon Douglas, and starring James Garner and Lou Gossett. The supporting cast features Susan Clark, Ed Asner, Andrew Duggan, Parley Baer and Royal Dano.

Burton Raphael Kennedy was an American screenwriter and director known mainly for directing Westerns. Budd Boetticher called him "the best Western writer ever."

<i>The Blood on Satans Claw</i> 1971 film

The Blood on Satan's Claw is a 1971 British supernatural period folk horror film directed by Piers Haggard and starring Patrick Wymark, Linda Hayden, and Barry Andrews. Set in early 18th-century England, it follows the residents of a rural village whose youth fall under the influence of a demonic presence after a local farmer unearths a mysterious deformed skull buried in a field.

<i>Ride Lonesome</i> 1959 film by Budd Boetticher

Ride Lonesome is a 1959 American CinemaScope Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott, Karen Steele, Pernell Roberts, Lee Van Cleef, and James Coburn in his film debut. This Eastmancolor film is one of Boetticher's so-called "Ranown cycle" of westerns, made with Randolph Scott, executive producer Harry Joe Brown and screenwriter Burt Kennedy, beginning with Seven Men from Now.

Samuel Anthony Tenser was an English-born film producer of Lithuanian-Jewish descent. He began as the producer of low budget exploitation films before moving into mainstream productions.

<i>Eskimo Nell</i> (film) 1975 film by Martin Campbell

Eskimo Nell, also known as The Ballad of Eskimo Nell and The Sexy Saga of Naughty Nell and Big Dick, is a 1975 British sex comedy film directed by Martin Campbell and produced by Stanley Long, starring Roy Kinnear. Though inspired by "The Ballad of Eskimo Nell", the movie owes little to the original bawdy song. Long called it "my definitive statement about the sex films".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aldo Sambrell</span> Spanish actor (1931–2010)

Alfredo Sánchez Brell, known as Aldo Sambrell, was a Spanish actor, director, and producer who appeared in over 150 films between 1961 and 1996.

<i>Kansas City Bomber</i> 1972 film directed by Jerrold Freedman

Kansas City Bomber is a 1972 American sports drama film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, directed by Jerrold Freedman and starring Raquel Welch. It also marks one of the earliest film appearances of Jodie Foster.

<i>Fuzz</i> (film) 1972 film by Richard A. Colla

Fuzz is a 1972 American action comedy film directed by Richard A. Colla and starring Burt Reynolds, Yul Brynner, Raquel Welch, Tom Skerritt and Jack Weston.

<i>Sin</i> (1971 film) 1971 film

Sin is a 1971 film written and directed by George P. Cosmatos and marked his directorial debut. The film was produced by Curtwel Productions and stars Raquel Welch and Richard Johnson. It is set on an island and filmed in Cyprus.

<i>The Great Scout & Cathouse Thursday</i> 1976 film by Don Taylor

The Great Scout & Cathouse Thursday is a 1976 comedy western film directed by Don Taylor starring Lee Marvin, Oliver Reed, Robert Culp, Elizabeth Ashley, Strother Martin, Sylvia Miles, and Kay Lenz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Curtis (producer)</span> American film producer (1939–2022)

Patrick Curtis was an American film producer, best known for his association with Raquel Welch, whom he married on February 14, 1967 and divorced on January 6, 1972. Curtis was instrumental in promoting Welch's career, producing a number of movies starring her.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Dawson, Jan (1971). "Hannie Caulder". Monthly Film Bulletin . Vol. 38, no. 444. London: British Film Institute. pp. 220–221.
  2. "Hannie Caulder". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  3. John Hamilton, Beasts in the Cellar: The Exploitation Film Career of Tony Tenser, Fab Press 2005 p 194-198, 218-221
  4. p. 147 Joyner, C. Courtney Burt Kennedy Interview in The Westerners: Interviews with Actors, Directors, Writers and Producers McFarland
  5. Johnson, Patricia. (March 21, 1971). "Raquel Welch the Wife of Patrick Curtis, Not Svengali: Movies Raquel Married to Patrick Curtis, Not Svengali". Los Angeles Times. p. q1.
  6. Martin, Betty (December 21, 1970). "Movie Call Sheet: Culp, Raquel 'Caulder' Stars". Los Angeles Times. p. i19.
  7. "Jonathan Rigby, Christopher Lee: The Authorised Screen History, Reynolds & Hearn 2001 p 143".
  8. "Wayne's Film Fans: They Don't Forget". Los Angeles Times. May 19, 1971. p. h12.
  9. "Hannie Caulder". American Film Institute . Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  10. "HANNIE CAULDER (1971)". British Board of Film Classification . Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  11. Hemphill, Jim. (December 30, 2016). Jim Hemphill's Best Blu-rays of 2016. Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  12. Gerald Peary, Quentin Tarantino: Interviews, Revised and Updated Univ. Press of Mississippi, October 17, 2013 p 119
  13. Mainon, Dominique; Ursini, James (2006). The Modern Amazons: Warrior Women On-Screen. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN   9780879103279 . Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  14. "Hannie Caulder Blu-ray United States Olive Films". July 5, 2011. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  15. "Hannie Caulder (1971) blu-ray review". November 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  16. "Hannie Caulder Signature Edition Blu-ray Olive Films". November 15, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2020.