It’s also known as A GENIUS, TWO FRIENDS AND AN IDIOT. It stars Terence Hill and was produced by Sergio Leone, with Damiano Damiani directing, in the wake of the European success of MY NAME IS NOBODY. Morricone scored it, the main reason I finally pulled my tape out to watch--as part of my “Morricone season” viewing.

It’s almost two hours and is really tough to sit through. It’s a profoundly unfunny comedy. And badly shot and directed, too. A lot of it was filmed in Monument Valley, making this arguably the worst film to be shot there. The English dubbing on the tape I have is pretty horrible (and comes with Dutch subs., purchased at a dealer's table at a Chiller Theater convention some years ago). Patrick McGoohan plays the villain and I was sure the voice wasn’t his until I realized he was either deliberately speaking in a high-pitched voice or the tape was running at a higher speed than it’s supposed to. And I can’t tell if that’s Hill’s usual dubber or not for the same reason.

The female lead is Miou-Miou and the second male lead is a French-Canadian singer named Robert Charlebois, one of the most uncharismatic performers in a lead role I’ve ever seen (think Gene Hackman crossed with Michael J. Pollard, but without either’s talent). Klaus Kinski has a cameo. Hill is very good, by the way, and does a lot of his own stunts and physical humor. But not enough of either. The script and direction just fail him.

According to Christopher Frayling’s book on Leone, Giuliano Montaldo (SACCO AND VANZETTI) and Leone himself each directed some scenes. Not that you’d notice. According to the book, Leone dismisses the film because of Damiani’s inability to handle comedy. To put it mildly. Again, according to the book, Leone got the idea for this film from Bertrand Blier’s 1973 French comedy, LES VALSEUSES (aka GOING PLACES, 1974), which also starred Miou-Miou.

Wow, Patrick McGoohan as the heavy in an Italian western? I never heard of this film before, but that alone makes it of some interest. I wonder if it ever played in the U.S.

I agree it's not very good. It's simply not funny, and confusing to boot. The pre-credits sequence (the only scene confirmed to be directed by Leone, I believe) is the best part. Even Morricone's score is substandard, though it was issued on cassette in the late 80's by RCA. Wasn't the film's original negative stolen from the editing room and held for ransom, and when the producers wouldn't pay, the finished film was assembled with alternate takes?

The best part of the film, Leone pre-credits aside, is what's borrowed from Blier's picaresque movie GOING PLACES, namely Miou Miou and the open-marriage like partnership of two guys and a girl hitching their way through various adventures. Charlebois worked okay for me as shaggy hippie in this context.

I like how they ramble around, but the plot they belong to is more of a tangle than a ramble; a downright mess in fact. McGoohan hides all his virtues under a big beard and a funny voice; Damiani, fine on romantic triangles and sunny ambience, has no heart or talent for Trinity slapstick of which there's a rather large component: never has light comedy felt so much like heavy medicine being forced down one's throat between bitter grimaces (no laughter in these sections whatsoever! that's really saying something since T. Hill is so amiable he can always make one chuckle: except on this occasion.)

I've had a Danish (I think) DVD of this sitting on my shelf unwatched for a few years now, and I've always struggled to motivate myself to watch it. This thread isn't convincing me. I'm not totally against comedy spaghetti westerns, e.g. MY NAME IS TRINITY, but for the most part just can't get into them. Part of the fun of spaghettis is just how seriously they take themselves.

Having recently subjected myself to BEN AND CHARLIE (very definitely not a classic), I'm not in any rush to pick up a comedy next time I'm in a spaghetti mood. However...

I've also had the Italian DVD of IL BIANCO, IL GIALLO, IL NERO sitting on the shelf next to it for almost as long and it looks every bit as (un)appealing. So which one would you choose...?

I thought BEN AND CHARLIE was ok. It had potential but totally messed up the central idea of two small time crooks getting in over their heads.

IL BIANCO... has a funny scene in which Gemma, Wallach and Milian play their female alter egos in drag. Not normally my thing but it seems like some characterisation went into it, making it amusing. Gemma is sort of sassy, and Wallach an older madam!

This was released as a reasonable quality widescreen UK R2 DVD from Neauveax Pictures which I have. Couldn't bring myself to watch it past the first hour. It's tedious and unfunny. Kinski is in it for about 5 mins and very oddly dubbed. DVD extras comment on fact that film had to be assembled from alternate takes.

While on holiday in Germany recently I picked up a 2-DVD set of this film for 10 euro. Nice presentation from Paramount. I also got the far-superior MY NAME IS NOBODY, also a 2-disc set, for the same price.