Un genio, due compari, un pollo (1975)

Director:

Damiano Damiani
(more)

Writers:

Damiano Damiani (screenplay)
Ernesto Gastaldi (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

16 December 1975 (West Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Western

Plot:

Three rogues set out to rob $300,000 from an Indian-hating cavalry major.

Plot Keywords:

Major | Sequel | Spaghetti Western | Cult Western | Priest

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Terence Hill	...	Joe Thanks / Nobody
Miou-Miou	...	Lucy (as Miou Miou)
Robert Charlebois	...	Bill Locomotiva / Steamengine Bill
Patrick McGoohan	...	Major Cabot
Raimund Harmstorf	...	Sergeant Milton
Piero Vida	...	Jacky Roll
Rik Battaglia	...	Captain
Mario Valgoi	...	Thomas Trader
Mario Brega	...	Coach driver
Friedrich von Ledebur	...	Don Felipe, the priest (as Frederick von Ledebur)
Jean Martin	...	Colonel Pembroke
Klaus Kinski	...	Doc Foster
Clara Colosimo	...	La ruffiana
Fernando Cerulli	...	Her husband (as Ferdinando Cerulli)
Benito Stefanelli	...	Mortimer
Renato Baldini	...	Sheriff in saloon
Roy Bosier	...	Jeremy
Gérard Boucaron	...	Village idiot
Miriam Mahler	...	Pembroke's Daughter
Carla Cassola
Vittorio Fanfoni
Armando Bottin
Valerio Ruggeri
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Karl Braun	...	Poker Player (uncredited)
Lina Franchi	...	Mary Gomez (prostitute) (uncredited)
Furio Meniconi	...	(uncredited)
Pietro Torrisi	...	Mortimer Henchman (uncredited)

Directed by
Damiano Damiani
Sergio Leone		(uncredited)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Damiano Damiani		screenplay
Ernesto Gastaldi		screenplay
Ernesto Gastaldi		story
Fulvio Morsella		screenplay
Fulvio Morsella		story

Produced by
Claudio Mancini	....	producer
Fulvio Morsella	....	producer
Sergio Leone	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Ennio Morricone

Cinematography by
Giuseppe Ruzzolini

Film Editing by
Nino Baragli

Production Design by
Francesco Bronzi
Carlo Simi

Set Decoration by
Massimo Tavazzi

Costume Design by
Franco Carretti

Makeup Department
Carboni	....	wig maker
Fausto De Lisio	....	hair stylist: Terence Hill
Grazia De Rossi	....	hair stylist
Maurizio Giustini	....	makeup artist: Terence Hill
Pierantonio Mecacci	....	makeup artist
Rocchetti	....	wig maker

Production Management
Franco Coduti	....	unit manager
Claudio Cuomo	....	unit manager
Claudio Giugno	....	production supervisor
Diego Gómez Sempere	....	production manager: Spain
Vasco Mafera	....	unit manager
Claudio Mancini	....	general manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Stefano Rolla	....	first assistant director
Stefano Vicario	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Francesco Bronzi	....	art director: Italy
Gilberto Carbonaro	....	set constructor
Gianni Fiumi	....	property master
Carlo Simi	....	art director: Spain

Sound Department
Fausto Ancillai	....	sound mixer
Roberto Arcangeli	....	sound effects
Gaetano Testa	....	sound

Special Effects by
Giovanni Corridori	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Augusto Diamanti	....	key grip
Romano Mancini	....	gaffer
Alessandro Ruzzolini	....	camera operator
Claudio Sabatini	....	assistant camera
Enzo Tosi	....	second assistant camera
Franco Vitale	....	still photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Orsola Liberati	....	seamstress

Editorial Department
Rossana Maiuri	....	assistant editor
Marco Roselli	....	assistant editor
Olga Sarra	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Mills	....	composer: song "Glory, Glory, Glory"
Ennio Morricone	....	composer: song "Glory, Glory, Glory"
Ennio Morricone	....	conductor

Other crew
Maurizio Mancini	....	production secretary
Benito Stefanelli	....	master of arms
Giorgio Ubaldi	....	director: acrobatic scenes
Vittoria Vigorelli	....	script supervisor
Ferruccio Amendola	....	voice dubbing: Robert Charlebois (uncredited)
Gianfranco Bellini	....	voice dubbing: Piero Vida (uncredited)
Michele Gammino	....	voice dubbing: Benito Stefanelli (uncredited)
Nando Gazzolo	....	voice dubbing: Patrick McGoohan (uncredited)
Pino Locchi	....	voice dubbing: Terence Hill (uncredited)
Renato Mori	....	voice dubbing: Mario Valgoi (uncredited)
Glauco Onorato	....	voice dubbing: Raimund Harmstorf (uncredited)

Production Companies

• AMLF
• Rafran Cinematografica
• Rialto Film Preben-Philipsen

Distributors

• Tobis Filmkunst (1975) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Concorde Film (1976) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Roadshow Entertainment (1976) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Valio-Filmi (1977) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Alberto Bitelli Intl. Films (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Astro Distribution (1995) (Germany) (video) (laserdisc)
• Bridge Entertainment Group (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• DMEG (2004) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Future Film (2005) (Finland) (DVD)
• On Air Video (2004) (Denmark) (DVD)
• RTL Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (TV) (RTL7)
• Taurus Video (19??) (West Germany) (VHS) (as CIC Taurus Video)
• Tien (2007) (Netherlands) (TV)
• marketing-film (19??) (West Germany) (all media) (8 mm)

Other Companies

• Rocchetti e Carboni  wigs

Also Known As:

A Genius, Two Friends, and an Idiot (USA)
A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe
Nobody ist der Größte (West Germany)
Nobody's the Greatest (video title)
The Genius
Trinity Is Back Again (USA)
Un génie, deux associés, une cloche (France)
Egy zseni, két haver, egy balek (Hungary) [hu]
El genio (Spain) [es]
Ett geni, två polare och en höna (Sweden) [sv]
Ingen är som Nobody (Sweden) [sv]
Mit navn er stadigt Nobody (Denmark) [da]
Mitt namn är fortfarande Nobody (Sweden) [sv]
Nobody - den smartaste (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Nobody on nerokkain (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

UK:117 min | Spain:114 min | Italy:126 min

Country:

Italy | France | West Germany

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | West Germany:12 | Australia:R

Filming Locations:

Monument Valley, Utah, USA

Company:

AMLF

Trivia:

This is the last western Sergio Leone worked on.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Major Cabot brings Bill and Lucy to the cell, they go through a room with flags which are supposed to be the state flags of the United States. If you watch closely you can see the flags of the European Union and of East Germany.

Quotes:

Doc Foster: [to Joe] In a few moments you'll be the deadest man that ever lived!

A disappointing curiosity that has its moments.

Bit of a disappointment this one, although it was always bound to be too good to be true.

Just think of it! A spaghetti western directed by the great Damiano Damini (A Bullet for the General) and the greater Sergio Leoni, starring legendary actors Patrick McGoohan and Klaus Kinski, with music by Ennio Morriconne. How could it go wrong?

Well let's start...

The opening sequence at least (directed by Leone) is brilliant and promises a terrific film. A promise that is not kept. The sequence has little or no bearing on the rest of the film, an action comedy about the conning of a racist cavalry Major (McGoohan) out of three hundred thousand dollars and the love triangle between the three con-artists, led by Terence Hill.

There seems to be something about most Italian comedy that simply doesn't work when playing to a British or American audience and here it is the same. Most of the film is buffoonery that falls flat, made increasingly worse by the decision to give most of the co-stars silly voices in the dubbing room. Klaus Kinski comes off the worst in his tiny cameo, looking great, out-acting everyone on the screen, but sounding like an ancient hillbilly. Miou-Miou's squeaky toddler voice is unbearable.

McGoohan too sounds bizarre, somewhere between an English toff and WC Fields (all the stranger still, because the voice is actually his).

The music tends towards the comical of course, and as such is not in Morricone's best work.

However, there are some diamonds among the rough. McGoohan's performance is great, in spite of the voice.Terence Hill makes a fairly engaging lead, whose description of a duel is a classic moment for spaghetti westerns. The climax too, an energetic chase, accompanied to Morriconne's reworking of Beethoven's Fur Elise, ending with a tremendous explosion that leaves McGoohan covered in white dust atop his horse like an imposing alabaster statue (worth the admission price alone) is evidence that there is some real talent at work here.

In a perfect world, A Genius would be the very best of the spaghetti westerns. As it stands, it is a failure that I'm very pleased to have seen.