Mio nome è Nessuno, Il (1973)

Director:

Tonino Valerii

Writers:

Sergio Leone (idea)
Fulvio Morsella (story) ...

Release Date:

June 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Western | Comedy

Tagline:

Nobody, but "Nobody," knows the trouble he's in!

Plot:

A young, easygoing gunman (Hill) worships and competes with an old gunfighter (Fonda) who only wants to retire.

Plot Keywords:

Slap In The Face | Hat | Whiskey | Horse | Drinking Game

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Terence Hill	...	Nessuno
Henry Fonda	...	Jack Beauregard
Jean Martin	...	Sullivan
R.G. Armstrong	...	Honest John (as R.K. Armstrong)
Karl Braun	...	Jim
Leo Gordon	...	Red
Steve Kanaly	...	False barber
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Leader of the Wild Bunch
Neil Summers	...	Squirrel
Piero Lulli	...	Sheriff
Mario Brega	...	Pedro
Marc Mazza	...	Don John (as Mark Mazza)
Benito Stefanelli	...	Porteley
Alexander Allerson
Rainer Peets	...	Big Gun (as Remus Peets)

Also Known As:

My Name Is Nobody (Philippines: English title) (USA)
Lonesome Gun (USA)
Mein Name ist Nobody (West Germany)
Mon nom est personne (France)

Runtime:

117 min | USA:111 min (TCM print)

Country:

Italy | France | West Germany

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:16 (1974) | Iceland:12 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | UK:12 (2003) (uncut) | UK:A (1976) (cut) | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

905 and 915 Royal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Rafran Cinematografica

Trivia:

Composer Ennio Morricone spoofs his own earlier Sergio Leone-helmed "Man with No Name" film scores with an over-the-top soundtrack, including shrill choral voices and a warbling whistle interwoven with a tinny recurring passage from Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries". Also the soundtrack reuses part of "Frank"'s theme from C'era una volta il West (1968) for the shootout sequence.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Nobody is trying to hit the fish with a stick in the water, the position of his arms change between the close ups, and the far away shots.

Quotes:

Leader of the Wild Bunch: Two things go straight to a man's heart, bullets and gold.

Movie Connections:

References C'era una volta il West (1968)

Soundtrack:

Buona fortuna, Jack

European aroma

The title "My name is Nobody" was, I think, taken from a text in Homer's Odyssey which Odysseus said to Cyclops, the one-eyed giant. And, indeed, if one considers that fact one could better see what this film's message is: While old Jack Beauregard could, after a long voyage, at last go home to Europe, "Nobody" was destined to continue his odyssey far from home in countries that were never his cultural homeland.

Albeit the film itself is a parody of other westerns, of 'C'era una volta il West' and/or 'The wild bunch' for example, and therefore should be (and is in fact) comical and funny, one nevertheless hears a slightly melancholy song sung by/about Odysseus(= Nobody) who had forgotten his homeland. Owing to that (please let me dare say)'depth', 'Il mio nome e nessuno' succeeded in being far more than a simple parody and in appealing not only to 'genre fans' but also to 'general' movie lovers: Fonda's brilliant performance, Fonda and Terence Hill's unique combination, Morricone's perfect score. It's all really tasty.

I still remember that a Japanese film critic at that time has rated this film low, because 'it was a spaghetti western made by an assistant of Sergio Leone'. But when I myself saw the film later, I (please excuse me for being cheeky and cocky) doubted his eye of a film critic: Why hasn't he seen that this film clearly stood out from other Italian westerns? Why has he ignored the fact that Tonino Valerii could make excellent westerns without Leone and without Morricone? (I of course mean 'Il prezzo del potere' and 'I giorni dell'ira'.)