Mein Name ist Nobody

This spaghetti-in-cheek western from Sergio Leone and crew (direction credit went to Leone protégé Tonino Valerii) opens with déjà vu. Haven't we seen Henry Fonda getting shaved before, wondering if the barber's going to slit his throat?

Referencing his own "Once Upon a Time in the West" of five years earlier, idea-man Leone also pays satirical homage to perhaps the bloodiest western in history by inserting "the wild bunch" into this film as a band of one hundred, fifty men who appear only and repeatedly as a thundering herd in Leone-signature panoramas, accompanied by another impressive Ennio Morricone score, a herd which would-be greatest gunslinger, Nobody, proposes that Fonda's character face single-handedly to get him into the history books before Nobody draws him down. (Making the reference explicit, Nobody reads "Sam Peckinpah" off a grave marker in the scene leading to the first appearance here of "the wild bunch.")

As derivative as this movie may be, it's still enjoyable for its performances, its photography, its score, its style, its "twist" ending, its speed-up scenes which give Nobody's antics a silent Chaplin hearkening, and its one-off take on the spaghetti western which Leone made popular.

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'.)

All that gunslinger Jack Beauregard (Henry Fonda) wants to do is retire while he's still alive. But Nobody (Terence Hill) wants to see Beauregard go out in blaze of glory. Nobody dogs him across the West insisting that if Beauregard will just face one more enemy, he's sure to go down in the annals of history. But Nobody's idea is for Beauregard to have it out with the 150 man strong Wild Bunch - all alone.

The shortest and most to the point description that I can come up with for this movie is "Sergio Leone Meets the Three Stooges". On the one hand, you've got Henry Fonda in the traditional Western role (albeit Spaghetti Western). On the other hand, you've got Terence Hill performing some of the best slapstick and pantomime since the era of the silent film. It sounds like an unlikely combination, but Valerii successfully marries the two styles into a very enjoyable experience. The scenes with Fonda and Hill together are as good as you'll see in a Spaghetti Western.

While some of Hill's comedy seems goofy and doesn't work that well, most of it is very funny. There are moments of pure genius. The shooting scene in the saloon is a particular favorite of mine.

Morricone's score is amazing. He draws inspiration from and pays homage to some of the earlier scores he did. I was reminded several times of Once Upon a Time in the West, the Dollars Trilogy, and other Spaghetti Westerns. Writing positive comments on a Morricone score is becoming a bit redundant. Did he ever write a score that you could call bad?

For those of us who have only seen My Name is Nobody on VHS with bad transfers and missing footage, the new Image DVD is a real treat. It was a lot like watching the movie for the first time. I never thought this movie could look so good. My only complaint is the lack of extras. The disc doesn't even have a trailer.

A fun parody of Western clichés that never becomes stale and gibing Spaghetti genre. There is plenty of action in the movie , guaranteeing shootouts or stunts every few minutes. There are also many fine technicians and stunning direction and excellent production design with magnificent scenarios. It deals with a young, soft-hearted gunfighter (a cocky Terence Hill) who worships and competes with a veteran outlaw named Jack Beauregard (awesome Henry Fonda), once the greatest gunslinger of the Old West who only wants to retire but instead they band together . He arranges for Beauregard to take on the 150-man band known as The Wild Bunch . Both of them oblivious to dangers and hopeless odds endure mishaps and adventures and they attempt to right wrongs . At the end takes place a spectacular duel earning his place in history between the easygoing gunslinger and the famous retired outlaw he reveres .

It's an exciting SW with breathtaking showdowns between the protagonists and their enemies full of shots , explosions , thrills and deaths . Spoofs every Western clichés with relentless comedy , parodying ordinary Spaghetti elements . The main premise results to be the confrontation between Old West represented by Henry Fonda and new West mirrored on Terence Hill character. The storyline has some embarrassment and ridiculous , silly situations but also has its agreeable moments here and there. It's a Spaghetti western with humor and develops the usual issues : invincible antiheroes, spectacular gun-down , violent taking on but united to slapstick and simple humor. It's an entertaining Italian western with overlong runtime in which there are irony, tongue-in-cheek, shootouts, numerous showdowns and is quite funny and amusing . This bemusing picture with Spaghetti all-star-cast contains an entertaining plot , action Western , shoot'em up and bits of campy and refreshing humor . It's an improbable blending of standard Western, irony and continuous duels with no sense . An enjoyable premise and interesting casting full of usual Spaghetti make this oater well worth the watching . Delightful Western satire in which two gunmen using his wits , break all the rules and kicking virtually every cliché in the pants . Amiable but sometimes lumbering Western satire goes on and on about the same premise , as a lot of minutes are superfluous ,it has fifteen minutes in excess , as it packs overblown jokes and antics and some moments turns out to be a little tiring . Fonda and Hill steal the show as two improbable heroes , they are very fine, they ravage the screen, , hit , shoot and kill .There is even a homage to ¨Orson Welles's The lady from Shangai¨ when at a Mirror Fun House takes place a duel between Hill and his enemies . Terence Hill is nice as a good guy , hilarious and likable , known only as "Nobody", idolizes Fonda and wants to see him go out in a blaze of glory. Here Hill plays a similar character to ¨They call me trinity¨ and ¨Trinity is still my name¨. Henry Fonda is first-rate as a rough, two-fisted old gunman but with good heart. There appears customary Spaghetti actors as Piero Lulli , Mario Brega , Benito Steffanelli , Antonio Molino Rojo and notorious American secondaries as Geoffrey Lewis , Steve Kanaly , Leo Gordon and R.G. Armstrong . Lively but commercial musical score by the great Ennio Morricone . Colorful cinematography plenty of barren outdoors , sunny landscapes under a glimmer sun and fine sets on the action scenes shot by excellent cameraman Giuseppe Ruzzolini , filmed in US and Spain as La Calahorra, Granada, Andalucía, (railway scenes) , Almeria ; USA : Colorado New Orleans, Louisiana, White Sands National Monument, Alamogordo, New Mogollon, Acoma Mexico, USA .

The motion picture lavishly produced by Fulvio Morsella and Sergio Leone , being well directed by Tonino Valeri . Tonino 's so-so direction is well crafted, here he's mostly cynical and humorous and less inclined toward violence and too much action especially on its ending part . Valeri is an expert on Western as proved in ¨The hired gun ¨ , ¨A reason to live , a reason to die¨ with James Coburn and Telly Savalas , ¨The price of power ¨ with Giuliano Gemma and Van Heflin , ¨The day of anger ¨ with Lee van Cleef and ¨ Taste of Killing¨ with Craig Hill and George Martin .

This is a great Tonino Valerii & Sergio Leone film featuring Henry Fonda & Terence Hill. This is a take on the Trinity character Hill has done in the past, not the same character but a variation of it. This movie is a lot more serious than the Trinity(s) but still provides some very very funny scenes & plenty of them. The more serious side is a great story, a man (Fonda) who is a living legend, especially in the eyes of a stranger (Hill) who will do everything he can to see his hero get written in the history books. It is adventurous, touching, and hysterical. All the elements of a perfect film for me. Also features an amazing soundtrack by none other than Ennio Morricone. Both the film & its score are gems. Worth watching over & over. A true 10!