Blindman

Your average spaghetti western gunslinger goes in search of gold, probably hidden in a grave somewhere, someplace. Or is hunting down the bad guy that has murdered a member of his family. But not Blindman - "I want my 50 women".

Yes, Blindman has a contract to deliver 50 mail order brides to a group of miners, and unfortunately he has been double-crossed by his partner, who has sold the women on to bandit Domingo.

It is worth noting that Domingo's brother, Candy, is played by none other than former Beatle and Thomas the Tank Engine narrator Ringo Starr. And, surprisingly he plays this role really well (who said he was the least talented Beatle - I couldn't imagine Paul McCartney acting so well. Actually, I know - I saw "Give My Regards to Broadstreet" once!).

The film, with its "mock Morricone" score, charges along comic book style, and is really good fun. The politics are maybe a bit dodgy in places (judging by the number of beatings and mishandling that both the Blindman and his 50 women are subjected too at regular intervals) and you have to question how a blind gunslinger could have survived so long. But maybe it is such points that make this so different from the many other Spaghetti Westerns, and help to make this a really great view.

Not quite as great as the Spaghetti Western classics directed by Sergio Leone or Sergio Corbucci, but "Blindman" definitely ranks among the most entertaining and creatively plotted efforts in the genre. Blindman is pretty much the western equivalent of the legendary Japanese Zatôichi character. The latter is an incredibly precise & lethal blind Samurai swordsman and the former shoots surprisingly straight despite his visual handicap. Blindman has a contract to escort no less than fifty gorgeous women to their future husbands working in Texan mines, but even at the beginning of the film already he has lost them. Blindman's partner double-crossed him and sold the women to the feared Mexican bandit-brothers Domingo and Candy. Blindman and his super-intelligent horse have no choice but to go to Mexico and regain the women single-handedly. Fernando Baldi's "Blindman" isn't as violent or nasty as most of the contemporary Spaghetti Westerns (with the notable exception of a couple of scenes) but mainly attracts attention with its situational humor and the clichéd (yet funny) character drawings. For example, Blindman doesn't immediately notice when his women have been replaced with fifty old and terribly unattractive ladies and the film ends exactly like it begun; with our hero chasing the women that once again have been stolen from him. Tony Anthony plays a terrific Blindman. He's charismatic yet inconspicuous and his laughter is very contagious. Speaking of wild laughter, the Raf Baldassarre joyfully overacts as the Mexican General and the most impressive supportive role is for Beatles drummer Ringo Starr as one of the malicious brothers. Stelvio Cipriani's musical score is terrific and remains stuck in your head long after finishing the film. The music is always one of the main reasons to watch Spaghetti Westerns, as well as the usually striking widescreen cinematography. This semi-classic too contains a lot of masterful shots and enchanting landscapes. Recommended!

The most noticeable thing about Ferdinando Baldi's "Blindman" is that Ringo Starr plays a supporting role in it. Yes, the annular member of the Beatles appears in a spaghetti western...with his voice dubbed! It's more than a little jarring to hear the man who sang "Yellow Submarine" and "Octopus's Garden" have a neutral accent.

But anyway, it's an OK movie, not great. Tony Anthony plays a man hired to deliver fifty brides to the miners, but the brides get kidnapped and so he has to take charge. It's got a lot of the things that we can expect in a spaghetti western, along with a few things that wouldn't have been acceptable just a few years earlier. It's a fairly interesting flick, partly to see the most famous drummer in the world play a bandit, but mostly just to see this lesser known entry in the genre. Good times.

PS: Producer Saul Swimmer also co-produced the documentary "Let It Be" and directed the documentary about George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh. In other words, this is one spaghetti western that's all about the Fab Four.

this movie is absolutely crazy and sick!!! i don't know if is a good movie but is so fun to see!!! if you need a special treatment from cinema, if you are without your personal dose of ganja, see Blindman, a unique trip...this movie has stayed six months uninterrupted in a cinema of karachi...what kind of people are the people of karachi???

This Spaghetti Western can be easily ranked as one of the top 20 of all time. T. Anthony was phenomenal for getting bad reviews and especially slandered for his acting he pulled off the blind role amazingly. I definitely agree, he is among the better actors such as Nero, Van Cleef, Kinski, and Milian. He is a better actor than Gemma and that is for sure. Blindman is a person who will not quit and is determined not to allow his handicap to get in the way with his business and that is to deliver 50 women to the miners. The movie was actioned packed throughout and kept the audience at full attention. I was honestly thinking to myself how is this plot going to be believable but it is very fun to watch and entertaining throughout. The movie added some very funny comedy to it which spiced it up a bit. I highly recommend this movie to die-hard spaghetti western fans.