"I want my fifty women!" "Blindman", a unique Spaghetti Western full of sarcasm, has one of the genre's most bizarre story lines. Clearly inspired by the Japanese "Zatôichi" films about the eponymous blind Samurai (played by Shintarô Katsu"), "Blindman" is about a blind gunman who escorts a group of fifty women to Texas, where they are to be married to miners. But he is cheated and the fifty young women are kidnapped by a gang working for two Mexican pimps/bandidos and their beautiful but villainous sister. They underestimate Blindman, a man who has to trust on his horse and his hearing, and soon have to find out that their handicapped opponent is a deadlier challenge than they might have expected. Tony Anthony is unforgettable as the blind gunman, staring into nonentity and demanding his fifty women back. The locations are great, the supporting cast includes Ringo Starr, as the younger of the two villainous brothers. Not very well known, but full of dark humor and action, Blindman, a Spaghetti Western with a very good soundtrack, is one of the genre's little treasures. Brutal, witty, bizarre, unique! Great fun film!
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Samoan Bob29 March 2003Ferdinando Baldi's Spaghetti take on the 'Zatoichi' films is one of the most stylish and enjoyable Spaghetti Westerns I've seen. Tony Anthony stars as the titular hero who is after a group of seedy Mexican bandits (one of which is played by...Ringo Starr!) who have kidnapped 50 women that he was supposed to take to some miners in Texas. Loaded with well-directed scenes of violence and gratuitous nudity, 'Blindman' is a must-see. Ha-ha what a knee-slapper!
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lee_eisenberg10 August 2013The 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. -
ma-cortes24 March 2013A mysterious blind gunfighter roams through Mexico with a mission he has sworn to carry out , as he was hired to escort fifty mail order brides to their miner husbands . But his business pals treason him, selling the women to a nasty villain . As some enemies have stolen 50 women that belong to him , thus Blindman heads into Mexico and sets out in pursuit . Blindman is imprisoned by the bandit called Domingo (Lloyd Batista) who has the brides in a fortress where comes a military party commanded by a Mexican general (Raf Baldassarre) . In the middle of these two parties is a beautiful woman , Candy's(Ringo Starr) sweetheart, who helps Blindman . The gunfighter enters the stronghold attempting to take the girls shipment , being trapped between two feuding factions , a Mexican officer and a gang of Mexican bandits led by Domingo and Sweet Mama (Magda Konopka) , and he then is caught up in a struggle against them . But here is a problem however, the gunman is blind .
The film packs violence , shootouts , high body-count , and it's fast moving and quite entertaining . There is plenty of action in the movie , guaranteeing some shoot'em up or stunts every few minutes . Tony Anthony is very fine, giving even some comic touches , he ravages the screen, he shoots , hits and run and ultimately takes the law on his own hands It's an exciting western with breathtaking showdown between the starring Tony Anthony and his enemies Lloyd Batista , Ringo Starr , Magda Konopka , among others . The movie contains gun-play, action Western , thrills , bloody spectacle and some nudism in charge of beautiful girls , including the ordinary female shower among them . Made on a fairly middling scale with acceptable set design , adequate photography filmed in Elios studios and evocative musical score by Stelvio Cipriani . Screenplay with interesting premise about a 'blind gunfighter' though its origin results to be a Japanese series starred by ¨Zaitochi¨, a blind swordsman from the 60s and being recently remade by Takeshi Kitano . This interesting theme about a blind gunslinger in the West has been treated in other films such as ¨An eye for eye¨ by Michael Moore with Robert Lansing and ¨Minessota Clay¨ with Cameron Mitchell , directed by Sergio Corbucci and finally ¨Blind Justice¨(1994) by Richard Spence with Armand Assante , Robert Davi and Elizabeth Shue . An interesting casting full of usual Italian/Spanish Western players such as : Tito Garcia , Fortunato Arena , Guido Mannari , Renato Romano and very brief appearance of Eurotrash goddesses as Malisa Longo , Krista Nell , Janine Reynaud , Shirley Corrigan , among others . Special mention to Raf Baldassarre in his ordinary role as a cruelly baddie , he is terrific , and bears a hysterical and mocking aspect , subsequently he would play similar characters . The movie gets the ordinary Western issues, such as avengers antiheroes , violent facing off , quick scenes and exaggerated baddies . This is a good Spaghetti Western with some moments genuinely entertaining if you can avoid thinking too much . It's an improbable blending of standard Western with pursuits, high body-count and it's fast moving and quite entertaining . Acceptable cinematography by Ricardo Pallottini , but is necessary a perfect remastering , being the copy a little washed-out . Of course , the film was appropriately filmed in Almeria , Spain . As it was shot in Texas Hollywood-Fort Bravo , Almeria, and ¨ a fortress called Condor¨, where was filmed several Spaghetti as ¨ Blind man, Massacre at Fort Holman¨, ¨A man called Noon¨ , ¨El Condor¨ and ¨Conan the Barbarian¨ .
The motion picture was compellingly realized by Ferdinando Baldi . Direction by Ferdinando Baldi is well crafted, here he is more cynical and violent and inclined toward humor and packs too much action . Baldi makes a nice camera work with clever choreography on the showdown , fighting , moving shootouts and bemusing scenes . Baldi was a craftsman who directed all kind genres but especially Western such as "Carambola's Philosophy: In the Right Pocket" , "Django, Prepare a Coffin" , ¨Adios Texas¨ , ¨Rita in the West¨ and of course ¨Il Pistolero dell'Ave Maria" or USA original title "Forgotten Pistolero" at his best . ¨Blindman¨ is an outlandish , surprising and uneven story but will appeal to Spaghetti Western aficionados . Rating : 7 , riotous Western in which there's too much action and violence and excitement enough . -
Coventry10 November 2007Not 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!
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chaos-rampant5 November 2008It's not the first and it won't be the last spaghetti western that sees a purely iconic anti-hero roaming the sierras of Almeria in search of loot, money or treasure of one kind or the other. But it's the first and probably the last time that such a loot will have feminists and other PC characters foaming so furiously in the mouth. The titular Blindman (Tony Anthony) has a contract to deliver 50 women to the workers of a mine in Texas, only he's about to discover his cargo has been stolen by a sardonic baddie named Domingo and is being kept somewhere in Mexico.
If I use the word 'cargo' to describe the 50 hapless women, it's because that's exactly how the movie treats them; as objects to be ravaged, enjoyed or transported as the need arises. They're herded and driven tied in wagons like cattle, washed with buckets of water like animals in a stable and always regarded as a piece of entertainment. Feminists will have a ball of course but Ferdinando Baldi's movie avoids any and all questions of moral and sexist nature by taking a purely cartoonish road. Blindman does not ask the viewer regard it as a serious piece of cinema anymore than it regards itself as such.
After the half-hour mark story becomes largely irrelevant and it's all about the set-piece and the explosive action. It's more or less Blindman trying to get his 50 women while they're being taken from one place to the other but every five minutes someone is getting shot at or something blows up.
The two most prominent set-pieces among them being first the sight of the fifty women dressed in white nightgowns running scared through the desert while they're being pursued by a dozen savage Mexicans in heat, who proceed to shoot them, tear their clothes and take them right there and then. The other is the closing shootout taking place in a large windswept cemetery that perhaps recalls the ending of DJANGO.
Another interesting angle here is that the connection between the spaghetti western and samurai cinema is furthered by having protagonist Blindman explicitly homage blind masseur swordsman Ichi from the ZATOICHI series, perhaps the single most popular serialized character in Japanese chambara. Blindman is cut from the same mold of solitary badass as Shintaro Katsu's blind swordsman and he shares the same impeccable aim despite his physical shortcoming. But that's something the avid genre fan already knows the moment Blindman appears on screen we know he's going to kick ass and kick ass he does. He even hefts his Winchester like a two-handed sword and there's a bayonet in the rifle to further resemble the samurai sword. -
classicsoncall18 March 2017I've seen literally hundreds of Westerns, and for the longest time I never saw a woman actually shot dead on purpose until I ran across 1948's "The Hawk of Powder River" with Eddie Dean in the lead role. That whole concept gets blown to smithereens here when half of Domingo's (Lloyd Battista) gang recklessly shoots away at a couple wagon loads of scantily clad women as they run for cover, while the other half chases them down for a little you know what. It's one of the more surreal scenes you'll see in a spaghetti Western, a genre that's known to have it's share of them.
What you have to do though, is suspend major disbelief when it comes to the title character portrayed by Tony Anthony. I can grant some semblance of marksmanship to a shooter who can't see based on a compensating factor like acute hearing, but all Blindman needed was for someone to point out the general direction of a target or an enemy. Like the bell in the steeple tower he managed to gong about a half dozen times while moving around. Really?
But if you like your Westerns with a heaping dose of marinara topped with Parmesan, this might just be the way to go. There's a whole host of colorful characters here with names like Skunk, Dude and Sweet Mama, and if your eyes don't deceive you, yes, that's Ringo Starr in one of the leads up until about the sixty minute mark as a Mexican outlaw named Candy. Quite honestly, I thought he really filled the bill as a bearded thug, he played the part well until he got shot in the back by Blindman. He really should have been allowed to make it to the end of the picture.
The whole story is filled with double crosses by various characters to thwart Blindman from his original mission, that of delivering fifty mail order brides to miners in Lost Creek, Texas. Those were no ordinary mail order brides either, every one was most certainly cast for their eye candy appeal, with generous assets prominently displayed throughout the story.
If the concept of a blind man in a Western intrigues you, another flick you might want to catch with a bit more credibility is 1964's "Minnesota Clay" with Cameron Mitchell in the title role. In that one, Clay loses his vision gradually and begins to rely on his hearing to compensate for the loss, which comes in handy for his final showdown. The film also uses shooting locations in Spain and Italy, pretty handy when it comes to ordering all that linguini. -
There are lots of very positive reviews of this film, but I couldn't feel quite as positive when it began because it really was a remake, or at least a re-tooling of the Zatôichi films from Japan. This very long and successful series of samurai films began in 1962 and resulted in 28 films (if you count the newest remake). They were very popular because although the central idea of a blind swordsman was impossible to believe, the stories were so well written and compelling that the audience soon bought into the idea that a blind guy can be THAT amazing with the sword. Here, what is essentially the same formula is used by Italian film makers to transport the franchise to the American Old West to fight evil gangs and injustice. In addition, making the central character a master gunman instead of a swordsman is...interesting to say the least. Now understand that it was hard enough to believe a sword fight with a blind guy, but now they were using guns!! This DEFINITELY needs the viewer to suspend disbelief because I don't care how much experience and practice this guy has--he's STILL blind and hasn't a prayer of being a master gunfighter. At least with Zatôichi he could sometimes have his battles at night--helping to minimize his disability. It's even sillier when Blindman asks passers by to tell him in which direction to shoot--and he unerringly makes his shots!! Fortunately, however, Blindman has an amazing horse to make things a little easier.
There is one major way, however, that BLINDMAN and the other films differ. BLINDMAN is much dirtier and sweatier looking--and is among the dirtiest looking Spaghetti Westerns I have seen. In addition, it has lots of nudity, more violence and is less a film about a blind do-gooder. Zatôichi was just so kind and good--you knew he would always do the right thing. Blindman, on the other hand, is much more morally ambiguous. He turns out to be kind of good, but throughout much of the film you just can't tell. He seems like a pimp just looking for his "possessions" for much of the time and doesn't do a whole lot to save many, many innocent women from being killed. And, sadly, he didn't seem to care all that much, either, when this happened.
In fact, this brings me to the biggest complaint I have about the film. It is one of the most callous films I have ever seen in its treatment of women. It isn't the nudity I am talking about but how many times you see women being punched in the face, slapped, violently killed and even raped. In one memorable scene, Blindman has to fight a crazed woman to the death and snaps her neck! It's all very disturbing when you realize these women are being brutalized for your entertainment! This is NOT a film for a feminist to watch--unless you are deliberately trying to make them very angry. Even as a guy, I felt rather uneasy about all this decidedly misogynistic material.
The fun begins with Blindman comes into town demanding the fifty women that some guy named The Skunk promised him (apparently these women were kidnapped and are now being forced into prostitution). Unfortunately, Skunk doesn't have them--he's given them to a sadistic gang leader (Domingo) much like Pancho Villa. Interestingly, though, this guy and his gang look much more like extras from a Hells Angels type movie than a Spaghetti Western. And it turns out they act pretty much like them as well, as they are 100% untrustworthy and evil--as you soon see when they offer the General and his men these 50 women (you have to see it to know what I am talking about). When Blindman comes demanding these same 50 women, not surprisingly, Blindman gets the crap kicked out of him by the gang. So far, he isn't looking too much like a super-hero or Zatôichi--just some dumb guy getting his butt kicked repeatedly.
Not surprisingly, Blindman escapes and seems ready to fight the baddies. However, then he seems to set up the women to be killed--at least that's how I saw it. Only then, after many are slaughtered, does he react...eventually. Ultimately, naturally, it ends in a battle between Domingo and Blindman...and it's not super surprising to see who wins. Oddly, however, there is a lot more to the ending than this and it really looked as if they were planning a sequel to tie up loose bits from this film. Alas, the sequel never materialized.
Overall, the film is exciting but too dark and bleak for me to enjoy. Others obviously could look past all this, but I just can't see this as anything but a second-rate knock off of Zatôichi.
By the way, Ringo Starr is also in this film. Based on how things went for him, it would seem like Blindman, not Yoko or Linda, broke up the Beatles. -
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. -
elvinjones26 August 2002this 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???
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redwhiteandblue177613 February 2017This may be the worst Western ever made. EVER! So bad, it's laughable. I understand why Tony Anthony had to produce and star in the movie he wrote, as I can't imagine a real actor actually taking the part or wanting to get involved with this film. It's not advertised as a comedy, but it really is funny. I watch it just to see what totally unbelievable thing would happen next. I shoot firearms and have ridden horses all my life. I had no idea a blind man could shoot both rifles and revolvers and never miss. And I wish I had a horse that smart. Wow! Talk about being well trained. My wife wasn't home when I watched it which was a good thing. She would have been so ashamed of my bad taste.
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spider8911915 October 2005This is one of those movies that is just plain great. I would recommend this movie to anyone, not just spaghetti western fans.
Tony Anthony is great in this movie. This is the second Anthony spaghetti western that I have seen, and the other one (A Dollar Between the Teeth) is incredible also. After seeing this film, I am convinced that Tony Anthony deserves more recognition as a spaghetti western star than he has gotten. He belongs right up there with Nero, Gemma, Eastwood, and Milian (no one comes close to Lee Van Cleef). His character in this film is one tough hombre. He really takes a beating, but always returns to create Hell on Earth for his enemies. He has a lot of great lines in this movie too.
The movie really stretches ones suspension of disbelief when the blind man is able to ride a horse to Mexico, and when he exhibits his uncanny ability to aim a gun, but this is such a high-quality film that it manages to pull it off with ease.
The music score is excellent -a great classic spaghetti western sound with a little bit of sitar thrown in.
Besides being a spaghetti western, this film also borrows some elements from exploitation movies, (lots of scantily clad and naked women, women behind bars, etc.) but manages to do it without sacrificing the quality of the movie. Fans of both genres should be especially pleased with this film.
This is a must-see for spaghetti western fans, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys movies that are somewhat off-beat, and very well made. -
"Blind Man" (1971) is an enjoyable spaghetti western, more in the comic book style, especially as played by Tony Anthony in the lead role. Although he does well, I think the director (Ferdinando Baldi), who has a great visual eye, could not get a better, more believable and affecting performance from him. I think it was a good idea as produced by Allen Klein for ABKCO Films and it was a good idea for Ringo Starr to appear, as he once again proves, here probably more so than just "A Hard Day's Night" that he had some quality as an actor. There is a lot of gratuitous nudity of the 50 women being delivered as wives for a mining camp in Texas as they are sidetracked from their rightful contract holder, Blind Man, by a band of long-haired outlaws who sell them to the Mexican army. Agneta Eckemyr has the role of the blonde "Pilar" on who pivots the smitten Candy (Starr) in the Blind Man's attempts to re-claim the girls. Kudos to Riccardo Pallottini for his beautiful photography and editing by Roberto Perpignani. They, at least, must have had fun during the filming. The end result is a bit unclear, story-wise and not particularly endearing. Perhaps rightly in the Top 20 spaghetti westerns, but definitely not the Top 10.
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oshngrl27 October 2017Possibly the worst film I've ever seen. Ringo must have been really worried about finding work! Demeaning by design to every character and just plain perverse. If you like Mano a Mano genital torture, half naked women being chased across a barren plain by men on horseback, repeated rape scenes, and mindless murder, you'll love this film. Just plain awful. If Ringo was smart he would have used his Beatles royalties to buy every copy and make it disappear forever.
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The_Void28 September 2009Italian filmmakers were famous for ripping off popular franchises from other countries (usually America). Often these rips offs were near carbon copies (only with terrible actors being badly dubbed), but every now and then, an Italian rip off will become more than just another rip off. Setting a rip off of Japan's popular Zatôichi series in the wild west wasn't an obvious thing to do; western heroes are famous for their eagle eye gun handling abilities, among other things; but director Ferdinando Baldi dared to go there; and the result is Blindman, which despite the unimaginative title; is a rather decent western. The plot, as the title suggests, focuses on a blind gunslinger. He's been hired to escort 50 women across America; but runs into trouble when he is double crossed by his 'business partners'. Not willing to lie down on this one, Blindman sets off in pursuit of those that crossed him, with deadly results.
Tony Anthony takes the lead role and does a good job with it. This is the only western I've ever seen with a blindman in a central role (unless you count Johnny Depp in Once Upon a Time in Mexico) and I really don't see how anyone could have done the role any better. I also liked how the film depicts the title character going about his business with modified tools - for example, a 'Braille' map and a compass without a casing. Naturally, due to the plot, the film is not completely serious but the tongue in cheek style works fairly well. The film is not overly violent compared to other films of its type, but there is a fair bit of violence directed towards women which might shock some viewers. There's also a small role for Beatles star Ringo Starr, which was a nice surprise. Overall, I can't say that this film ranks among the best of the genre; but its good fun and I'd certainly rank it as a western worth seeing. -
Hey_Sweden7 June 2017Tony Anthony, also credited with the story and as a screenwriter on this one, is the title character, a gunslinger who's determined to fulfill a contract. His job was to deliver 50 mail order brides to a bunch of miners in Texas, but his partners screwed him over, and the ladies ended up in the clutches of villains led by Domingo (Lloyd Battista).
This is a respectable effort to put a Spaghetti Western spin on the well regarded series of "Zatoichi" films from Japan. It gives us a hero who's tough but not a superhero. He must take his share of lumps, and doesn't always have the upper hand over the bad guys. Directed by Ferdinando Baldi, "Blindman" is effectively violent, but doesn't get truly bloody all that often. It *does* have a substantial amount of sex, more so than some Italian oaters, and some of the ladies do get naked. The film also has a fairly good sense of humor, but here the style tends to trump the story. It's wonderfully shot in widescreen and features an appealing Morricone- esque soundtrack composed by the talented Stelvio Cipriani. It's hard-edged at times, with generally well handled action sequences.
Anthony is a reasonably engaging but noticeably low key hero, often to be seen with a smile on his face. The other star attraction is none other than Ringo Starr, cast as a slimy, very scruffy Mexican bandido with a soft spot for the lovely Pilar (Agneta Eckemyr), and Ringo's pretty good, although it's mildly distracting that he, like so many other actors here, is dubbed. Battista is an enjoyably flamboyant heavy, although it's Raf Baldassarre that tends to steal the show with a hearty, hilarious portrayal as "El General".
Anybody who digs the Spaghetti Western genre should have a pretty good time with this one. The finale, a confrontation in a windswept desert cemetery, is especially neat.
Seven out of 10. -
BandSAboutMovies19 May 2021Man, I have a big affection for Tony Anthony thanks to his ability to knock out really strange Italian westerns like Get Mean and Comin' at Ya! Little did I know that he also made a remix of Zatoichi in the American west.
Fifty mail-order brides have been kidnapped by bandits and the blind man who was hired to get them across the country, Ciego (Anthony) is on his way to get them back.
Candy, one of the villains in this, is played by Ringo Starr. Wait, Ringo? Dude, did any of The Beatles have a more interesting few years? Paul went into Wings, George was all into religion, John stayed in bed and Ringo was out and about making movies with Freddie Francis, Terry Southern, Ferdinando Baldi, Frank Zappa and Mae West.
The real bad guys are Domingo (Lloyd Battista, who wrote this movie, as well as nearly all of Anthony's Italian cowboy films) and his sister Sweet Mama (Magda Konopka, who played Satanik), who have taken the women so that they can try and take out a general (Raf Baldassarre, who was in both of Luigi Cozzi's Hercules movies).
Shirley Corrigan from Crimes of the Black Cat, Carla Brait from Torso, Malisa Longo from Helga She Wolf of Stilberg, Krista Nell from So Sweet, So Dead, Solvi Stubing from Strip Nude for Your Killer, Karin Skarreso from LSD Flesh of the Devil, Janine Reynaud from Kiss Me Monster, Diana Lorys from Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll, Lucretia Love from Enter the Devil, Mirta Miller from Eyeball and Elena Veronese from The Police Are Blundering In the Dark are all in this. Wow!
Ringo even recorded a theme song for this movie that wasn't used. It's in the b-side of his single for "Back Off Boogaloo."
According to Anthony, his friend Frank Wolff (Death Walks on High Heels) wanted the role of Candy as he had already played against Anthony in A Stranger In Town. Allen Klein - yeah, the same guy who was the reason we had to wait forever to get El Topo and The Holy Mountain released on blu ray - wanted Ringo, who wanted to go into acting after the breakup of the Fab Four. Wolff stopped his friendship with Anthony and killed himself shortly after this film was made.
You know whose name doesn't show up in the credits? Bruno Mattei. Yet on several sites, I've seen claims that he helped direct this movie. I still haven't found any info, but if anything, I'd assume he did some editing or second unit work. Does anyone out there know? -
Believability flies out the window in this typically inferior "Spaghetti." If you are going to accept the fact that Tony Anthony can live more than five seconds while confronted by sighted bad guys, then welcome aboard. All others beware. When Anthony's horse is smarter than almost e everyone else in the film, there is most definitely a problem. Character development is nowhere to be found. The editing is perhaps the worst feature, as scenes shift from day to night at whiplash speed. There are plenty of extras and the sets look like they could have taken more time to build than the script. Ringo Starr fits right in with the bad acting nicely. This is one to avoid. It is certainly far down the list of non "Leone" "Spaghetti Westerns." You have been warned. MERK
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steeplejack1710 February 2006This 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.
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sol12183 April 2010***SPOILERS*** Utterly ridiculous but vastly entertaining Spaghetti Western involving this Blindman, Tony Anthony, who together with his seeing eye horse is on the hunt for a stable of 50 well endowed and gorgeous looking women. The women who were stolen from the Blindman by his two timing partner Skunk, Renato Romaro, who then had them shipped down to Mexico to work as prostitutes for Mexican bandit Domingo's, Llyod Battista, string of whorehouses.
The Blindman feels his way through the movie and in the process ends up wiping out Domingo's gang almost single handedly without the advantage of having his sight to see what he's doing. The 50 women were in fact to be sent up north of the border to Texas as mail order brides for the hard pressed and sex starved Texan coal miners who haven't seen, much less touched, a women in years. It was that skunk of a partner Skunk who double-crossed the Blindman by selling the women to Domingo before the Blindman could have them shipped to the miners who paid big bucks, in gold and silver, for them.
There's also the very interesting side story in the movie involving Domingo's both younger and hot blooded brother Candy played by "The Beatles" drummer Ringo Starr, in his first and last dramatic role, who's got the hots for pretty gringo girl Pilar, Agenta Eckemyr. Candy's insane and uncontrollable lust for her has Pilar who together with her father, Franz Von Treuberg, instead of excepting him as a member of the family just can't stand the very sight much less smell of that, in their words, filthy and overbearing pig! This complicates matters for both the Blindman and Domingo in both being involved in a deadly tug of war over the 50 kidnapped woman who end up unwillingly getting involved with the sex crazed Candy's love life.
The Blindman despite his major handicap, in him being totally blind, has no trouble at all dispatching Domingo and his gang of Mexican Bandits who at times seem to be even, in letting the Blindman get away from them time after time, blinder then he is! Using his wits instead of his eyes the Blindman also gets help from Mexican General Ref Badassarre who was once Domingo's captive who, now back from the dead, is out to avenge what he did to him.
***SPOILERS*** In true Spaggitti Western Clint Eastwood style the Blindman sets a trap for Domaigo and his men in a deserted Mexican cemetery with an ending somewhat like Eastwood's classic "The Good the Bad & the Ugly". But this time around the Blindman, unlike Clint, gets help from a very unlikely source a former enemy who has now, in evening things out, become his most steadfast and trusted ally! -
daviddaveinternational15 December 2017A "blind gunfighter"? "military intelligence"? "jumbo shrimp"? I caught this bomb last night. What a pile! I can't believe all the rave reviews it has gotten. I was trying to figure out how "Candy" (Ringo) lost his Liverpudlian accent. Either they limited his lines to 2 or 3 words (which occurred) so he could practice verbalizing sans accent or his voice was dubbed in. Should have done the "Caveman" movie trip: NO dialog! This movie has got to be one of, if not "THE worst movies ever made. I mean, what was Ringo thinking?! Don't get me wrong; I've always thought Ringo was the "smartest Beatle" and my personal favorite but maybe he was just bored and needed something to do at the time what with the recent Beatle's breakup. (Thanks Yoko and John!) If I had the chance to watch it again, I think I'd rather stick my face in the proverbial fan. No thanks!
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princetalon13 April 2001"Blindman" has everything a Spaghetti Western fan might desire: shootouts, slimy outlaws, an idiosyncratic hero, beautiful women, and Ringo Starr! That's right, the ex-Beatle himself is prominently featured as a villain in "Blindman". The film follows our blind hero, played by Tony Anthony, in his quest to recover a group of fifty women he was contracted out to deliver to miners in Texas. What ensues is a thoroughly engaging and entertaining piece of Western cinema. Ferdinando Baldi directed the film with an even hand and Riccardo Pallottini lavishly photographed the desert scenery to great effect. Stelvio Cipriani's unique score rounds out the engaging atmosphere of "Blindman". Tony Anthony invites the viewer to come along with his character on his daunting tasks by being immediately sympathetic.
While the film may not be suited for everyone's tastes, those viewers who appreciate a film with a decidedly quirky attitude should enjoy "Blindman" quite a bit. Think of Zatoichi in the Old West by way of Italy and you have a good idea of what to expect from this film. Unabashedly politically incorrect, the film may offend some more sensitive viewers, namely militant feminists, but to this reviewer that is one more reason to seek this unique film out! And seek you will need to do, as "Blindman" is extremely rare even amongst collector's circles. If this film sounds like your cup of tea, it was later remade in an altered form in 3-D as "Comin' At Ya!" and is currently available from Rhino in DVD format and in 3-D to boot. "Blindman" is a film that cries out to be digitally remastered and released on DVD. Hopefully this will happen soon so that more Spaghetti Western fans can witness the awesome spectacle that is "Blindman". Possibly, the ultimate Spaghetti Western! -
jordondave-2808529 August 2023(1971) Blindman DUBBED SPAGHETTI WESTERN
From what I had seen, I liked it but because the original running time is supposed to be 1:45 the version that I saw which is the dubbed version was shortened to a lousy 1:23, meaning that the cut that I saw 22 minutes was cut out of it. Putting me to speculation whether the scenes were cut out either because of the offensive scenes or whether it's because of the dubbing.
Anyways, by judging from the version that I saw I still thought it was entertaining despite 22 minutes of cuts on the dubbed version, as it opens with Blindman played by Tony Anthony coming into town and demanding to see a couple of guys, one of them by the name of Skunk. It regards. Ciego also called the Blindman demanding his contract to be kept of bringing 50 European mail order brides to be brought to Los Creek, Texas, a small town of miners. Except that he tells them they were sold to a Mexican bandit named Domingo. And by the time he goes to Mexico, he not only meets Domingo, the man who is in charge of his bandits, but the Blindman must also have to confront his sadistic brother, Candi (Ringo Starr) who was obsessed with another captured bride to be named Pilar (Agneta Eckemyr) as well along with his sister, Sweet Mama (Magda Konopka).
What is really bizarre about this shortened 1:23 minute version is that despite the cuts, it still has an R rating . There's nudity in here but they are quickly shown which was when Sweet Mama was just dumping water onto the the brides with water, and when Blindman tore Sweet Mama's dress off, but as far as i know there are zero make out scenes. -
ranwev28 January 2002Could be (arguably) the ultimate spaghetti western.I remember seeing this film several times in one week(I'm from a small town),and enjoyed it more the more I saw it.The scenes with the leg lock around the woman when Blindman was making an escape as well as the snake in his food had me rolling.The action was at the get go and music-the music-the music.WOW!I never knew this was a 3D film, as stated in a viewer comment, which would be a rush in itself.This is such a fun movie it's a shame there is no VHS. I highly recommend this film to anyone(who is not a critic and doesn't take themselves too seriously).
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"Blindman"starring Tony Anthony and Ringo Starr is what I consider a special Spaghetti Western movie.Just when you thought you've seen them all,here is one with a twist,and quite entertaining as well!The movie takes you on this journey that enthralls you directly to the plot as it starts.A long-coated blind man is riding a seeing-eye horse out of the desolate Texas plains toward you.He's angry,ruthless and deadly.He's desperately after something.That something happens to be fifty beautiful mail-order brides that he was contracted to deliver to Texas.The women were purchased by miners,yet they ended up in Mexico.They were stolen by a partner Blindman trusted,who in turn sold them to an unsavory gang of bandits,all of whom has their own dishonorable agenda for the women.Now Blindman wants his fifty women,vengeance and paycheck!He deals out his own brand of justice,using his fine-tuned gift for sound and feel/depth-memory to unleash the bullets and the dynamite.The movie is action packed,exciting,violent,interesting and fun!There's carnage,nudity,and mass assault scenes that give this movie a bold and raw,yet fascinating cinematic appeal.It's a definite must-see for all Spaghetti Genre Western fans.Although some may find the plot absurd,the movie successfully takes on a life of its own.It's truly a movie to be enjoyed for what it is--entertainment.Tony Anthony(portraying Blindman)is convincing,with some of the best and funniest script lines of any Western movie I've seen.Ringo Starr(Candy)is well acted,blending in so tastefully as the quintessential bad guy.A good supporting cast fuels the engine for the movie,while the soundtrack-dynamics are true to form.What I find intriguing about this movie is that it speaks volumes about the will and perseverance of the human spirit."Blindman" is what I consider a truly collectible Western Film!