The Frisco Kid (1979)

Regista:

Robert Aldrich

Writers:

Michael Elias (written by) and
Frank Shaw (written by)

Data di uscita:

13 luglio 1979 (USA)

Genere:

Comedy | Western

Slogan:

The greatest cowboy ever to ride into the Wild West. From Poland.

Plot:

A Polish rabbi wanders through the Old West on his way to lead a synagogue in San Francisco. On the...

Plot Keywords:

Jewish Humor | Jewish | Rabbi | Wild West

Recensioni degli utenti:

Not the best movie ever made, but my favorite.

Cast

Gene Wilder	...	Avram Belinski
Harrison Ford	...	Tommy Lillard
Ramon Bieri	...	Mr. Jones
Val Bisoglio	...	Chief Gray Cloud
George DiCenzo	...	Darryl Diggs (as George Ralph DiCenzo)
Leo Fuchs	...	Chief rabbi
Penny Peyser	...	Rosalie Bender
William Smith	...	Matt Diggs
Jack Somack	...	Samuel Bender
Beege Barkette	...	Sarah Mindl Bender
Shay Duffin	...	O'Leary
Walter Janovitz	...	Old Amish man (as Walter Janowitz)
Joe Kapp	...	Monterano
Clyde Kusatsu	...	Mr. Ping (railroad work crew)
Clifford A. Pellow	...	Mr. Daniels (as Cliff Pellow)

Alias:

No Knife
Scusi, dov'è il West? (Italy) [it]

Durata:

114 min

Nazionalità:

USA

Lingua:

Yiddish | Inglese

Colore:

Colore (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sonoro:

Mono

Divieti:

West Germany:12 (f) | Finland:K-16 | USA:PG

Luoghi delle riprese:

Colorado, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Curiosità:

According to Gene Wilder's autobiography, John Wayne was offered the part that was eventually played by Harrison Ford. The Duke loved the role and was willing to star with Wilder. However an agent tried to offer Wayne less than his usual fee and the legendary actor turned the film down.

Errori:

Factual errors: In Judaism, a person is not only allowed but required to break the Sabbath if a person's life will be in danger if they do not break it. When the posse is chasing Avram and Tommy, both their lives are in danger, and Avram would have had to have jumped on his horse until they were out of danger.

Citazioni:

[Matt Diggs considers reaching for his gun]
Tommy: Reach for it! PLEASE!

Colonna sonora:

Camptown Races

Not the best movie ever made, but my favorite.

When the "Frisco Kid" first came on tv two decades ago I recorded it and watched it over and over, my wife and friends and I quoting parts of it at each other at appropriate moments in our lives.

I read the (some) lukewarm comments here on the Database and the more positive ones and let them ride, just keeping this small pearl tucked away as my favorite movie. Then last night I came home, turned on the tv and caught Gene Wilder as the rabbi Avram Belinksi trying NOT to look at the woman on the train's wondrous cleavage as he was making his way to 1850 San Francisco, so I and sat down and watched the movie through again. It is still as funny, quaint, realistic, well acted and kind as it has ever been.

Gene Wilder demonstrates the best acting he has ever done. He IS Avram Belinski. Complex, human, childlike and oh so (what I imagine) European Jewish. A stranger in a doubly strange land. Strange by being an urban Pole in the "wild west" and strange by being a Jew in that world. I learnt a lot about "Jewishness" from this movie, and at the same time a lot about Americanism too. Being neither myself I can still appreciate the humour. Humanist, long suffering, realistic and proud.

Whatever it is inside me that makes me feel good and part of humanity is touched by "The Frisco Kid". That is why I regard it as my "favorite" movie, not the best movie ever made. That title I reserve for another totally different obscure B/W movie called "King and Country" whose demonstrated injustice is counter-balanced by Avram's integrity.