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Massacre Time
Massacre Time
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Massacre Time
Film poster by Sandro Simeoni[1]
Directed byLucio Fulci
Screenplay byFernando Di Leo[2]
Story byFernando Di Leo[2]
Produced byOreste Coltellacci[3]
Starring
CinematographyRiccardo Pallottini[2]
Edited byOrnella Micheli[2]
Music byCoriolano Gori[2]
Production
companies
  • Mega Film
  • Colt Produzioni Cinematografiche
  • L.F. Produzioni Cinematografiche[4]
Distributed byPanta Cinematografica (Italy)
Release date
  • 10 August 1966 (1966-08-10) (Italy)
Running time
83 minutes
CountryItaly[2]
LanguageItalian
Box office1.3 billion lira

Massacre Time (Italian: Le colt cantarono la morte e fu... tempo di massacro, lit.'The Colt Sang Death and it was... Massacre Time') is a 1966 Italian Spaghetti Western film starring Franco Nero and George Hilton.

Plot

[edit]

In New Mexico, Tom Corbett is a prospector who receives a message from a family friend named Carradine, telling him to return immediately to the home where he lived with his wealthy widowed mother. Years earlier upon her death, she left the house and land to Tom's brother Jeff, and insisted that Tom be sent away. Money was dispatched to him to support him, but her dying wish was that Tom stay away from Laramie Town. Nevertheless, Tom says goodbye to his foreman, Murray, and rides off.

Upon arrival in Laramie Town, Tom finds the house where he grew up in derelict. Tom is told by two rough-looking thugs to leave because the land belongs to a man called Mr. Scott and warned to beware when he sees the Scott sign which is a big letter 'S' stamped onto a big letter 'J'.

Riding back into town, Tom sees that the Scott sign is all over town, on the bank, the saloon, everywhere, and soon sees why the owners are afraid. Jason Scott, a wealthy businessman, rides into the town square with his sadistic son Junior Scott with a large posse of thugs surrounding them. The Scotts apprehend a family moving out of the town because of the low wages the Scotts pay them. Junior suddenly kills the elderly couple's teenage son in cold blood and laughs mechanically.

Asking around where Jeff Corbett is, Tom is led to an elderly Chinese blacksmith, named Sonko, where Jeff works. Sonko directs Tom to the residence of his employee. Tom finds Jeff living in a run-down shack on the outskirts of town along with their old Indian housemaid Mercedes. Jeff is revealed to be a drunkard, having never gotten over the loss of his mother, as well as the farm. Both Jeff and Mercedes insist that Tom leave immediately and they refuse to discuss why Tom has been summoned. They are also anxious that Tom shouldn't be seen by anyone else in town who might recognize him. Determined to find out what is going on, Tom rides back into town, observed by a few of Scott's men.

That evening at the local saloon, a bar-room brawl erupts when Jeff follows Tom and gets roughed up by Scott's men. Jeff handles himself admirably in the fight, despite being drunk. Tom joins the fray after watching his brother's antics, and the two of them stagger out together. However, Jeff continues to insist that Tom leave town. Instead, Tom visits the Carradine family to find out why the letter to him was sent. But before Carradine and Tom can discuss anything, a massacre erupts. The Carradines are all killed by shadowy assailants, but Tom escapes unharmed.

The next day, Tom learns that talking to the townsfolk about Mr. Scott only leads them to give dire warnings. Tom decides to go out himself to the Scott ranch to resolve what is going on. Jeff offers to come along with him. Despite being drunk, Jeff's shooting skills have not been dulled by his tequila intake. Jeff single-handedly shoots six of Scott's men, plus three more at a guard post to help Tom approach the isolated Scott ranch, after gaining Tom's promise that he will take the responsibility for having killed them.

Tom walks into the Scott ranch to find a high-society party in progress. He confronts Scott, but the wealthy man refuses to talk, claiming he's too busy with the party. But Junior is not so different. He gloatingly demonstrates his dexterity with a whip, giving the struggling Tom a protracted and humiliating beating in front of the assembled guests.

Back at Jeff's shack, a battered Tom is tended to by Mercedes. But a shadowy gunman passes the window and kills her. Enraged, Jeff resolves to join his brother's quest for vengeance against the Scotts. He tells Tom that a few months earlier, the Scotts had his father killed. But when Tom responds with "Our father?" Jeff snarls, "I said MY father."

The two men encounter Mr. Scott at a remote, tumble-down shack where Jeff finally reveals his secret: Mr. Scott is really Tom's father. Tom and Jeff are only half-brothers. Mr. Scott reveals that it was he who sent for him for he wants Tom to live at the ranch with him as his heir. Mr. Scott had no part in the killings of Tom's father, the Carradines, or Mercedes. He tremblingly informs Tom that Junior, Tom's younger half-brother, is insane from having been spoiled all his life by wealth and power, and he is afraid that Junior has gone too far with it. Before Mr. Scott can go on, Junior appears and shoots him dead. The rest of the Junior Scott party rides back to the ranch.

Jeff is tempted to leave the rest of the matter as a family affair, but relents and accompanies Tom on his mission to bring down Junior and his henchmen. In a long and climactic gunfight, Tom and Jeff assault the Scott ranch and kill all of Junior's henchmen. During the battle, Jeff saves Tom's life from Junior when he shoots the gun out of Junior's hand as he's about to shoot Tom in the back. The insane youth retreats from a bare-knuckle fight with Tom, and to a tussle on a narrow wooden walkway between two ranch buildings. After a brief fist-fight, the maniac Junior loses his balance as he tries to force Tom over the side and instead falls to his death, landing in a dove-coop. As several white doves fly into the air, the drunken Jeff makes as if to shoot at the birds. Tom's hand gently lowers the muzzle of Jeff's gun and shakes his head, meaning that there's no need for any more shooting.

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

After the release of A Fistful of Dollars starring Clint Eastwood, a wave of Italian Spaghetti Westerns began production in Italy; among these films was Django starring Franco Nero.[2] The screenplay for Massacre Time was primarily written by Fernando Di Leo, who entered the film business in the early 1960s as a screenwriter and assistant director;[2] having previously co-written A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, A Pistol for Ringo and The Return of Ringo, Massacre Time marked his first solo screenplay credit, although Di Leo's writing partner Enzo Dell'Aquila and director Lucio Fulci made uncredited contributions.[5] The film's title was taken from the novel Tempo di massacaro by Franco Enna.[5] Fulci would later claim that he pushed Di Leo to make the film as violent as possible, which Di Leo refuted, stating "I don't know anything about Fulci's claims that he insisted that I write a very violent movie [...] Fulci only directed well what was already on the page [...] The script was good and ready and he liked it the way it was, otherwise I'd have complied to his demand if there had been any".[2]

Massacre Time was originally supposed to be an Italian-Spanish co-production with Ringo co-star George Martin attached to the leading role of Tom Corbett,[6] but the Spanish co-producers withdrew their involvement and funding after Fulci refused to tone down the script's violence, thus preventing Martin from taking the role.[5] Having decided to shoot the film entirely in Italy on a lower budget, Fulci instead cast Nero as Tom at the suggestion of his assistant director, Giovanni Fago, on the basis of production stills from Django.[6][7] Uruguayan actor George Hilton was cast in the role of Jeffrey; reflecting on the film, Hilton described Fulci as "a difficult man to work with" with an "overbearing personality and that could be difficult."[8]

Release

[edit]

Massacre Time was released in Italy on 10 August 1966.[9]

Although an international English-language version was made, a redubbed English version produced by American International Pictures was theatrically released in the United States in December 1968 as The Brute and the Beast, with a longer running time (88 minutes);[10][8] it was one of only two Spaghetti Westerns imported to the United States by AIP, the other being God Forgives... I Don't!.[11] It was released in the U.K. as Colt Concert.[10] The film was marketed in Denmark and West Germany as a Django film.[12][page needed]

Arrow Video released the film alongside My Name Is Pecos, Bandidos and And God Said to Cain as part of their Blu-ray box set Vengeance Trails: Four Classic Westerns on July 27, 2021.[13]

Footnotes

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[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Massacre Time is a Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by , starring as prospector Tom Corbett and George Hilton as his alcoholic brother Jeff Corbett. The story centers on Tom's return to his hometown of Laramie after years away, where he discovers that the family farm has been seized by the wealthy and tyrannical Scott family, led by the sadistic son Jason "Junior" Scott, played by . Originally titled Le colt cantarono la morte e fu... tempo di massacro, the film was written by , with cinematography by Riccardo Pallottini and a score by Lallo Gori featuring the song "A Man Alone" performed by . Produced by Oreste Coltellacci and released in on August 10, 1966, it runs for 92 minutes and was shot in with a 2.35:1 . As Fulci's first foray into the genre, Massacre Time blends themes of revenge and family redemption with explosive action sequences and moral ambiguity typical of the subgenre. As of November 2025, the film has a 6.5/10 rating on from 2,634 users and holds a 63% audience approval rating on based on over 250 ratings, praised for its atmospheric tension, strong performances—particularly Nero's following his breakout in Django—and Fulci's emerging directorial style before his horror fame. Internationally, it was released under alternate titles like The Brute and the Beast in the United States, contributing to its cult status among fans of Euro-Westerns.

Context and development

Spaghetti Western genre

The genre, also known as western all'italiana, emerged as a subgenre of Western films primarily produced by Italian filmmakers from the early 1960s to the late 1970s, often on low budgets and shot in European locations like Spain's desert to evoke the . Unlike traditional American Westerns, which emphasized heroic archetypes, clear moral dichotomies, and idealized depictions of , Spaghetti Westerns subverted these conventions through foreign perspectives, introducing gritty realism, cultural irony, and a focus on economic opportunism in frontier settings. The term "Spaghetti Western" originated as a somewhat derogatory label coined by Spanish journalist Alfonso Sánchez, highlighting the Italian production roots and contrasting them with Hollywood's polished output. The genre's breakthrough came with Sergio Leone's (1964), (1965), and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)—which drew inspiration from Akira Kurosawa's while reimagining the Western for European audiences, sparking a boom in Italian productions that peaked in the mid-1960s with over 300 films released by decade's end. These films elevated the genre by blending operatic visuals, Ennio Morricone's innovative scores, and a cynical worldview, influencing global cinema and revitalizing interest in Westerns during a time when Hollywood examples were waning. Hallmarks of Spaghetti Westerns include heightened , moral , and stylized gunfights, which set them apart from the restrained aesthetics of American counterparts bound by the until 1968. is graphic and unflinching, featuring bloody shootouts and explosive action, as seen in Tonino Valerii's Day of Anger (1967), where confrontations emphasize brutality over heroism. Moral pervades through antiheroes who navigate shades of gray, such as Clint Eastwood's nameless gunslinger in Leone's , who prioritizes self-interest over justice, challenging the black-and-white ethics of classic Westerns like John Ford's (1939). Stylized gunfights build tension through extreme close-ups, slow-motion sequences, and sudden eruptions of action, exemplified in the climactic cemetery duel of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, where sound design and framing heighten dramatic stakes. Lucio Fulci, who had established himself in the 1950s and early 1960s directing comedies like I ladri (, 1959) and musicals such as Ragazzi del Juke-Box (1959), transitioned to the genre amid its rising popularity, marking Massacre Time (1966) as his directorial debut in Westerns and showcasing his emerging interest in violent, vengeful narratives. This shift positioned Massacre Time as an early entry in the genre's golden era, aligning with the rising stardom of actor following his breakout role in Sergio Corbucci's Django (1966).

Script development

The screenplay for Massacre Time was primarily written by , who received credit for both the original story and the screenplay. Dell'Aquila and director provided uncredited contributions to the script. The film's original Italian title is Tempo di massacro, while international releases included alternative titles such as The Brute and the Beast. Initially conceived as a Spanish-Italian co-production, the project faced setbacks when the Spanish partners objected to the script's intense violent content, leading to its reconfiguration as a fully Italian production. This decision preserved the screenplay's uncompromised focus on themes of family revenge and , centered on the strained dynamic between two half-brothers reuniting to avenge their father's murder. The narrative structure reflects broader genre trends in its stylistic emphasis on moral ambiguity and brutal retribution, tailored specifically to the brothers' evolving relationship.

Production

Casting

The casting of Massacre Time (1966) featured a predominantly Italian ensemble, reflecting the Euro-Western genre's reliance on local talent to achieve cost efficiency and a stylized authenticity that distinguished these films from Hollywood productions. Directed by , the selections prioritized emerging stars and seasoned genre performers to blend dramatic intensity with the genre's operatic violence, without enlisting major American actors. This approach amplified the film's atmospheric tone, where characters' emotional depth and moral ambiguity were conveyed through expressive European performances often enhanced by . Franco Nero was cast in the lead role of Tom Corbett, the principled prospector seeking justice for his family. This marked one of Nero's early starring roles, preceding his breakout performance in Django (1966), which would solidify his status as a Spaghetti Western icon with his cool demeanor and precise gunplay that contributed to the film's heroic archetype. George Hilton portrayed Jeff Corbett, Tom's alcoholic and roguish brother, in what was Hilton's debut Spaghetti Western after prior work in Italian thrillers and comedies. His casting brought a charismatic volatility to the role, leveraging his experience in lighter genre fare to infuse the character with a mix of humor and pathos, enhancing the sibling dynamic central to the film's emotional core. Nino Castelnuovo played the sadistic antagonist , drawing on his dramatic background from the musical (1964) to deliver a psychologically layered villainy marked by intense, unhinged energy. This choice heightened the film's tone of familial revenge and psychological tension, with Castelnuovo's performance standing out for its raw menace. The supporting cast further reinforced the Euro-Western style through familiar Italian faces. Giuseppe Addobbati appeared as Sr., the tyrannical patriarch, bringing authoritative presence from his extensive work in Italian cinema. Linda Sini played Brady, the resilient saloon owner, adding grounded emotional support typical of genre auxiliaries. Other key roles included Tom Felleghy as the mining boss Murray and Aysanoa Runachagua as the ally Sonko, rounding out the ensemble with understated authenticity derived from the all-European lineup.

Principal photography

Principal photography for Massacre Time took place entirely in Italy following the collapse of an intended Italian-Spanish co-production—as the Spanish partners withdrew when Fulci refused to reduce the film's violence—which had originally planned to feature George Martin in the lead role, resulting in a fully Italian production with a reduced budget. Directed by Lucio Fulci, the film was shot in the Lazio region, utilizing natural landscapes around Rome, Anzio (including Tor Caldara), and interiors at Elios Studios to evoke the American West despite the domestic setting. These locations provided rugged, arid terrain suitable for the Western genre, though the production faced challenges from desolate conditions with limited facilities for cast and crew. Cinematography was handled by Riccardo Pallottini, who employed stock in 35mm to capture wide establishing shots of the Italian countryside alongside intense close-ups that heightened dramatic tension during confrontations. The score, composed by Lallo Gori, incorporated tense orchestral cues to underscore gunfights and suspenseful sequences, with the song "A Man Alone" performed by adding emotional depth. Produced by Oreste Coltellacci under the banners of Mega Film, Colt Produzioni Cinematografiche, and L.F. Produzioni Cinematografiche, the shoot adhered to a tight schedule amid budget limitations typical of mid-1960s Italian genre films, resulting in an efficient production completed in summer 1965. The final runtime stands at 92 minutes, presented in a 2.35:1 with mono sound, emphasizing Fulci's focus on visual storytelling to compensate for the modest resources.

Narrative

Plot

In 1866, prospector returns to his hometown of Laramie after receiving a message from his friend pleading for help, only to discover that his family's land has been illegally seized by the ruthless Scott family, who now dominate the town through intimidation and violence. Upon arrival, a claims the , leaving to reunite with his estranged half-brother , a destitute alcoholic living on the fringes with their surrogate mother Brady, whose initial reluctance gives way to a partnership after her murder, as they recognize the shared threat posed by the Scotts and uncover a family secret: Mr. Scott is Tom's father. As tensions mount, the brothers navigate a series of escalating confrontations with the Scotts' gang, including Tom being whipped and tortured by the sadistic Junior, deadly ambushes in the wilderness, and acts of betrayal that test their fragile alliance, all while the town cowers under the family's iron grip. These conflicts build toward a climactic showdown at the Scott ranch, where Junior kills his own father before being defeated by Tom in a brutal , allowing the brothers to achieve against their oppressors. The story resolves with the brothers restoring order, underscoring themes of personal redemption in a lawless . This revenge-driven arc draws on Spaghetti Western conventions, emphasizing moral reckoning through escalating violence.

Characters and cast

The protagonist, , is portrayed by as a stoic and skilled gunslinger who returns to his hometown as an outsider seeking to reclaim his family's heritage, evolving into a determined avenger through his confrontations with local tyrants. Nero's emphasizes Tom's world-weary compassion and gun-twirling expertise, distinguishing him from more taciturn heroes while highlighting his passive yet resilient nature. Tom's half-brother, Jeff Corbett, played by George Hilton, serves as an alcoholic drifter with hidden depths as an exceptional sharpshooter, offering comic relief through his cynical and goofy demeanor while demonstrating unwavering loyalty in the face of adversity. Hilton excels in this against-type role, portraying Jeff's wildcard personality and reluctance to engage initially, which contrasts sharply with Tom's stoicism and underscores their fraternal bond. The primary antagonist, Jason "Junior" Scott, is depicted by as a sadistic and mentally disturbed enforcer who wields a with relish, embodying villainous excess through his chronic instability and Freudian tensions with his father, culminating in . Castelnuovo's compelling yet underdeveloped portrayal accentuates Junior's disturbing cruelty, making him a memorable foil to the Corbett brothers' heroism. Giuseppe Addobbati assumes the role of Mr. Scott, the ruthless patriarch who dominates the town through intimidation and familial control—and is revealed as Tom's father—driving the central conflict with his authoritarian presence. Supporting characters include Brady, played by Linda Sini, the family servant who raised the brothers and provides emotional grounding for amid the escalating violence until her murder spurs their alliance. Minor allies, such as local townsfolk and the ill-fated , offer sporadic aid to the protagonists, reinforcing themes of community resistance without overshadowing the main dynamics. The casting of and Hilton notably enhances the brothers' interplay, blending stoic resolve with erratic energy to heighten narrative tension.

Release

Theatrical release

Massacre Time, originally titled Tempo di massacro, premiered in on August 10, 1966, distributed by Panta Cinematografica. The film reached the in December 1968, released by under the retitled The Brute and the Beast. Internationally, it saw releases across various European countries from 1966 to 1967 and was dubbed into multiple languages to accommodate local audiences. Marketing efforts featured posters designed by artist Sandro Simeoni, which emphasized intense gunfights and spotlighted stars Franco Nero and George Hilton. The film was promoted as a stylistic follow-up to the Django Westerns, leveraging Nero's recent role in that hit to attract fans of the emerging Spaghetti Western genre. The original Italian version runs 92 minutes.

Box office

Massacre Time achieved moderate commercial success in its home market of , where it ranked 41st among the top-grossing films of the 1966-67 season. This performance positioned it as a solid earner within the burgeoning genre, though it trailed far behind the blockbuster status of Sergio Leone's , with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly securing the second-highest gross of the year. The film enjoyed stronger results across European markets, capitalizing on the explosive popularity of Spaghetti Westerns in the mid-1960s, a period that saw nearly 500 such productions flood theaters amid widespread demand for the genre's gritty style. In contrast, its U.S. release under the alternate title The Brute and the Beast yielded limited success, reflecting the slower initial adoption of European Westerns by American audiences during that era. Several factors contributed to its returns, including Italy's affordable cinema ticket prices, which encouraged broad attendance, and enthusiastic repeat viewings from genre enthusiasts drawn to the film's intense action and star power of . Compared to other works by director , such as his earlier comedies and thrillers, Massacre Time marked an improvement in commercial viability within the competitive Western landscape.

Reception and legacy

Critical reception

Upon its release in 1966, Massacre Time received limited critical coverage in English-language publications, reflecting the niche status of early Spaghetti Westerns outside Italy. Reviews that did appear praised the film's action sequences and Franco Nero's charismatic lead performance as the gunslinger Tom Corbett, while noting its clear influences from Sergio Leone's , which some critics viewed as overly derivative. In Italy, where the film premiered under the title Le colt cantarono la morte e fu... tempo di massacro, it received mixed reviews. Modern retrospective reviews have been more favorable among Spaghetti Western enthusiasts, positioning Massacre Time as a solid entry in Fulci's limited foray into the genre. On , it holds an average rating of 6.5 out of 10 based on over 2,600 user votes, with commentators appreciating the explosive gunfights and Lallo Gori's original score. users rate it 3.4 out of 5 from more than 4,000 logs, often lauding George Hilton's nuanced portrayal of the alcoholic half-brother Jeff Corbett as a standout element that adds emotional depth. The Spaghetti Western Database describes it as "an enjoyable and well made , belonging in above average territory," emphasizing its gritty violence and atmospheric by Riccardo Pallottini. Common praises across these assessments include the film's tense standoffs, strong villain characterizations—particularly Nino Castelnuovo's sadistic Jason "Junior" Scott—and Fulci's early mastery of wide-shot compositions that evoke the harsh frontier. Criticisms, however, frequently target the slow pacing in the opening acts, which build family backstory at the expense of momentum, and a plot that adheres too closely to genre tropes without significant innovation. The film's inclusion in Arrow Video's 2021 box set Vengeance Trails: Four Classic Westerns underscores its enduring appeal, with bonus materials framing it as one of Fulci's "finest hours" in the Western genre for its blend of brutality and stylistic ambition.

Cultural impact

Massacre Time marked Lucio Fulci's debut in the Western genre, serving as his first of three Spaghetti Westerns and demonstrating his versatility before he achieved greater fame in horror cinema. The film highlighted Fulci's ability to blend stylized violence with emotional depth, prefiguring the visceral style that defined his later works, and remains his most accomplished entry in the genre. The picture also played a key role in elevating Franco Nero to Western icon status, featuring him in one of his early leading roles shortly after Django (1966), which helped solidify his image as a brooding gunslinger and bridged his breakthrough to subsequent iconic performances. By centering on estranged brothers reuniting for vengeance, Massacre Time contributed to the Spaghetti Western subgenre of family-driven revenge narratives, exemplifying the moral ambiguity and familial dynamics that became staples in films like those by Sergio Corbucci. As part of the Italian cinema export boom, where nearly one-third of Italy's film output consisted of Westerns by the late decade, Massacre Time exemplified the international appeal of Spaghetti Westerns that fueled global success following hits like (1964). In modern times, the film has garnered a through festival screenings and dedicated databases, bolstered by its status in the United States, which has facilitated widespread DVD releases. Its legacy endures via high-quality home media, including a 2021 limited-edition Blu-ray in Arrow Video's Vengeance Trails box set.

References

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