Taglines: Hannie Caulder the first lady gunfighter.
Hannie Caulder movie storyline. With the Mexican Federal Police hot on their trail after a botched bank robbery, the Clemens Brothers – the vicious gang of the bloodthirsty outlaws, Emmett (Ernest Borgnine), Rufus (Strother Martin), and Frank (Jack Elam) – find refuge in Jim and Hannie Caulder’s (Raquel Welch’s) secluded relay station.
As one thing leads to another, before long, the defenceless frontier woman will find herself brutally attacked, stripped of her Earthly possessions and her dignity, and left for dead. However, a chance encounter with the most efficient bounty hunter in the American West, Thomas Luther Price (Robert Culp), will pave the way for a reluctant alliance, and Hannie’s radical transformation from a weak housewife to a merciless gunslinger. Now that the untamed wildcat who packs a widow-making revolver has made her list, who is going to stand in the way of her roaring rampage of revenge?
Hannie Caulder is a 1971 British Western film. The film was directed by Raquel Welch, Robert Culp, Ernest Borgnine, Strother Martin, Jack Elam, Christopher Lee, Diana Dors, Luis Barboo, Stephen Boyd, Aldo Sambrell, Brian Lightburn. The screenplay was rewritten by Kennedy, who was not credited.
About the Production
Patrick Curtis, then married to Raquel Welch, met with Tony Tenser of Tigon British Film Productions with a view to obtaining funding for a movie starring Welch. Curtis proposed a horror movie or a Western; Tenser, who had always wanted to make a Western, picked that. Tigon put up 100% of the budget, while Curtwel (Curtis and Welch’s production company) put up their services.
Neither Curtis nor Welch took a salary, instead taking profit participation. Before Hannie Caulder was released, Tigon and Curtwel co-produced The Sorcerers (1967), a horror film starring Boris Karloff. Thus, Curtis and Tenser did team up for both a western and a horror film. It was the third film from Curtwel, following A Swingin’ Summer and The Beloved. Robert Culp was signed to co star in December 1970.
The movie was filmed in Spain, mostly around Almería, beginning on January 18, 1971. Burt Kennedy and the cast were reportedly not paid after the first two weeks of filming, causing tension on set. Stephen Boyd has a brief, uncredited appearance as a gunfighter known simply as “The Preacher”. Flamenco guitar virtuoso Paco de Lucía makes a cameo appearance as a Mexican musician. Fast-draw artist Rodd Redwing was a technical adviser to the film, working with Robert Culp. Redwing suffered a heart attack on the plane returning from the filming in Spain and died shortly after landing in Los Angeles.
Hannie Caulder opened in London on November 8, 1971. On 8 September 1971, the British Board of Film Classification announced that the film would receive a AA certificate rating. It is currently a 15 certificate first applied on video in November 1988.
Hannie Caulder (1971)
Directed by: Burt Kennedy
Starring: Raquel Welch, Robert Culp, Ernest Borgnine, Strother Martin, Jack Elam, Christopher Lee, Diana Dors, Luis Barboo, Stephen Boyd, Aldo Sambrell, Brian Lightburn
Screenplay by: Burt Kennedy, David Haft
Production Design by: Robert Goodstein
Cinematography by: Edward Scaife
Film Editing by: Jim Connock
Art Direction by: José Algueró
Makeup Department: Mary Bredin, Adela del Pino, John O’Gorman
Music by: Ken Thorne
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: November 8, 1971 (London)
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