The Sabata Trilogy
Encyclopedia
The Sabata Trilogy is a series of Spaghetti Western
films released in 1969 and 1971, directed by Gianfranco Parolini
, and starring Lee Van Cleef
in the first, Sabata
, Yul Brynner
in the second, Adiós, Sabata
, and Van Cleef returning for the third, Return of Sabata
.
stars as a mostly silent, loner gunman who foils a plan by some leaders of a small Texas town to rob their own bank and sell the town to the railroad. William Berger co-stars as Banjo, an opposing gunman.
cast in the lead role, this film was originally going to be entitled Indio Black, but the title was changed after the first Sabata film proved successful and had inspired many imitators. Ironically, Lee Van Cleef
, star of the first Sabata film had been offered the role, but had to decline because he was committed to The Magnificent Seven Ride in the role of Chris Adams, which Brynner had made famous in The Magnificent Seven
. Adiós, Sabata is set in Mexico
under the rule of Emperor Maximilian I
, and Sabata is hired to steal a wagonload of gold from the Austrian army.
returns to the role of Sabata, who goes to a small Texas town and seeks revenge on a robber baron, determined to steal back some money that the man had stolen from him.
/UA
in October 2005.
franchises, such as the Dollars Trilogy
or Django
, several other Sabata imitators were released. These included Wanted Sabata, directed by Roberto Mauri and starring Brad Harris, and Arriva Sabata!, directed by Tulio Demicheli and starring Peter Lee Lawrence, which were made in 1970. Watch Out Gringo! Sabata Will Return, was made in 1972, directed by Alfonso Balcázar and Pedro Luis Ramírez and starring actor George Martin. None of these are considered part of the "official" series.
Spaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western, also known as Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's unique and much copied film-making style and international box-office success, so named by American critics because most were produced and...
films released in 1969 and 1971, directed by Gianfranco Parolini
Gianfranco Parolini
Gianfranco Parolini is an Italian film director. He is often credited as Frank Kramer. Among his films are The Sabata Trilogy, several sword and sandal films, most of the Kommissar X films and a number of Spaghetti Westerns.He claimed to have written over 100 thriller novels before becoming an...
, and starring Lee Van Cleef
Lee Van Cleef
Lee Van Cleef was an American film actor who appeared mostly in Western and action pictures. His sharp features and piercing eyes led to his being cast as a villain in scores of films such as High Noon, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and The Good The Bad and the Ugly.-Early life:Van Cleef was...
in the first, Sabata
Sabata (film)
Sabata , is a 1969 Italian Spaghetti Western directed by Gianfranco Parolini. It is the first film in The Sabata Trilogy by Parolini, and stars Lee Van Cleef as the title character...
, Yul Brynner
Yul Brynner
Yul Brynner was a Russian-born actor of stage and film. He was best known for his portrayal of Mongkut, king of Siam, in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor for the film version; he also played the role more than 4,500 times on...
in the second, Adiós, Sabata
Adiós, Sabata
Adiós Sabata is a 1971 Spaghetti Western film directed by Gianfranco Parolini. It is the second film in The Sabata Trilogy by Parolini...
, and Van Cleef returning for the third, Return of Sabata
Return of Sabata
Return of Sabata is a 1971 Spaghetti Western film directed by Gianfranco Parolini. The third film in The Sabata Trilogy, it features the return of Lee Van Cleef as the title character, which he had played in the first film, Sabata, but was replaced by Yul Brynner in the second film, Adiós, Sabata,...
.
Sabata
Lee Van CleefLee Van Cleef
Lee Van Cleef was an American film actor who appeared mostly in Western and action pictures. His sharp features and piercing eyes led to his being cast as a villain in scores of films such as High Noon, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and The Good The Bad and the Ugly.-Early life:Van Cleef was...
stars as a mostly silent, loner gunman who foils a plan by some leaders of a small Texas town to rob their own bank and sell the town to the railroad. William Berger co-stars as Banjo, an opposing gunman.
Adiós, Sabata
With Yul BrynnerYul Brynner
Yul Brynner was a Russian-born actor of stage and film. He was best known for his portrayal of Mongkut, king of Siam, in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor for the film version; he also played the role more than 4,500 times on...
cast in the lead role, this film was originally going to be entitled Indio Black, but the title was changed after the first Sabata film proved successful and had inspired many imitators. Ironically, Lee Van Cleef
Lee Van Cleef
Lee Van Cleef was an American film actor who appeared mostly in Western and action pictures. His sharp features and piercing eyes led to his being cast as a villain in scores of films such as High Noon, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and The Good The Bad and the Ugly.-Early life:Van Cleef was...
, star of the first Sabata film had been offered the role, but had to decline because he was committed to The Magnificent Seven Ride in the role of Chris Adams, which Brynner had made famous in The Magnificent Seven
The Magnificent Seven
The Magnificent Seven is an American Western film directed by John Sturges, and released in 1960. It is a fictional tale of a group of seven American gunmen who are hired to protect a small agricultural village in Mexico from a group of marauding Mexican bandits...
. Adiós, Sabata is set in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
under the rule of Emperor Maximilian I
Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I was the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire.After a distinguished career in the Austrian Navy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on April 10, 1864, with the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchists who sought to revive the Mexican monarchy...
, and Sabata is hired to steal a wagonload of gold from the Austrian army.
Return of Sabata
Lee Van CleefLee Van Cleef
Lee Van Cleef was an American film actor who appeared mostly in Western and action pictures. His sharp features and piercing eyes led to his being cast as a villain in scores of films such as High Noon, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and The Good The Bad and the Ugly.-Early life:Van Cleef was...
returns to the role of Sabata, who goes to a small Texas town and seeks revenge on a robber baron, determined to steal back some money that the man had stolen from him.
DVD release
The Sabata Trilogy was released on DVD by MGMMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
/UA
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
in October 2005.
Other Sabata films
As was common with successful Spaghetti WesternSpaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western, also known as Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's unique and much copied film-making style and international box-office success, so named by American critics because most were produced and...
franchises, such as the Dollars Trilogy
Dollars Trilogy
The "Dollars Trilogy" , also known as the "Man with No Name Trilogy", refers to the three Spaghetti Westerns starring Clint Eastwood and directed by Sergio Leone: A Fistful of Dollars , For a Few Dollars More , and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly .A Fistful of Dollars is an unofficial remake of...
or Django
Django (film)
Django is a 1966 Italian spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Corbucci and starring Franco Nero in the eponymous role. The film earned a reputation as being one of the most violent films ever made up to that point and was subsequently refused a certificate in Britain until 1993, when it was...
, several other Sabata imitators were released. These included Wanted Sabata, directed by Roberto Mauri and starring Brad Harris, and Arriva Sabata!, directed by Tulio Demicheli and starring Peter Lee Lawrence, which were made in 1970. Watch Out Gringo! Sabata Will Return, was made in 1972, directed by Alfonso Balcázar and Pedro Luis Ramírez and starring actor George Martin. None of these are considered part of the "official" series.