jfgibson73 (16 May 2013)

Just Fine, Thanks

What a terrible name. Hannie? Why not just Annie? That aside, I didenjoy this movie. It is a very basic rape/revenge story done as aWestern. I don't think it was nearly as gritty as it was meant to be.When characters say things like, "You're a hard woman, Hannie Caulder,"I felt like they could have done more to show how hard she had become,rather than just point it out with dialog. Also, there was a little bitof forced sentimentality, and some ill-placed comic relief that feltalmost slap-sticky.This is just nitpicking however. It was very satisfying and watchable,at least for one viewing. Raquel Welch, who I probably know best fromher guest appearance on Seinfeld, was very striking as the damagedfrontier woman. A lot of people seem to really like the character thathelps train her as a gunfighter. I found him more functional to thestory than interesting. Christopher Lee had a cameo that had me askingif it was really him. And there was one unresolved plot point in thatas far as I could tell, they never explained who the mystery man inblack was. If you are in the mood for a lighter, easy-to-watch western,this should go down nice. Just don't expect the depth of, say, "OnceUpon A Time..."

susan7 (16 May 2013)

They Made Her Mad

A nice musical score, with a good solo guitar sequence in the middlethat recurs from time to time. The relationship between Hannie Caulder(Raquel Welch) and Thomas Luther Price (Robert Culp) matures over timeand is the really interesting part of this film. Steven Boyd's bit partcould have been left out altogether with no loss to the story. Thethree "village idiots" as I call them, provide some comic relief.The editing on the film was pretty bad. In one or two places, I thinkthe negative was reversed, and in at least one place it seemed to methat a scene was inserted out of place, making the film somewhatchoppy. Still, I have enjoyed the VHS edition and would very much liketo replace it with a North American (Region 1) DVD version. When is itgoing to be available?

whpratt1 (16 May 2013)

Borgnine Made This A Classic Film!

Very unusual Western Film for the Year 1971, I wassurprised to see Raquel Welch,(Hannie Caulder) "Legally Blonde" '01 beingraped by three(3) men, one being Ernest Borgnine(Emmett Clemens) "Marty"'55and the director having close-up shots of Hannie Caulder's butt in verytight jeans, along with a Sheriff patting her on the butt, it is a wonderHannie did not shoot the sheriff dead on the spot!! I never expected to belaughing that much while I was watching this film, you never knew what toexpect. Christopher Lee (Bailey) played a very calm and wise gun maker andrepair man, no sucking of Blood as in his many roles as "Dracula". Theformer actress Diane Dors(Madame)"The Diana Dors Show"'81TV Series, had puton quite a few pounds and had a brief role landing on top of a customer. Itis impossible to be critical of this classic film, just lighten-UP and enjoya very unusual Western film!

mingo-2 (16 May 2013)

Firearms self defence training

Fairly standard rape revenge plot. Interesting in the training sessionsbetween Culp and Welch. One of the few western where a woman is effectivewith a gun.

pljewkes (14 May 2013)

A real find...

HANNIE CAULDER is a real find. That it's well-made is not reallysurprising considering it's directed by the very efficient BurtKennedy. What is surprising is that it's cast would lead you to believethere's a camp classic awaiting.Raquel Welch is Hannie, seeking revenge on the three creepy hooliganswho've beaten her, raped her and left her for dead. Welch gives aterrific and spirited performance and she's helped out a lot by afirst-rate supporting cast. Ernest Borgnine, Jack Elam, and StrotherMartin are the villains and Robert Culp is Hannie's reluctantsavior/mentor. The film is full of odd touches and some of the killingsare quite cleverly executed. The bizarre cast also includes cultChristopher Lee and Diana Dors, who plays a sympathetic madam.

(14 May 2013)

New age woman in an old fashioned western

I think this may be one of my favorites of westerns because of the angle it takes on revenge. Ironically enough, it is the hardened bounty hunter who tries to persuade Hannie Caulder to walk away from the situation. A reversal of roles, very interesting for a movie made back in the late sixties, several years before the Women's Movement. Welch's acting is believable and Robert Culp is wonderful as Thomas Luther Price. Christopher Lee is great as the gunsmith who watches the relationship between Caulder and Price grow and tries to persuade Caulder to "throw her gun in the water bucket and ride out with Thomas and don't look back". The movie does not end on an entirely positive note either - as Caulder kills the last of the Clements brothers, her revenge is complete, but Price's words come back to her "win or lose, you lose Hannie Caulder". I believe that this movie, for all it's violence does have an undercurrent of anti-gun, anti-violence solutions to such problems. And I especially liked the fact that Hannie Caulder was portrayed as a strong woman. She knew what she wanted, and she had the strength to see it through, no matter what the consequences were. An interesting western to watch and think about.

AConcernedCitizen (14 May 2013)

Interesting and unusual western drama

I saw this again after more than 30 years, and was prepared for acampy, laughable Western-parody, as so many from the Spaghetti WesternEra are...especially anything at all starring camp queen Raquel Welch.I was rather pleasantly surprised. Yes, there are campy moments, butoverall this is an interesting movie, especially for the early 70s whenthe western genre was going into a long hibernation.The worst or campiest elements are the "feminist/sexploitation"aspects...on one hand "Hannie Caulder" wants us to take this storyabout a woman in the Old West seriously (Hannie is raped, and takesrevenge into her own hands) and on the other, it wants to show usRaquel Welch, very sexy and Playboy foldout-ish in a short poncho andnothing else. Raquel was (and is) a tremendously beautiful woman, butin an extremely period way -- and that period was naturally the early70s! Her artfully highlighted main of long straight hair and heavy eyemakeup (false eyelashes!) don't look like anything remotely believablefrom the 1880s. I mention the poncho because it forms a very iconicimage of Ms. Welch -- almost as famous as her animal skin bikini from"1 Million BC" -- and it's so obviously meant to be titillating, sincewe are intended to think she is totally naked underneath this skimpygarment (and while riding a horse...OUCH). Later on, Hannie acquires apair of very very tight deerskin trousers, also absurd for a woman ofthat era. (Let's just make this clear -- in the 19th century, womenabsolutely never ever wore pants or men's clothing. Period.)Putting that aside though, the storyline is intriguing. Hannie'shusband is killed and she is raped by a gang of sleazy thugs (StrotherMartin, Ernest Borgnine etc.) who burn down her cabin and all herpossessions. She is rescued by Thomas Price, a bounty hunter played byRobert Culp. This is an unexpected turn by Culp (I, Spy), and a verynice one -- he's extremely appealing and makes for a different sort ofromantic hero, especially with his glasses. After some initialcoldness, he warms up to Hannie and helps her on her mission of revenge(while warning her of it's ultimate futility). Culp & Welch are not aromantic pair you'd expect and maybe because of that, it really works. From the standpoint of the 21st century, I don't feel the overall plotgives enough weight to the rape as a catalyst for Hannie's actions.It's a horrific rape and presented as such, but then Hannie isencouraged to forget about it and find happiness with Thomas Price.Anyone who has ever lived through a rape or studied the aftereffects ofsuch an experience, recognizes this as a naive and simplistic solution.Also, Hannie seems overly dependent on Price to teach her and doeverything for her, and only comes into her own in the last 20 minutesof the film.Still and all, how often do you see a Western with a strong,interesting female protagonist? NOT VERY. Even good modern Westerns,such as "Unforgiven" or "Open Range" feature very passive females intraditional roles such as prostitute or schoolmarm. "Hannie Caulder" isactually ABOUT a female character and her experiences and as such, it'sa rare bird.It would be very interesting to see this remade today with a littleless cheesecake (Raquel in her poncho) and a little more psychologicalawareness of a rape victim's emotional state. At any rate, it kept meinterested throughout and compared to other westerns of it's period, Ithink "Hannie Caulder" is above average. Look for Christopher Lee in arare, non-horror cameo as a gun maker.

(14 May 2013)

Reel Garbage

This review is from: Hannie Caulder [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) These film companies are getting cheaper and cheaper. Blu-Ray and no subtitles OR sound. Very bloody, the crappy red blood that doesn't look like real blood. A goood cast wasted on a crappy predictable movie. I sure could have done without this one. I'm going to have to start reading the bottom revues first, the ones where the truth lies.

ferbs54 (10 May 2013)

"A Malodorous Triple-Scoop Of Pond Scum"

In the third of what might be considered Raquel Welch's Western trilogy(1968's "Bandolero!," 1969's "100 Rifles" and the picture in questionhere, 1971's "Hannie Caulder"), we find the late-'60s' foremost sexgoddess in very fine form indeed, despite the absence of bikinis, furlined or otherwise. "Hannie Caulder" is a British picture that wasfilmed in Spain, though set in the American Southwest and Mexico; doesits best to emulate an Italian spaghetti Western; and has as its star awoman of mixed Bolivian/Irish descent. (I will give your mind a momentto absorb this international stew while I fondly reminisce on thejolting impact that Raquel Welch had on the puberties of millions of usbaby boomer boys, by dint of her appearances in such mid-'60s films as"One Million Years B.C." and "Fathom.") In the '71 picture, Raquel (asthe end credits inform us) IS Hannie Caulder, the wife of a rancher,whose life takes an abrupt turn for the worse when the bumbling ClemensBrothers--Emmett, Frank and Rufus (played, respectively, by ErnestBorgnine, Jack Elam and Strother Martin)--fleeing from a botchedholdup, kill her man, gang rape her, burn down her home and leave herfor dead. Fortunately for the widow Caulder, she soon makes theacquaintance of Thomas Luther Price, a renowned bounty hunter(supremely well played by Robert Culp), who reluctantly teaches her thearts of shooting and the quick draw. Thus, before long, Hannie issuitably prepared to ride down the ol' vengeance trail....Though "Hannie Caulder" tells what is in essence a simple story, it isat least a compact one, with little flab. The picture is quite gorgeousto look at (and no, I'm not referring to Raquel here), with stunningscenery and color; a handsome production, to be sure, largely due, Isuppose, to producer Patrick Curtis (Welch's husband at the time). Thefilm sports a wonderful Western theme, thanks to Ken Thorne, anddirector Burt Kennedy (who had previously helmed such popular oaters as"The War Wagon," "Support Your Local Sheriff" and its follow-up,"Support Your Local Gunfighter," and the Frank Sinatra Western "DirtyDingus Magee") adds some imaginative touches (I love that POV shot downa rifle's double barrel!). As for Hannie's nemeses, although the"Maltin Movie Guide" refers to the Clemens Brothers' antics as "ThreeStooges"-like, I prefer the description of them to be found in thewonderful film book "DVD Delirium 3": "a malodorous triple-scoop ofpond scum"! Still, without their shenanigans, this film would bevirtually devoid of humor, although Moe, Larry and Curly were never asseriously nasty and violent as this trio. (The film, by the way, DOESget fairly violent at times, with lots of spurting red stuff; Peckinpahmight have been pleased with it.) It must be added that althoughRacky's acting is just fine here, she really doesn't get to stretch herthesping abilities all that much, and her sexuality is de-emphasizedbehind an Eastwoodesque poncho (although her shrunk-to-fit leatherbreeches do look pretty hot on her). Still, the lady looks great; she'dlook good in burlap sacking, of course, and still, remarkably, looksfantastic today, a full 40 years later. By default, it is RobertCulp--here three years after his three-year stint on TV's "I Spy"--asthe bearded, bespectacled but supercool bounty hunter who easily walksaway with the film's acting honors; he is simply terrific. Besides hisalways welcome presence, "Hannie Caulder" gives us a nice supportingrole by Christopher Lee as an extremely talented gunsmith, as well as'50s sex goddess Diana Dors doing a cameo as a bloated bordello madame.In all, a pretty darn good Western, with a satisfying resolution. If"Bandolero!" taught us that it is not a good idea to force your "sexualfavors" on a Mexican woman who is anywhere near a six-shooter, "HannieCaulder" drives home a similar message threefold...with a vengeance!

(09 May 2013)

Saddle up!

Fast moving western, entertainingly played by Welch and Culp. The villains here are alternately cruel and stupid, so the film teeters uncomfortably between aspirations of a serious western and a spoof. This is one of those pictures where the music has been mixed for maximum volume, rendering much of the dialogue incomprehensible.

Scott LeBrun (06 May 2013)

"Win or lose, you lose, Hannie Caulder".

Raquel Welch stars as the title character in this lively, oddballWestern that alternates between a serious tone and a comedic one. Ms.Welch, who looks MIGHTY fine throughout, has her life forever alteredby the villainous Clemens brothers. They kill her husband, take turnsraping her, then burn down her house! Hannie becomes coldly determinedto exact vengeance upon them, and keeps pestering bounty hunter ThomasLuther Price (Robert Culp) to teach her the fine art of shootin'.Eventually, he agrees. The movie has an extremely intriguing pedigree:it's produced by the British company Tigon, was shot in Spain, and wasdirected by American Western specialist Burt Kennedy ("The War Wagon","Support Your Local Sheriff!"). Not only that, but it actually playsits nasty bad guys for laughs much of the time, and Ernest Borgnine (asEmmett), Jack Elam (as Frank), and Strother Martin (as Rufus) arepriceless as they spend much of their time bickering with each other;Martin is particularly funny. This thing gets off to one Hell of agreat start by coming up with a unique way to view a bank robbery:through the barrels of a shotgun! Superb widescreen photography(cinematography by Edward Scaife, camera-work by John Harris),beautiful scenery, and soaring music by Ken Thorne only add to the funfactor. Welch is quite easy to watch, and Culp, in one of his best everroles, is excellent as the reluctant teacher. Diana Dors is wasted in anothing role as a madame, but there's still great curiosity value inseeing Sir Christopher Lee here, as he plays Bailey, the kindlygunsmith who lives out in the middle of nowhere; his performance iswonderful. Look also for Aldo Sambrell, uncredited as a Mexicansoldier, and Stephen Boyd, who has perhaps the most interesting role inthe entire movie, as the mysterious and ultimately helpful "preacher".He utters not a word, yet has an undeniable presence. A jaunty pace andgenerous doses of the red stuff help to make this a solid visceralentertainment. Quotable dialogue includes the gem "There are no hardwomen, only soft men." Clocking in at a trim 86 minutes, "HannieCaulder" doesn't overstay its welcome, or ever get too draggy. It'ssexy, violent, and a real hoot, and one of the influences on QuentinTarantino's pair of "Kill Bill" films. Eight out of 10.

Nozz (06 May 2013)

The loving attention of Burt Kennedy

Okay, it's a black comedy. But it's a movie full of love because Burt Kennedy makes everyone look good. His camera treats nobody and nothingdismissively. Robert Culp, with a selflessnessthat we wish could be taken for granted in thereal world, wants to teach Raquel Welch how touse a gun. But just a moment, we need a suitablegun for a woman, so let's go to the gunsmith andwatch as the gun is manufactured. What other movieever thought to tip its hat respectfully to thecraft of gunsmithing? Kennedy seems, like Chaucer,capable of conveying enthusiasm about everythinghe sees.

(05 May 2013)

Hannie Caulder

This review is from: Hannie Caulder [VHS] (VHS Tape) A classic western from the 70's with two unusual actors or actresses, Rachquel Welch & Robert Culp.Mission and plot of the movie is simple. The acting between the par is very good. Why and when to seek vengance is a good story line. I like it in westerns but not in the current action movies as much.It seems to be over used in Hollywood now. The movie doesn't disappoint. I'd rate it 4 out of 5 starsfor the above comments. I especially like finding actors or actresses that did one or two westerns andlook for their product on film. I say own this one.

(05 May 2013)

Another One Of Raquel Welch Great Films

I when I saw this movie I was hesitant about buying because I could picture Raquel Welch being in a western. Boy was I wrong! Raquel Welch played the role of Hannie Caulder living in a small house with here husband. Ernest Borginine, Jack Elam and Rufus Clemens play the role of three ruthless cowboys. When the 3 brothers pay Hannie Caulder visit things turn ugly and Hannie sets out for revenge. Enter Robert Culp who plays the role Thomas Luther Price a bounty hunter who takes Hannie under his wing. Price teaches Hannie how to shoot a gun and that's when things start to get interesting. If you're a Raquel fan you'll enjoy this different but none the less great movie. The movie starts out slow but shifts into hide gear not long after it starts.

(03 May 2013)

Robert Culp was "HOT" in this Western

The brothers (played by Strother Martin, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Elam)as mentioned in other reviews, are "slap stick" at times. Welch's make-up was too heavy for the time period, and her dress un-buttoned down her navel while she is cooking, was a bit much. With all that it is still a very good movie and Robert Culp's best acting. He could teach me to shoot a gun anytime!One of the better Welch movies, I have this on VHS and have watched it over and over!

helpless_dancer (02 May 2013)

Fun western

One of the better shoot-em-ups I've seen. Welch turned in her usuallackluster performance as the female version of Josey Wales, but Culp andthe Clemens boys kept things moving right along. Borgnine, Elam, & Martinwere superb as the hilarious, yet dangerous "3 Stooges" villains. Theirslapstick antics had me rolling in the floor more than once. Why did thesilent gunfighter hang around the old prison all the time? Where did hesleep, what did he do all day? Who kept his clothes so nicely pressed? Lotsof holes in this one, but a thoroughly enjoyable western.

Clayton Cramer (01 May 2013)

thoughtful and entertaining

I won't spoil the plot--but I will tell you that it surprised me in at least one place--a bit of realism taking away a Hollywood happy ending. It is never hard to look at Raquel Welch, but she did a fine job of portraying a woman struggling with the desire for vengeance. Robert Culp has been one of my favorite actors since I Spy, and he does a spectacular job of portraying a man haunted by guilt, but trapped in a job that adds to it. Ernest Borgnine plays the leader of a small band of outlaws who are funny in their incompetence--but truly evil, and who deserve much worse than death. If ten years ago you had asked me the probability of an 1870s gunsmith working in the middle of nowhere, making guns from scratch, I would have laughed at the possibility. My research on the Bellesiles scandal now leads me to believe that the gunsmith portrayed in the movie would be unlikely, but not impossible. I'm impressed how many gunsmith were still making a living producing percussion firearms in the 1880s, well after metallic cartridge guns should have made percussion firearms unsellable. One nice touch to the film is the training sequences, and the moral issues that vengeance raises. The hero is trying his best to talk the heroine out of vengeance, yet the film does not engage in silly pacifism. It clearly distinguishes self-defense from vengeance.

in-the-fade (30 April 2013)

Saddled up for revenge!

Three outlaw brothers rob a bank and happen upon a ranch where theyaggressively raped the lady of the house and murder her husband in coldblood. Wanting revenge, Hannie Caulder comes across a bounty hunter whoshe constantly begs to help her and after some time he decides to teachher how to be a gunfighter so she can gun down those responsible.This British shot at a copy-and-paste spaghetti westerner mainly setsitself out from the pack, because its protagonist is a gun-toutingwoman hell-bent on blood shed, while sporting nothing much but a skimpyponcho and being strapped up in some tight pants. Which no doubt canbe, quite a delightful sight! "Hannie Caulder" is an engaging andrather solid western drama that delivers gritty and spirited actionspurts where the red stuff runs freely, fruitful characters (well,mainly the three vulgar brothers), a melodramatic script plays it toughwith it's highly witty and quite cheeky humour and how can you go passa small, but neat role by the iconic Christopher Lee playing agun-maker.While, the main story is about Raquel Welch's character building up asteady rapport with Robert Culp's gunslinger and then putting hertraining to good use. I actually found it more interesting when thetale was focusing on the barbaric brothers' and their comicalinterplay. Ernst Borgnine, Strother Martin and Jack Elam were sturdy intheir hammy roles and they aren't likable characters, but they do givethe film its biting personality. Welch's at the helm performance isfine, but it's her irresistible presence that really shines through.Culp is surprisingly good and quite believable in the drifter role.Although there's one really vague character, which enters the arenaplayed by the harden Stephen Boyd as The Preacher. His inclusion for mewas rather baffling and more of a coincidence to the story. I was justexpecting more to come from this aspect of the story, since hischaracter made a somewhat a forcible opening appearance. The plot'slayout is a simple revenge story that truly gets on with it and movesback and forth between the two groups, giving enough screen time toeach. But it doesn't go into any real depth about Hannie's horrificexperience or character development.The gallant direction by Burt Kennedy rallies up some thrillingshowdowns like that of the grand standoff in a deserted fort and theillustrated rape scene is really intense. Throughout Kennedy manages tobuild up a sense of urgency and also adding a fair share of piercingvisuals that contrast beautifully with the picturesque backdrop thatfinds its way in mostly every frame. This is captured by EdwardScaife's stylishly fluent and at times rather inspired photography.Even the rip-roaring music score by Ken Thorne escalates enough quickdraws and sudden lively cues. The score is nothing overtly memorable,but it does its job."Hannie Caulder" isn't groundbreaking, but this intriguing sharpshooter is better than the norm.

(29 April 2013)

Burt Kennedy's Hannie Caulder

The "rape revenge" story has been told many times in the past, but I doubt few films have ever portrayed it with comedic elements.The villainous trio of Ernest Borgnine, Jack Elam, and Strother Martin can never seem to rob banks right. After another failed attempt, they happen upon Raquel Welch after they murder her husband in cold blood. After raping her, they leave her for dead, burning down her home. She escapes wearing just a blanket, and meets up with bounty hunter Robert Culp. He agrees to show her how to shoot, so she can exact her revenge. Her gunfighting technique is tested when she helps Culp fight off bandits while they are visiting Christopher Lee, a gunsmith who fashions Caulder a custom revolver. Eventually, Culp and Welch meet up with the three villains, and a lot of people die.To highlight the good first, Robert Culp is such a natural actor, it is a shame he has had to resort to trash like the "Silent Night, Deadly Night" series as of late. His Thomas Price character is sympathetic and tough, without being another superhero cowboy who never gets hurt or never has a feeling. Christopher Lee is a revelation as the gunsmith Bailey. Taken out of his usual horror film, he shows he can really act without having to pop fangs in his mouth or wrap himself in toilet paper and limp after turn of the century archaeologists. His role is brief, but good. Burt Kennedy, a veteran Western director, knows his stuff. The gunfight at Lee's home is as well shot as any action sequence today, without relying on special effects or CGI. The obligatory romance between Welch and Culp is also handled very well, as they tentatively fall for each other.The three brother rapists, played by the usually reliable Martin, Elam, and Borgnine, are written like they just stepped out of a Marx Brothers or Three Stooges movie. They spend most of their scenes either arguing like five year olds, or blowing innocent people away. As a viewer, you already hate them enough for their crimes without the screenwriter having to resort to weak "funny" scenes to show how awful they are. I was not sure if this was a drama, or a weak Western comedy along the lines of "Dirty Dingus Magee," especially when the soundtrack sometimes does the "funny music," accentuating the "funny" rapists' actions.Poor Raquel Welch. She is gorgeous, but the director and writer did not have enough confidence in her to fully write a character for her. In her first few scenes, she does not have any dialogue! Most of her scenes involve a peek-a-boo game of showing various parts of her body without resorting to full nudity. Fine for a comedy, but I did not think we should be ogling a recent rape victim and widow.The introduction of a mysterious man in black (no, not Johnny Cash) to help Caulder was probably supposed to bathe the film in an air of mysticism, but the stunt feels weak and half thought out. His presence is never explained, as if the writer wanted the viewer to draw their own conclusions. As Welch begins gunning for her prey, she keeps having flashbacks to her rape and hearing Culp's advice in her ears during the gunfights. The screenwriter hits us over the head with this over and over again, but decides we are smart enough to analyze a character who shows up for no other reason than to get Welch out of a jam. Poor judgement on the writer's part.Due to the aforementioned positives, I do slightly recommend "Hannie Caulder," but do not watch this for a positive Western female role model. This is definitely a chauvinistic idea of a vengeful, beautiful female gunfighter.This is rated (R) for some physical violence, strong gun violence, strong sexual violence, gore, profanity, very brief female nudity, and sexual references.

Sean Axmaker (29 April 2013)

... a confused hybrid pulled in all directions.