Hannie Caulder (Olive Signature)

When Raquel Welch was at the height of her popularity in the late 1960s and early 70s, studios struggled to find star vehicles that took full advantage of both her looks and the sense of female empowerment she projected. One of her few such leading roles was as the title character in “Hannie Caulder,” an offbeat Western that was a relative box office disappointment when released in 1971. Since then, however, the film has rightfully grown in reputation, with Quentin Tarantino among its champions. It’s one of the better Westerns of that era and perhaps Welch’s best lead role.In “Hannie Caulder,” Welch plays the wife of a remote stagecoach station manager. Three outlaw brothers (Ernest Borgnine, Strother Martin, and Jack Elam) in need of fresh horses kill Welch’s husband, rape her, and burn the station down, leaving her for dead. She recovers, fashioning a poncho to wear out of a blanket that is one of the few items that survive the fire. (The image of Welch in that poncho, which she wears for the rest of the film, is one of the actress’ most iconic.) She is rescued by a bounty hunter (Robert Culp), who helps train her as a gunfighter, although he fears it will destroy her life. She also gets a specially designed pistol from a gunsmith (Christopher Lee) living in near seclusion in Mexico. Eventually, Welch and Culp go in pursuit of the three brothers.If this plot summary sounds familiar, it should. “Hannie Caulder” is essentially a reworking of a Steve McQueen Western, “Nevada Smith,” from a few years earlier, with Welch in the McQueen role. But while McQueen’s pursuit of the men who killed his wife occupied most of “Nevada Smith,” with various dramatic subplots along the way, Welch’s confrontations with the three Clemens brothers are compressed into the last 20 minutes of “Hannie Caulder.” In fact, the entire film is only a brisk 85 minutes long. Yet despite the brief running time, “Hannie Caulder” never feels rushed. Instead, writer/director Burt Kennedy has eliminated any extraneous plot elements and boiled the story down to a straightforward tale of revenge.Although Raquel Welch is top-billed here, Robert Culp shines as a bounty hunter with a conscience. Culp always came across in his films as being highly intelligent, and he patiently schools Welch in the intricacies of gunfighting (all of which come into play during her confrontation with the Clemens brothers). All the while, he tries to talk her out of revenge, not because she might get killed but because it would destroy her inside. Although Culp and Welch don’t exchange a single romantic gesture in the film, they have excellent chemistry. Christopher Lee is also effective in a change-of-pace role for him. This was his only Western, and he plays a surprisingly effective, low-key character.The only real weakness of “Hannie Caulder” is the portrayal of its villains. Burt Kennedy was a Western veteran, both as director and screenwriter, but his films usually had a lighter touch (he wrote and directed “Support Your Local Sheriff” and its sequel). Kennedy makes it very clear in the opening scene that the Clemens brothers are cold-blooded killers and rapists. But he insists on portraying them subsequently as a bumbling group of nitwits, sort of a cross between the Three Stooges and Strother Martin’s gang of bounty hunters in “The Wild Bunch.” The three manage to botch every robbery they pull, making the audience wonder how they make it to the final showdown with Welch. Martin, Elam, and Borgnine are talented comic actors, but their scenes consistently strike the wrong note. Cast Richard Boone and Lee Van Cleef in those roles, and the film would have been much stronger.Fortunately, the rest of Kennedy’s work makes up for this shortsightedness. The script does contain some better-placed comic zingers, such as when Martin tells Welch, “I hear you got real smart since we saw you last.” Welch then replies, “Funny, I didn’t hear the same thing about you.” That’s a line Clint Eastwood could well have muttered in one of his Westerns. The action scenes in “Hannie Caulder” are crisply shot, including one shootout filmed in slow motion. The big set piece occurs when a group of Mexican bandits attacks Culp and Lee at the latter’s house for reasons never disclosed, and the scene includes several good bits of business.“Hannie Caulder” was produced by Welch’s then-husband Patrick Curtis, in conjunction with a British company specializing in Hammer-style horror films (which may explain Christopher Lee). Filmed in Spain, the movie has the look of a spaghetti Western but a distinctly American feel. The filmmakers also knew what audiences wanted to see in a Raquel Welch vehicle, and they put the actress on display repeatedly in her peekaboo poncho. (Welch refused to do nude scenes, so her costuming here involved considerable strategically staged teasing.) In a good touch, Welch has to work her way up to be a stone-cold killer, but when she hits her stride, she exudes the same toughness that any male star might in a similar role. The relative weakness of the movie’s villains prevents “Hannie Caulder” from being a minor classic, but Western fans and Raquel Welch fans will definitely want to give it a look.

Entertaining film with three of the best character actors of their time, Jack Elam, Strother Martin, and Earnest Borgnine as the bad guys who kill Hannie's husband and then rape her and burn her home. There is not much skin shown and the rape scene won't offend young eyes the way it was filmed. Robert Culp is the bounty hunter that finds her and eventually teachers her to use weapons in a gun fight. Raquel is beautiful in this 1972 film made in England and leans toward the spaghetti westerns of that time. She did a fair job, but does not compare in acting to Robert Culp and Elam, Martin, and Borgnine. I enjoyed the film though the script is pretty predictable. Its in color Panavision and worth the time to view it if you haven't seen it. Not a great film, but some where in the 80's or 90's of the best 100 westerns I have seen based on acting, filming, and entertainment I enjoyed. it and got a few chuckles out of the antics of the dim witted bad guys. Light weight entertainment for a lazy afternoon.

Spoiler Alert---You’ve been warned!This movie is by far one of the best movies of the time for the era. Rachel Welch was/is a fine actress. I remember watching this movie when I was younger with my father and those happy memories might be making me biased towards the movie, but this is a movie that really shows love can happen between any type of two people regardless of their social standings. One a mother, raped by bandits and the other a bounty hunter, a killer, but still they grew to love each other and still it is a tragedy what happened between them. It is a shame, Ropert Gultch’s character is killed in the movie, but in the end Hannie gets her revenge on all three brothers who raped her and killed her husband and burned down her farm, but also in the end Gultch’s character, Mr. Price is correct----“win or lose, you lose Hannie Caulder”, because in the end, Hannie becomes a killer herself and it appears in the end she takes up Price’s profession and becomes a bounty hunter and killer just as he was, and the “Man in Black” who came to have his revolver fixed by the man in Mexico probably becomes her partner and lover, although this is “offscreen”. Either way, great movie to watch.

I like Raquel Welch,but this is a simple,R rated movie,cussing and swearing,I expected an entertaining movie,but the unnecessary swearing and gratuitous,senseless violence had me turning off the movie at the 10 min mark.I don t recommend it,I am sorry I wasted my 10.00 on it.Mrs Welch is beautiful as always,so that little bit made it worth it.Ernest Borgine and Strother Martin like I d never seen them before,dissappointing.

A pretty well done western that's really tribute to both the old classic western movies the likes of John Ford, John Wayne and a tribute to the later westerns of Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood. Robert Culp really nails his part as a unusual bounty hunter. Plus, some wonderful character actors you'll recognize and a couple older stars making cameo appearances. More then worth watching.

Three ruthless outlaws Ernest Borgnine, Strother Martin and Jack Elam rape Raquel Welch who then attempts to hunt them down and exact her revenge. She gets help from a bounty hunter played by Robert Culp. It’s definitely not your usual Western.Welch and Culp make a memorable duo. Culp is the mentor to Welch teaching her how to shoot. Welch is the victim and the follower for the first half. Then she finally comes into her own which is a sight to see. The story really reminds me of Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained with Welch being Christopher Waltz and Welch being Jamie Foxx.

After watching this movie on TV and not being too thrilled at the quality of the print I decided to buy it on DVD.Was sort of a good idea the print on the DVd was still not what I would call perfect ,infact the opening and closing titles are in German or Spanish.I this day and age surely it cannot be too difficult to get a decent print of a film thats not even 50 years old. Still watchable though and for the price I paid cannot quibble to much.

A good movie, the villians are fun, the main character is enjoyable to watch, in more ways than one! The movie takes it's time to flesh out her character, we actually see her train to become a gunslinger, something we don't see very often in movies today. It might feel a little dated to some, but still a very entertaining film.

HANNIE CAULDER was an international production, with funds coming from France, Spain, Britain and the USA. The result was an extremely gimmicky spaghetti western, but one of the most entertaining films ever made. The film is loaded with gunfights, chases and cliches. Raquel Welsh looks great as the home steader who is raped and let to die by bungling bandits the Clement brothers (Ernest Borgnine, Jack Elam and Strother Martin). After enlisting the help of the bounty hunter Thomas Price (Culp) to teach her how to shoot, Hannie goes gunning for her attackers. The plot is a very conventional one that is made fresh and new by the performances of Welsh, Culp and especially Strother Martin. My main disappointment was with the disc itself. There are no extras or talent bios or even a chapter menu. Anchor Bay could have done much more.

A interest concept of a picture, the violence and the dialogue is a mixed combination good cast and emotive score and some memorable scenes in a odd UK production from 71 1.85.1 and French dub interesting

At last I found this excellent female revenge western , it's quite brutal for the year it was made surprisingly . My favourite Raquel film she never looked more beautiful and sexy .