Gian Rocco was born Gian Andrea Rocco in Rovigno, Istria, in 1927, and this was his last of the three movies he directed.
From an Italian site that no longer exists, a testimony from Nicoletta Machiavelli about her horse and love scenes in the movie:
«Yorgo Voyagis was an actor and the horse handler for the film, and he had chosen for me the big horse Bimbo, a gentle and good-nature horse that galloped at a slower speed than the others. I tried to be a good rider, even if that sideways position was extremely uncomfortable. I had to learn to pull the colt out of the garter while I held the reins with the other hand, and Bimbo galloped. On that studded western saddle, my fishnet stockings didn't protect my poor legs, so many bruises in the evening, and what pain! The veil of my hat sometimes blocked the view. But thanks to Yorgo, who encouraged me and with his strong Roman accent, told me every morning how beautiful I was and how good I was, and the horse scenes were successful.
I remember the first morning when, after Bimbo had started a gentle trot, with Yorgo riding parallel to me, very close, told me to insert the heels of my boots into the sides of the horse, and Bimbo galloped off. The leap scared me, I lost my hat, but Yorgo was there encouraging me: "Well done, well done, bend over in front, let go, squeeze your knees tight..." After a few minutes I was exhilarated: the wind in my face, the sensation of speed and that of being one with the running animal, the impression of having finally learned. Shortly afterwards, when I was standing still, I laughed a lot. One of the few laughs of that dark period of my life.
Yorgo, on the other hand, was love at first sight: beautiful, warm, soft and affectionate, he came for a period of two weeks and we just met. At the end of his stay, we shot a love scene together, in a stable used as a film studio, with bed and everything. In the crew, those who worked on that scene, including stagehands, electricians and make-up artists, certainly enjoyed the flavor of what was in reality between the two of us. Even my mother told me: "You look so good together, you should really think about it," knowing full well that my cruel and vile boyfriend was watching everything and would never leave me. I was his golden goose. Yorgo also had a beautiful redhead girl who one day arrived from Rome and raised such a big trouble... Life, however, put us back together a few years later, in that blessed year of 1969 which changed my life along with that of many others...»
«Yorgo Voyagis was an actor and the horse handler for the film, and he had chosen for me the big horse Bimbo, a gentle and good-nature horse that galloped at a slower speed than the others. I tried to be a good rider, even if that sideways position was extremely uncomfortable. I had to learn to pull the colt out of the garter while I held the reins with the other hand, and Bimbo galloped. On that studded western saddle, my fishnet stockings didn't protect my poor legs, so many bruises in the evening, and what pain! The veil of my hat sometimes blocked the view. But thanks to Yorgo, who encouraged me and with his strong Roman accent, told me every morning how beautiful I was and how good I was, and the horse scenes were successful.
I remember the first morning when, after Bimbo had started a gentle trot, with Yorgo riding parallel to me, very close, told me to insert the heels of my boots into the sides of the horse, and Bimbo galloped off. The leap scared me, I lost my hat, but Yorgo was there encouraging me: "Well done, well done, bend over in front, let go, squeeze your knees tight..." After a few minutes I was exhilarated: the wind in my face, the sensation of speed and that of being one with the running animal, the impression of having finally learned. Shortly afterwards, when I was standing still, I laughed a lot. One of the few laughs of that dark period of my life.
Yorgo, on the other hand, was love at first sight: beautiful, warm, soft and affectionate, he came for a period of two weeks and we just met. At the end of his stay, we shot a love scene together, in a stable used as a film studio, with bed and everything. In the crew, those who worked on that scene, including stagehands, electricians and make-up artists, certainly enjoyed the flavor of what was in reality between the two of us. Even my mother told me: "You look so good together, you should really think about it," knowing full well that my cruel and vile boyfriend was watching everything and would never leave me. I was his golden goose. Yorgo also had a beautiful redhead girl who one day arrived from Rome and raised such a big trouble... Life, however, put us back together a few years later, in that blessed year of 1969 which changed my life along with that of many others...»
The film opens with a graffiti on a wall, «Que viva Mexico», that recalls Eisenstein's early movie ¡Que viva Mexico! (1932).
Titles during the opening scene: «Mexico, 1867. After Maximilian of Augsburg, the French troops of Napoleon III, disembark.
Between the invading French troops and the freedom fighter groups led by Benito Juarez, Mexican hero, starts a bloody war.
In the midst of the war chaos, all sorts of adventurers live: arms dealers, gamblers, spies, smugglers... »
In 2011, a fan of Nicoletta Machiavelli arranged for an evening to homage her, during which she had the opportunity to meet her friend Marisa Solinas who was her co-star in the film, and whom see not seen again after 44 years. A photo documents how both women were pleased - and still beautiful.