HUNTING PARTY, THE
A British attempt to imitate an Italian western by shooting it in Spain and splattering blood all over the countryside. Gene Hackman plays a millionaire rancher who goes away on a hunting trip with some of his friends. While he is gone, Oliver Reed and his gang kidnap Hackman's wife, Candice Bergen, mistaking her for the schoolteacher Reed has planned to coerce into teaching him to read. When Hackman gets back and learns of his wife's abduction, he goes out looking for the kidnappers with his high-powered hunting rifle. Slowly, he guns down the gang from long distance, until only Bergen and Reed are left. Bergen has fallen in love with Reed by this point, and Hackman’s jealousy leads to a shocking conclusion. The producers brought in two Italians - musician Riz Ortolani and cinematographer Cecilio Paniagua to help create the Euro flavor. Also stars Simon Oakland, G.D Spradlin, L.Q. Jones and Ronald Howard. Directed by Don Medford. (1971) In English.