Get Mean (1975)

Interesting facts

Get Mean, also known as Beat a Dead Horse, Vengeance of the Barbarians and The Stranger Gets Mean, is a 1975 Italian-American Spaghetti Western film directed by Ferdinando Baldi and starring Tony Anthony, Lloyd Battista, Raf Baldassarre, Diana Lorys and Mirta Miller. It is the final sequel to A Stranger in Town, with Anthony reprising the role of "The Stranger."

Production

Producer and Actor Tony Anthony had made the decision to shake up his character after not being sure where else to go with them by putting them in a strange land, noting that it had to be "off the wall" to not only surprise people, but to fit with his character. Putting The Stranger out of his element, having him only be driven by money would fit his motivations and interests well.

Co-writer and Actor Lloyd Battista convinced Anthony to let him play a hunchback in the style of King Richard, due to Battista's love of the character, and the writings of Shakespeare.

Director Ferdinando Baldi used his previous experience as a college professor with an expertise in famous battles to shoot the battle between the Barbarians and the Moors. Previously, Baldi had worked on Ben Hur, directing action sequences within the film. Due to budget restraints, the battle scenes were shot using the same horses and the same actors, changing costumes in between takes.

Anthony was able to start filming with $50,000 of his own money, eventually taking a loan of another $50,000 from Baldi to finance the film.

Get Mean was filmed on location in Spain in the spring of 1975, with the western ghost town being shot at Mini Hollywood. The castle used for the film was Alcazaba of Almería, in southern Spain, and the site of the Trials of Death was shot in the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial.

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