There’s no soundtrack available and the title song by Ms. Redgrave only appears on the “Don’t Turn the Other Cheek” copy.
THANKS TOM 
Lol, I got this movie merely to complete my collection, but after watching it, I quite liked it. Yeah, it had weak scenario, direction is not its bright side, but come on, it is a good comedy. Low-budget rivoluzione western comedy, well, considering it like that, it gets 3 stars from me (only cause of Franco Nero - always a different stranger)
I haven’t seen the movie, but this has to be one of the best movie titles ever. I’m almost disappointed to learn it’s a comedy. A serious movie with this title would be awesome.
Another of my favorite titles is If You Meet Sartana, Pray For Your Death, so I suppose for me it’s the phrase “your death” that makes a title wonderful.
[quote=“Stanton, post:28, topic:461”]About What am I Doing… you can say the same of course. But it’s a more serious film about the revolution, while most of the 70s SWs located in the revolution only used it as background for over-the-top adventure films.
As far as I know Corbucci was the original choose for the director’s chair of Long Live YD, and it was of course the next star vehicle for the redesigned Nero. I also read somewhere that it was intended to be a successor to Companeros, it was made by some of the same producers and screenplay writers. And it fits the downward trend perfectly. Tessari’s direction is good, but far from being brillant and the story is much more superficial than Companeros.
The german title is btw “Two Wild Companeros”. They also co-produced both films.[/quote]
That makes sense. On paper, this one with Nero as a gringo teaming up with a bandit during the Mexican revolution seems like the third part of Corbucci’s revolution trilogy. Upon watching, it very clearly isn’t a Corbucci film.
However, upon watching “What am I doing in the Middle of the Revolution”, it is very quickly apparent that this is the third part of Corbucci’s trilogy due to its very similar style to “The Mercenary” and “Companeros”.
Yes, couple of interesting revelations here: Wallach came up with the English title “Don’t Turn the Other Cheek!”; Wallach was originally slated for Milian’s role in “The White, the Yellow and the Black”.
Database comment:
In the early 70s many SW directors were not sure anymore if they should take their stories seriously or not. Generally a lighthearted action movie with crooks and revolutionaries, Viva La Muerte… Tua! turns some scenes of its treasure hunt story, without any necessity, into unapt comedy. Apart from that it is a lavishly produced star movie which looks sometimes a bit too calculated and therefore lacks freshness. But in the best scenes Duccio Tessari, who replaced Sergio Corbucci for this Companeros follow up, showed at least that he was still a fine director for westerns.
It’s a good one. Having said that, I think in English I prefer Wallach’s title of “Don’t Turn the Other Cheek” - it’s clever and fits the comedic tone better
I am quite sure this is the case, however do you have a specific reference confirming this Stanton?
I think that the film is generally well directed (but not on the level of Corbucci), but somehow isn’t really convincing as a whole. It gives me the impression that Tessari was maybe not really interested in making it. The switches to plain comedy in a few scenes are another problem.
The action scenes are well handled, but surely not as brilliant as Corbucci made them for The Mercenary and Companeros.
Well, if Tessari was really interested in the genre he surely would have made more westerns between the Ringo films and this one. It’s sad he didn’t.
As I have watched it half a year ago, I can’t go into the details without checking it again.
I was thinking of a book or something with a comment by Tessari or Corbucci confirming that Corbucci was originally slated to directed this one.
I’ve found the reference. It’s a comment from a Mickey Knox interviewhttp://www.fistful-of-leone.com/articles/knox.html:
[i] As far as we can see from the books, your works with the Spaghetti Western world didn't finish after Leone. Can you tell us somethings about your career apart from Leone films?[/i]Oh yes, I was the executive producer of the film, originally called ‘Viva la Muerta Dua’ (a.k.a. Long Live Your Death), starring Eli Wallach, Lynn Redgrave, and Franco Nero (directed by Duccio Tessari in 1971). Wallach played a dirty Mexican bandit.
You mentioned in your previous interview that Franco Nero didn’t want to work with Sergio Corbucci, because Corbucci showed most of his attention to the other actor in a previous film.
Ah yes, Tomas Milian was the other leading star in the film, called “Companeros”, and when I said to Franco that I wanted to get Sergio Corbucci as the director, he said “I won’t work with him”. I said “but he’s the best for our movie”, he said “oh no, no he snubbed me all through the picture, and he gave all of his attention to Tomas”. I said “come on, what are you talking about? I know Sergio Corbucci, and he’s a very nice man”. He said “yes, but…”. I don’t know, I guess something must have happened. I have a feeling that something came up between Tomas and Franco, and Sergio decided in favor of Tomas. But, he (Franco) regretted it later.
There is at least one h u g e difference between this one and The Mercenary, Companeros, Bullet for the General and the other Zapata/Tortilla Westerns (Mexican Revolution-set films) save Giu’ la Testa. Perhaps Wallach summed it up best in his pre-firing squad speech: “For those who love freedom no idol is necessary. For those who don’t no idol is sufficient.”
And nobody is dressed up as Che Guevara in Viva La Muerte… Tua…
I would call it more a parody of the Corbucci Zapatas (or an adventure film) rather than a comedy. Comedies usually don’t have an extremely high body count. And there is just as much goofiness and humor in Companeros. (This film is #14 and Companeros is #15 in my Top 20.)
[quote=“Major Clyde, post:91, topic:461”]There is at least one h u g e difference between this one and The Mercenary, Companeros, Bullet for the General and the other Zapata/Tortilla Westerns (Mexican Revolution-set films) save Giu’ la Testa. Perhaps Wallach summed it up best in his pre-firing squad speech: “For those who love freedom no idol is necessary. For those who don’t no idol is sufficient.”
And nobody is dressed up as Che Guevara in Viva La Muerte… Tua…
I would call it more a parody of the Corbucci Zapatas or an adventure film rather than a comedy. There is just as much goofiness in Companeros. (This film is #14 and Companeros is #15 in my Top 20.)[/quote]
I think I have to have alook at your top20… 
Some scenes seem to lack “immediacy.” They somehow feel “farther away.” Surely the perfunctory scene with Nero and his machine gun is less powerful than that in Companeros.
The color scheme is far more subdued than in Companeros.
I think that Tessari is every bit as talented a director as Corbucci, but…
I don’t think that this film is any more “lightweight” than Companeros. I think Alex Cox called it (Companeros) a “leftist pie fight.”
The action scenes are of the frantic, Corbucci variety but lack his strong editing skills for the action scenes.
The finale seems to play ut like a franco Nero action scene vehicle with him grabing a machine gun (ofcourse ::))
Spoiler alert!
One obvious thing is very interesting to me.
We think of many SWs as cynical and amoral. At the end of Companeros, il Pinguino returns to Vasco and the remnants of the Xantistas to face death (or maybe not) at the hands of the arriving regiment of regulares. This is very romantic . At the end of Viva la Muerte… Tua both Losoya and Orlowsky (The Eagle) get the hell out of there and want no part of O’Donnell’s Guatemalan revolution.
What a disappointment this one comes out to be, but I guess was expecting too much from a movie that starts with the wrong premises.
Tessari tried to make a comedy western based in Corbucci Nero films and Petroni’s Tepepa but he sure missed the target. First films like Companeros, The Mercenary Tepepa, although not comedies, have indeed a comedy an absurd element in its genes, so this film for screenwriter’s actors and directors became a even more difficult project.
I guess the director was trying to do something different with this more tongue in cheek approach, back in 71 the genre was already gone full circle, the most interesting western were being made by US director’s, so you either do equal to what have been done before, no surprises but honest and more trivial works, or tried a different approach on SW, being the comic one the most successful, but in any case Tessari made the wrong choices all the way.
To be honest the film isn’t funny, it has some good laughable scenes but that’s about it, and the dramatic insert with Wallach sister, it’s totally out of context, Nero looks strange doing a character he has done before, Wallach looks tired doing himself again, and the all thing look weird from that point of view, most probably with different actors it would have worked out better, What I’m I doing in the middle of the Revolution, not a perfect movie, but works better in that aspect., the late Lynn Redgrave being a fresh face on the genre does go rather well and saves the film from being a total bore, but she was no match to her more talent sister Vanessa. This to say that the France and Wallach performance aren’t bad, just lacked soul like the film. Back in 71 La Revolution was starting to become boring, Che was dead for a long time now, May 68 was already a memory, and the world would notice that could not work without Middle East petrol.
This to say that the film is not a total flop, some cool funny scenes, (Wallach repeating that he wasn’t El Salvador, must have been a inspiration for Monty Python Life of Brian), being nicely filmed and top class actors save the day, but it’s one of those projects that does not accomplish it’s objectives, maybe if watched by someone who is not familiarized with the genre, does not watch SW much or understand and knows the films like we do, maybe for them the film is enjoyable, but not for me.
Three stars no more no less.
Scored this in cheap box set recently under the title of Long Live Your Death; looking forward to seeing it!
Wonder if it is the shorter or longer version, but enjoy anyway.
I have to say that I honestly enjoyed this film; immensely, in fact. I rode right alongside with the story, and felt for the characters and what was going on, for sure. I’ll admit that sometimes the film didn’t know which kind it wanted to be, and varied harshly between tons of violence and comedy, but overall I felt it worked, and I didn’t think the comedic elements took much away from the answers.
I didn’t really care too much for Redgrave-felt like she didn’t really want to be there-but I have to say that I felt this was an enjoyable, action-packed romp.
The quality, as to be expected, was grainy and unfocused at times, but for the most part was decent!
I agree.
This film sets itself apart from most of the Zapata/Tortilla westerns. It was made in 1971 when the genre was shifting to comedy westerns and the (alleged) influence of those seems apparent. Yet, again, Companeros also displays plenty of this-- the banana peel, the monk-disguises, the scene with Pepito Tigrero and so forth. Perhaps Corbucci was, with the comedy, just trying to reach a wide, maybe unsophisticated, audience. Tessari’s film is a parody.
What people say is that the others, for example A Bullet for the General, are “serious and thoughtful.” I strongly dispute that. Do not confuse “serious and thoughtful” with “Communist.” The politics of the Zapata Westerns are actually very, very primitive-- kill the rich, take their property. And never a mention of what comes next…
Il mercenario stands out from that crowd for its deeply humane character, as does La resa dei conti, which I see as a film against injustice and prejudice and not a “revolutionary” film-- who could not be appalled by Brokston? (Some might say Brokston symbolizes “capitalism,” yet do you really think most businessmen are like that? Of course not. It’s a wild exaggeration.) Comparing A Bullet for the General and Il mercenario, we see El Chuncho agreeing to the execution of Don Felipe for the crime of being wealthy. In Corbucci’s film Paco Roman is offended by the demand of the peon to exchange wives and property with the “bourgeois” character and orders the peon executed instead. Striking. Unimaginable in Damiani’s film. (These scenes aren’t accidental…)
In Viva la muerte… tua I think we have an antidote to the bulk of the Zapatas. I’m thinking that Giu’ la testa is the same (I need to re-watch it), although not at all displaying the humor of Tessari’s film. That was the reason why the usual-suspect critics mercilessly attacked Leone’s film-- see the sections in Frayling about this movie and also Alex Cox’s brutal assessment in his book. Cox was so turned off that he criticized Giu’ la testa for historical inaccuracies-- in a Spaghetti Western???
No, I don’t think Viva la muerte … tua is a great film, but I find it enjoyable, and far more cynical (as a good SW should be) than the romantic Companeros. It’s no accident that I have rated them one after the other in my Top 20.