Troublemakers / Botte di Natale (Terence Hill, 1994)

Last film with Terence Hill and Bud Spencer together and one of the last spaghetti westerns made. I’ve never seen this film and liked to hear opinions about it cause I noticed there’s finally dvd release from Spain, in widescreen and with english audio. So, I guess I got to get that.

I’ve heard that this was going to be third Trinity film but for legal reasons they couldn’t use the original names. Too bad.


For more info visit:
Database page: Botte di Natale - The Spaghetti Western Database

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I got myself a U.S DVD on image but it was fullscreen, i thought it was shit and i don’t know if watching it letterboxed will do it any justice, in my honest opinion they were better off not reteaming up for this movie.

The film has it’s moments, some funny scenes and also big nostalgic value to just see Hill & Spencer doing a western again. But, alas the script is plagued by the christmas-/kid’s movie spirit which was absent from the old Hill & Spencer flicks. The terrible christmas ending and the sentimental snake-bite scene made me almost puke.

Too bad that almost same time Clucher made his Sons of Trinity which was better made film and more close to originals but he had such a lame actors in the lead. I can just imagine how much better film this would have been if Clucher had directed it.

This is a reteaming of Hill and Spencer that marked the 25th anniversary of the Trinity Films. For some reason Clucher and Spencer/Hill had sometype of a parting and both made separate films. If you take the film as an homage to the two actors you can get through it. By now Hill had become so enamored with the wholesome family comedy films that any sharp edges from the old SW genre have been completely filed away. Too bad, as this is more in the realm of Hill’s “Lucky Luke” series with most of the actors used in this film were part of the TV series.

Backround of these two films as I have heard it:

Barboni, upon hearing that Troublemakers was in pre-production wanted to direct it and contacted Terence Hill but he wanted to direct it himself. Barboni was very bitter for this as he thought that he was the man behind Trinity films and the one who made Hill & Spencer duo so famous. Trinity & Bambino: The Legend Lives On (aka Sons of Trinity… what a nonsense title! They are not both sons of Trinity in the film!) is Barboni’s answer to Troublemakers, the true sequel to two Hill & Spencer films according to him. Knowing that Hill & Barboni were not in best of terms I suspect that Barboni has (had) copyrights for Trinity series and that he prevented Hill from using those names on Troublemakers. It seems very logical thing for him to to do in such case.

Anyway, Trinity & Bambino is better of the two IMHO. Lead actors are not great but they do their job and the films has real “Trinity feel” to it, which is not the case with Troublemakers. I don’t think that Barboni could have saved Toublemakers because overtly sentimental scenes ruin much of it regardless of director. But to see Trinity & Bambino with Hill & Spencer on starring roles… it would have been the best Trinity film for sure!

I suspected something like this.

I once watch an Brazilian dubbed version, not many memories left.
I don’t believe that Spencer did its own dub in that version, but I watch some stuff in Youtube.com and he actually speaks Portuguese very well (didn’t know till then that he lived some years in Brazil).

This is for those who understand a little of Portuguese:

Intro:

«Acostumados a bater em todo mundo na “sessão da Tarde”, o grandalhão Bud Spenger e o galã Terence Hill não deixaram por menos. Encheram “Os Trapalhões” de porrada. Os heróis do “Trinity” estavam no Brasil para as filmagens do longa “Eu, você, ele e os outros” e aproveitaram para fazer uma participação no programa. Após uma longa entrevista, Didi desasfia os 2 atores americanos e sobrou porra para todo quarteto. Teve cadeira quebrada na cabeça e tudo.»[i]
Video:

[quote=“p.pereira, post:8, topic:225”]This is for those who understand a little of Portuguese:

Intro:

«Acostumados a bater em todo mundo na “sessão da Tarde”, o grandalhão Bud Spenger e o galã Terence Hill não deixaram por menos. Encheram “Os Trapalhões” de porrada. Os heróis do “Trinity” estavam no Brasil para as filmagens do longa “Eu, você, ele e os outros” e aproveitaram para fazer uma participação no programa. Após uma longa entrevista, Didi desasfia os 2 atores americanos e sobrou porra para todo quarteto. Teve cadeira quebrada na cabeça e tudo.»[i]
Video:

A bit too fast for me, the sound isn’t too clear either
Listened to the first three minutes, lost track of what was being said when those other guys joined Spencer and started talking to him. I’ll try later with a headphone.

Portuguese is beautiful; a Portuguese teacher I know (she’s from Lisbon, still has an apartment overthere) says there’s no such thing as Spanish: that’s just bad Portuguese

Spencer seems to speak the language rather well

Well: same origins, different evolution.

Bud Spencer has a very good Brazilian accent. In the interview he talks about the years we worked and lived in Recife. Since the interview were made by “Trapalhões” (old comic show very popular in Brazil and Portugal) they end up in a good old Hill/Spencer fight. Very funny, indeed good memories. God bless Youtube!

Not to serious one. Out of the more recent Hill westerns I would say this is the most family based. Due to the amount of children in the film, and Spencer’s style of fighting. Hill does not look much older in the more recent Doc West ( which I prefer to this one ). Spencer as older than Hill, is looking a little older. Spencer is really huge in this and combined with fur style jacket he wears, he reminds me of Big Bird in some shots. Strictly for loyal fans of the pair who want to see them goon around a bit again, aswell as eat one or two beans from time to time.

I love this film. I’m going to watch it again since it’s Christmas. :slight_smile:

This movie’s page in the SWDb has been updated to the new layout. Please let me know if there’s any mistakes, and do submit any info, facts, links, texts or images.

On that note, I am due for a rewatch of this.

New poll for this movie at the top of the page under the original post! :arrow_up: :cowboy_hat_face:

Seems like a 4K UHD will arrive in Italy soon.
https://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Botte_di_Natale/BluRay

Does anyone know why Cecchi Gori father and son are on the poster? Which of their companies distributed?

Cecchi Gori Group.

yes most likely but I can’t find them credited anywhere really… and wikipedia Italy lists something else for domestic distribution. might it have been a TV deal that got their names involved?

Cinematografo.it database

Screenshot from italiataglia.it
Screenshot 2024-01-23 at 17-08-07 Italia Taglia

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Thanks. I already see a big new project for the SWDb called “business data” :wink: