In “We call her Trinity”, a parodic masterpiece of the spaghetti western released in France in 1971, Terence Hill swallows a large plaster of beans in record time. A sequence that has become cult, and for which the actor has done in authenticity …
We call her Trinitymasterpiece of parody
In France, it was in 1971 that the public could discover We call her Trinity, pure western spaghetti directed by Enzo Barboni with Terence Hill as Trinita and Bud Spencer as his brother Bambino. The story is simple: a solitary cowboy, Trinita, reputed to be a very good shooter, finds his brother, Bambino, who has taken on the identity of a sheriff. Together, they will protect a community of Mormons against Mexican bandits and a greedy landowner.
We call her Trinity is a great success of Italian cinema, true western but also true parody. The film brilliantly succeeds in its idea: to inject into the western a large dose of humor and burlesque to counterbalance the seriousness found, for example, in Sergio Leone’s westerns. Thus, rather than gunfights bloodywe witness in this film funny bare-handed fights, where the once taciturn bandits have become very talkative characters.
Alongside his sidekick Bud Spencer, with whom he has already shot several films in Italy, Terence Hill triumphs. We call her Trinity will thus leave a lasting mark on its era, giving rise to several sequels, and making the duo Terence Hill – Bud Spencer an iconic association of world cinema of the 70s and 80s.
An unforgettable cinema meal
We call her Trinity parodies the codes of the spaghetti western so well that it sublimates them. One in particular is that of showing characters at the table. Because in We call her Trinityone scene holds a special place in the hearts of fans: the one where Trinita stuffs herself with a whole pot of beans.
For this sequence, Terence Hill did not pretend. Indeed, while he could have contented himself with giving the illusion of swallowing his immense cast, actor fasted for 24 hours prior to filming of the sequence to be able to really swallow it. And do it as soon as possible. The sequence is so convincing and successful that it becomes a gimmick and will be taken up in several films afterwards. The idea is not new, we can already find a cult lunch sequence in The good, the bad and the ugly by Sergio Leone in 1968. But here, it is particularly highlighted, with a staging concentrated on the dish and its ingestion in real time.
For the curious who would whet their appetite, know that Terence Hill himself chose his dish that day. And he even gave the recipe.
I was a vegetarian at the time, and I really liked beans, so I said to the production: “For me, it will be beans!” The spectators liked this scene so much that since then, I have to eat it every time!
It’s actually quite spicy and strong! You need small peppers, olive oil, tomato sauce, onions, salt and above all a lot of pepper! It is necessary to fry the onions in a pan, then add all the ingredients. And then cook until the beans are tender.
