I can see why people have this one in their top-20, it’s a bit too much to include it in a top-5 IMO. Wonder which are the rest 19 films, especially those after no5 
We all wonder for so many years …
It generally takes more than 7205 posts to compile ;D
I can see why.
Whilst other sws lose their charm on repeated watchings - especially some of the more ‘acceptable’ or obvious Top 20 ones - I find some of the ‘lesser’ films grow with each viewing. The Great Silence for instance is not a film I’d be in a hurry to watch again (I was bored last time), but El Puro (which I have seen as often as TGS) would be one of my ‘desert island discs’ (along with Black Jack).
A Top 20 is an evolutionary thing.
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It depends, TGS didn’t lose any of his charm upon my 4th viewing for example. There is no such thing as the ‘list with the SWs that lose their charm on repeated viewings’ that could appeal to everyone since it’s all subjective. Not that I have a problem with ENNIOO’s choice to include EL PURO in his top-5, the fact that it’s not in my top-5 doesn’t mean anything, but I would like to see which top films he considers inferior to it.
Yes - that would be interesting. One day… 
Here’s a cover scan of the rare Yugoslavian VHS, from which all our DVD-Rs are sourced:
http://s9.invisionfree.com/THE_CINEHOUND_FORUM/index.php?showtopic=4545
All the photos on the cover are obviously not from El puro
Yeah, no of the photo’s match up with what happens in the film (is this a common occurance with Spaghetti Western VHS’s?). By the way, how rare is it?
Interesting. Here is me always thinking it came from a U.K pre-cert VHS, but does explain why I never come across it when I used to collect U.K VHS 
.
This was probably the only VHS release. According to the collectors in this Cinehound forum it must be pretty rare.
Sure it is rare, only 300 copies were recorded according to cover. I suspect that they made an error during duplication. Deliberately issuing a movie without subtitles in Yugoslavia 20 years ago equals to madness.
[quote=“Stanton, post:1, topic:795”]El puro by Edoardo Mulargia. Aka The Reward’s Yours, the Man’s mine.
The latter one is a translation of the original italian title, but it doesn’t make very much sense according to story and film.[/quote]
The original title La taglia è tua… L’uomo l’ammazzo io (The Reward is Yours, I’ll Kill the Man) refers ironically to the ending.
[i]Black Jack[/i] and [i]A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die[/i] are much better movies
I recently watched the two films one after the other and I think El Puro is decidedly better than Black Jack.
Not really imo. Both want the reward, both have to kill Puro for the reward.
Or did the monocle guy say something like this in the Italian version?
I also think it is much better than Black Jack. It is deeper, and it is especially much better directed and acted. Not to mention the beautiful score …
El puro is a fascinating flic.
[quote=“JonathanCorbett, post:172, topic:795”]The original title La taglia è tua… L’uomo l’ammazzo io (The Reward is Yours, I’ll Kill the Man) refers ironically to the ending.
I recently watched the two films one after the other and I think El Puro is decidedly better than Black Jack.[/quote]
I’ve never seen the film in Italian, so I don’t know if the line is actually spoken in the movie, but if my memory doesn’t betray me, it indeed refers to the ending
Black Jack/El Puro - I don’t like El Puro, some good ideas (I think that’s what Stanton means when he says the film is ‘deeper’), but they’re not really developed. One of those films that could have been much better (and that’s always a shame). I understand what people like in it, but it’s just not my thing. Black Jack is, despite some obvious shortcomings. However it’s no Top 20 material. It’s simply one of the minor spaghettis I ‘dig’. A Minute to Pray, etc. is a bit like El Puro: it doesn’t fulfil all its potential, but it comes closer.
Couldn’t find my review, then I realized it was on Fistful of Pasta! (There’s a note on the title, but again: I don’t know if the line is actually spoken):
A Minute to Pray has several great scenes, but it makes a chopped up impression in the short versions I knew before, only that it still makes a chopped up impression in the 118 min Version. But I like it for these scenes of greatness.
El puro is a homogeneous film in which the ideas work for me, and which unlike most SWs does not remain only on the surface of the story. Or at least it is possible to see something “deeper” in it. It could be better, yes, but it is good enough as it is.
It could have benefited from a higher budget to have some different settings, and maybe a little more time to work on the atmosphere, but it does not suffer much from a shoestring budget like other SWs do.
Two remarks to this fine review:
El puro is from 69, not 70.
I don’t think it is an ugly film.
Some will find scenes ugly in El Puro. Fascinating film for me though with a great role for Woods.
That’s pretty ultra-rare if the Yugoslavian vhs from the early 90s was the only print ever released anywhere :o
Where did Autephex additional scenes come from? It’s probably been mentioned somewhere already but I don’t remember right now
And wasn’t there another print made available recently from Naushad, in almost dvd quality but a bit shorter running time?
Anyone seen this one?
From an Italian print.
[quote=“Lindberg, post:178, topic:795”]And wasn’t there another print made available recently from Naushad, in almost dvd quality but a bit shorter running time?
Anyone seen this one?[/quote]
Have this one which is great quality in 2.35 widescreen, but only a running time of 85 mins. If anyone ever wants to have a go at a composite fan version this print could be used for the majority of the film.
Do you know if it was an Italian vhs release or taped from TV?
That would be awesome
Hopefully a proper full length dvd will emerge someday though