SPAGVEMBERFEST 2016 - A FISTFUL OF REAPPRAISALS: DAY 12
A double header today brings me back up to scratch, and it comes in the form of yesterday’s as-yet-unwatched pic God’s Gun coupled with today’s intended film:Hallelujah For Django (Lucidi, 1967) an uneven but entertaining enough pic featuring George Hilton in “Grinning Buffoon” mode as far as I recall, alongside Dick Spitfire regular Hunt Powers in probably my favourite performance from him, as a bandit posing as a padre (which kind-of gives my double-bill a “Man-of-the-Cloth” theme, a bit. Praise be!).
A welcome revisit to one of my favourite Robert Woods films, My Name is Pecos.
A cracking little Spaghetti complete with painful looking eye tape and a theme tune with incomprehensible lyrics. What more could you want?
This marathon project is not just a strength test of your marriage and sanity. It is also a reminder to re-watch great films like A Hole in the Forehead. And that makes it worthwhile in and of itself. Love this film and Anthony Ghidra in anything to be honest. Viva Spagvemberfest!!
SPAGVEMBERFEST 2016 - A FISTFUL OF REAPPRAISALS: DAY 13
Going today for a movie to which I don’t feel I’ve given its due: Bandidos (Dallamano, 1967), a movie which thus far has only stuck in the mind for its incredible opening. It’s definitely one of the higher quality spags among those I’m watching this month though, and I think it’s going to prove a decent “Sunday” choice of film, too.
Re-watching Che c’entriamo noi con la rivoluzione? – “what do we have to do with the revolution,” knowing it “will not be televised” or released on BD/DVD? – brought a very pleasant surprise: this time I was prepared for the irritating English dubbing and the not-so-excellent image and audio quality of the AVI file made from a German television broadcast, and I really enjoyed the film; in particular its wide-ranging references, from Vincenzo Bellini’s English Civil War opera I puritani (1835), whose famous duet “Suoni la tromba” opens the movie, and Giacomo Puccini’s French Revolutionary Wars opera Tosca (1900) via two Shakespeare plays, Othello and Richard III, to historical figures such as Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807–1882) and Emiliano Zapata (1879–1919). “In many ways the least ‘western’ of all his westerns” (Phil_H), Corbucci’s third Mexican Revolution venture may be a mess – a “sporadically entertaining mess,” according to Kevin Grant (Any Gun Can Play, p. 215) – but I think it’s also a smart film – “an intelligent movie” (scherpschutter) – whereas Howard Hughes deems it “similarly aimless” as Vamos a matar, compañeros (Once Upon a Time in the Italian West, p. 214).
Tonight, Sunday, November 13: Corbucci’s thirteenth Western, or twelfth or eleventh, in any case his nadir: Il bianco, il giallo, il nero (1975). Verflixt!
no 12. Baldanello: This Man Can’t Die (1968)
-Classic film with cult star GUY MADISON. Not a talky subtitled arty farty “drama” 18.322/20
Or maybe more like really boring film with lame story and bad acting. Only good thing I can really say about it is the nice theme music. 2/10
Between Trump and the second sittings of some spaghs, I also made time to watch and review a movie I had not seen before: LA LEY DEL COLT / LA COLT E’ LA MIA LEGGE / THE COLT IS MY LAW
No shortage of titels, that’s for sure
If only the movie itself … well, it’s not entirely hopeless
On the back of what I might consider a minor classic (see entry number 13) today’s entry for Spagvemberfest is of the big budget variety. Always been my least favourite Leone for some reason. Perhaps this re-visit may explain why. Either way, a re-viewing of Fistful of Dynamite is long overdue for me so this is a welcome opportunity.
no 13. Vari: Django the Last Killer (1967)
-I picked randomly dvd from shelf and ended up with this excellent film. Ghidra and Eastman are great as well as Vari’s directing. 8/10
SPAGVEMBERFEST 2016 - A FISTFUL OF REAPPRAISALS: DAY 14
Not to be confused with Giuseppe Colizzi’s God Forgives, I Don’t (1967) - although I will be watching that one too this month - today’s movie is May God Forgive You… But I Won’t (Musolino, 1968), pitting George Ardisson against Anthony Ghidra in a delightfully murder-happy revenge flick.
Il bianco, il giallo, il nero’s music was composed by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis, whose biggest hit, “Santa Maria,” is on a very existential level one of the most angst-inducing pop songs ever recorded. The names of the film’s protagonists are as funny and witty as the movie itself: Blanc De Blanc, Sakura, Black Jack (that Milián’s character is called “Cherry Blossom” and not “Kiiro” might irritate Japanologistically inclined viewers). For Alex Cox, “it’s a useless, worthless film, […] utterly racist, while pretending to condemn racism. Corbucci’s exhaustion was evident” (10,000 Ways to Die, p. 307). – And now: “Django Concatenated” – first film: León Klimovsky’s Pochi dollari per Django (1966).
It’s a reference to former forum-member Sartana Django if I’m not much mistaken He loved rating just about everything. 18.322 out of 20 is pretty damn good
No 14. Castellari: I Came, I Saw, I Shot (1968)
-One of the better comedy sw’s. It doesn’t seem to have much love on our forum but I like it quite a lot. It doesn’t try to be anything big, just a lighthearted entertainment and it works that way. Sabato, Wolff and Saxon are all really good, Wolff is particularly good at comedy. 6/10
One which has consistently rated highly in the Alternative Top 20 and still has never had a decent official DVD release with English language options to my knowledge. Seems an odd omission considering Corbucci’s reputation. Maybe someday soon. Anyway, my copy with fansubs will do the trick for now. Gastone Moschin and Mario Adorf are enough to ensure my enjoyment in anything. As an aside, I always thought Moshin’s character in this one had similarities to Gene Hackman’s in Unforgiven.
no 15. Vanzi: The Silent Stranger (1969/1974)
-Not as good as the 2 first stranger films but better than Get Mean. Film has it’s moments and I especially like the language barrier in it which highlights the fact that Stranger is really a stranger in strange land. 6/10
He loved rating just about everything. 18.322 out of 20 is pretty damn good 