I guess you’re right, “stunning” was a little over-enthusiastic. In terms of narrative structure though, I think Navajo Joe works better than Corbucci’s preceding four (or three) Westerns. And yes, maybe Reynolds’s performance is okay but still the weakest in the film.
You’re absolutely right, but which Spaghetti Western hasn’t? I mean, discussing comparatively low-budget genre films only makes sense if one is willing to approach that particular subject-matter within certain predefined reasonable limitations of possible useful critique and perception.
So do I. For German film critic and scholar Georg Seeßlen – I’m sure you’re familiar with some of his works – Corbucci was a “sloppy genius.”
True, of course, but I was referring to you statement that Navajo Joe’s only flaw was (your words) ‘Burt Reynolds’s rather listless portrayal of the film’s eponymous hero’. I thought it had a couple of serious shortcomings, but, as said, they don’t spoil the movie for me. It’s a fairly low-budget genre movie and shortcomings of various kind are to be expected.
As a matter of factn, I even prefer Navajo Joe to Django. I don’t think it’s a better movie per se, and no doubt Django is the more groundbreaking and influential movie of the two, but I get never tired of watching this one, and can only watch Django every 5-6 years or so. I like Burt in this movie, btw.
Django has some incredible scenes, the kind I don’t find in Navajo Joe, which contains some strong material too, but not in the class of Django.
Before I knew in which order Corbucci shot his 4 westerns from around 66, and they were in my books all 4 credited to 1966, I always assumed that Django was the last one, the one before Silence and Mercenario. The real big step forward towards his 2 masterpieces.
But Django has its share of flaws too in the 2nd half, alas, otherwise it would be his 3rd masterpiece.
The weaknesses of Navajo Joe have nothing to do with a cheap production, actually I think Corbucci could spent here much more money than in his previous westerns, more than in most other Spagies. For me it looks, as I said before, as a kind of disinterest in the film, a lack of interest to work on the film, to find other solutions for its underdeveloped parts. Navajo Joe has a lot more potential for a great Spag than any other of Corbuccis early westerns (apart from Django), but it remains on a lower level compared to his great westerns.
That it has in common with The Specialists.
Yes, I agree, sorry; initially I tried to express something like: “For me, the film’s major flaw” or “most obvious flaw.” But then I got lost in the syntactic construction of the sentence and in the never-ending quest for the right words and forgot to change it accordingly – or was too lazy to do so.
True, but my remark was meant in a more general sense, not specifically concerning N. J.
Discussing and evaluating actors and acting is a challenging task for sure. It seems to me that a common basis for such discussions and evaluations is lacking these days, not least because – in James Naremore’s words – “academics and intellectuals have tended to give more attention to what happens behind the camera (when they deal with actors, they usually take a sociological, cultural-studies approach to the phenomenon of the star).” For more thoughts on this topic see Jonathan Rosenbaum’s website.
5. Death Sentence Revenge drama in four acts, the last with Tomas Milian the longest and unfortunately the weakest. Stays in my alternative 20.
6. 10.000 Dollars for a Massacre Garko at his best and a great score by Nora Orlandi. But will it hold its ground?
7. Vengeance Is Mine Profits from the great cinematography and score as the latter, but more melodramatic, lighter on directing, story and mascara, and, alas, no Loredana Nusciak. The weakest of the three, but still a good film.
2 - 6, all re-watches except Two Faces of the Dollar
Bury Them Deep 8/10 Two Faces of the Dollar 4 (There was a heist, Gabriella Giorgelli was the highlight) A Man Called Django/W Django 9.5 (Still in my top 20) Django the Bastard 7.5 (First time I actually enjoyed it, RetroVision disc looks great) Long Cavalcade of Vengeance 6 (soundtrack is amazing, love the scene where he cleans the jail cell… but the editing and story all over the place)
no 7. Damiani: A Bullet for the General (1966)
-I had not seen this excellent film for a while but re-watched it now from Koch’s blu. I think the film works in every aspect and Volonte is especially good in it but for some reason it has never been one of my big favorites. 8/10
Last night: I crudeli. Wrote a short essay (in German) on the film two years ago, quoting as its title – less inspired by Corbucci’s Western than the rather unpleasant end of a relationship doomed from the beginning – Federico Guglielmo Nice’s famous aphorism from his Al di là del bene e del male (Lipsia, 1886): “He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.” Today: Il grande silenzio.
no 8. La Loma: Boldest Job in the West (1972)
-Ah, I was afraid I wouldn’t like this film anymore as much as I did on the first time but I liked it maybe even more. Film has some problems in the script and the low budget shows here and there a bit too much but otherwise I just love it. I didn’t remember how the plot went so I was genuinely surprised while watching it. Fight in the end during snowing is well made and good looking scene. Fernando Sancho as a reluctant hero is just great, his Benny Hill-like face in the end is priceless. Not sure how to rate it though, maybe I’ll give it 8/10 just for the fact that I found myself enjoying it more than thought I would.
SPAGVEMBERFEST 2016 - A FISTFUL OF REAPPRAISALS: DAY 7
Tonight I’m going with Taste of Vengeance (Siciliano, 1968), the tale of a man - Gianni Garko - seeking vengeance for the murder of his fiancee but, predating Chris Nolan’s Memento by over thirty years, he has amnesia and can’t remember her killers, a problem which leads him to killing more and more innocents. I must confess to a degree of amnesia myself regarding this film; I can’t remember anything about it whatsoever, and had to look up its SWDB page just to knock out that brief synopsis. It sounds alright, though.
The only Portmanteau Spaghetti Western I can think of and well due for a re-visit for me. Remember it fondly for the most part. I just need to get over the terrible english subtitles.
I bloody love Death Sentence, me. In fact just seeing Death Sentence - and Django Kill for that matter - mentioned here on this thread is making me want to hit the pair of them for a double-bill, entirely separate from SpagvemberFest. But will my wife tolerate an extra two spags in November? Is Donald Trump entirely sane and rational?
Sore, swollen throat, chapped and split lips, coughing, bunged up, freezing cold, under a blanket (with my kitty-kat), full of paracetamol and feeling entirely sorry for myself. Man-flu really is a killer, gentlemen. Pray for old LC.
Now let’s inflict some Vengeance upon the family.
SPAGVEMBERFEST 2016 - A FISTFUL OF REAPPRAISALS: DAY 8
From yesterday’s Taste of Vengeance (not a bad film at all actually), I’m heading to Long Days of Vengeance (Vancini, 1966) starring Giuliano Gemma as a man totally absorbed by a furious head-cold, who decides to take it out on his wife and son by making them watch 50 year-old spaghetti westerns. Or something. Now excuse me, gentlemen; I need to suck on a Fisherman’s Friend.
I had planned to watch Bandidos, Top 10 material for me, but ended up watching a completely different movie, Django Shoots First. I thought about the movie while watching “Some Dollars for Django” a couple of days ago. Both are early examples of so-called "Sotto-Django“, movies that were retitled to cash in on Corbucci’s success with his Django movie.
As said in the Some Dollars review, both „false" movies have an early scene in which the protagonist shows some kind of fraudulent behaviour, causing confusion about his identity. In Some Dollars, a man called Reagan (played by Anthony Steffen) ‚steals’ the identity of a sheriff, in this movie a man called Garvin (played by Dutch actor Glenn Saxson) kills the bounty hunter who’s in possession of his father’s dead body, and subsequently collects the bounty himself.
Django Shoots First still belongs to the early Italian western output and has its tongue firmly in cheek. This is a very enjoyable genre entry. Watch it if you haven’t yet.
Much has been said and written about Il grande silenzio. My two cents: talking about actors and acting, I think it’s no minor accomplishment to convincingly portray characters in Rohmer’s Ma nuit chez Maud or Chabrol’s Les Biches and a gunfighter in Il grande silenzio. Viva Trintignant! Tonight: Il mercenario.
