Really - I did not know that.
No, Jalousie is right. They wouldn’t have allowed them in full uniform and fully armed to travel around. That’s a stupid premise for a film, and not the only point where not much thoughts were spend in I crudeli.
Stupid, cause this film wants to be more than a simple shoot’em all SW. It’s must not be necessarily a realistic film, but it has to be a bit more intelligent than a typical cliche western to work.
[quote=“Stanton, post:102, topic:560”]No, Jalousie is right. They wouldn’t have allowed them in full uniform and fully armed to travel around. That’s a stupid premise for a film, and not the only point where not much thoughts were spend in I crudeli.
Stupid, cause this film wants to be more than a simple shoot’em all SW. It’s must not be necessarily a realistic film, but it has to be a bit more intelligent than a typical cliche western to work.[/quote]
But Jalousie only talked about them running around in their uniform, not about them being fully armed.
Just a guess but i think it could’ve been illegal just to wear southern state uniforms after the war.
No, I think most of the ex- soldiers still wore their uniform, or parts of it. But they weren’t released with their arms. One Silver Dollar uses this for its story.
But I’m also sure it was easy to get in trouble for the ex-soldiers if they have met the the victorious army. There surely was still much hate after the war. Many incidents in I crudeli seem very naive imo.
There is a Spanish 80’s Western, Al Oeste De Rio Grande, that is all about this. Not seen it myself.
I’m still very skeptical about the historical reality of this. It’s understandable that moviemakers would use these uniforms as a visual shorthand to let the audience know a character is ex-Confederate. But there’s something about the way it’s done in I crudeli that comes off as preposterous. As most of you surely know, the war was considered a rebellion by the US Government and more Americans were killed in it than in any war before or since. Why would men be allowed to walk around flaunting a symbol & reminder of all this death?
Don’t know, Jalousie, but note that Cotton and his sons are thinking of resurrrecting the Confederacy, so - in a sense - continuing the war. For them the war is not over yet.
Yes, that is a trope in American pop culture. As with the character of “Granny” in the TV show “The Beverly Hillbillies” who pines for the days of the old Confederacy, it’s usually played as comedy. Perhaps this movie I crudeli is intended to be more of a comedy than I took it to be.
(Sorry to go on about a different movie in the Django Il Bastardo thread).
I don’t think The Hellbenders was a comedy
I’d better refer to my review in the database:
http://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/The_Hellbenders_Review
The Hellbenders is definatly not a comedy.
This movie has such a cool vibe going for it. It’s almost a western horror movie. Loved the final act when Django’s doing his best ninja routines.
We just posted a new review of it on my site, Check it out!
You got a nice movie site there!
Thanks Dillinger. We just started a couple months ago but we add content pretty much every day so it’s growing fast.
Mon-Thurs this week and next is all Django film reviews. It’s been fun watching them all.
Really enjoyed this one a lot. It’s such a different take on the classic revenge story with the added supernatural aspects to Django.
Have anyone looked at the new Seven 7 French DVD released April 13, 2010 ? , Remastered it says and 100min runtime, I would love if someone with the disc could give us a review (PQ and cut status)
The Seven 7 discs look about the same as the older Evidis disc. Slightly better, but most won’t probably even notice? 
Should not have any cuts.
There are screenshots from the Evidis disc at my site here Django the Bastard aka The Strangers Gundown DVD screenshots | Spaghetti Western DVD Database
Just take the cursor over the Evidis links and the image should change (it might load a while). The other two versions are the US disc and the Italian disc. I will add screenshots from the Seven 7 disc someday but it might take some time… ;D
I faintly remember that I may have mentioned it in another Django the Bastard thread here earlier, but the information about there being slightly different versions (not cuts but scenes ordered differently) of the movie is false as far as I can see. The flashback scene happens at the same spot on all of the 4 discs I have (while it has been claimed for years at various places that it is placed differently on the Italian disc than the US one). The US disc is cut though, maybe about a minute worth. I don’t know if they thought the American audiences would get bored or something because around 30 seconds have been removed from the scene where that one guy is just writing something in his office at night and Django appears. Haven’t bothered to find out the other missing pieces yet.
[quote=“Stanton, post:102, topic:560”]No, Jalousie is right. They wouldn’t have allowed them in full uniform and fully armed to travel around. That’s a stupid premise for a film, and not the only point where not much thoughts were spend in I crudeli.
Stupid, cause this film wants to be more than a simple shoot’em all SW. It’s must not be necessarily a realistic film, but it has to be a bit more intelligent than a typical cliche western to work.[/quote]
I know this is all off-topic, but…
I just want to make a few comments about some things that have been said here by Stanton and Jalousie.
I am an American who has done some research on the post Civil War period and am friends with many historians that are true specialists when it comes to this chaotic period in our country’s past.
There were many people that wore their confederate uniforms, or a parts of their uniforms, after the end of the Civil War. That is not just a device, or short-hand invention, created by Hollywood. It is a historical fact. The Government did not seem to care about this, at all. Perhaps it was because they worried if they “outlawed” the wearing of the uniforms they could spark another war, or rebellion. Who knows the reason? I certainly do not know the reason, and it is often debated by historians. However, it is a solid fact that it wasn’t against the law to wear a confederate uniform after the war.
When I was a very young boy, in the 1960’s, I recall my Grandmother telling me about parades and celebrations she attended as a little girl in the early 1900’s where “Civil War Veterans” (Confederates and Unionists alike…Blue and Grey) wore their old uniforms and marched side by side.
The graves of Confederate soldiers are recognized as valid Military graves and command the same respect, pomp, and circumstance as any other Military graves upon occasions such as our Memorial Day holiday.
Mostly, after the Civil War, there was somewhat of a mutual respect shown between soldiers of the North and South; but, there were places and situations…and individuals that never forgave either side and harbored ill will, both active and passive.
And, frankly, it is not unusual for a wedge of hatred (sometimes mild, sometimes insanely the opposite!) between those that live in “the South” and “the North” to raise its head, even today. For some the Civil War has never ended.
Jalousie mentioned Granny in THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES----that character is a ridiculous caricature without a doubt; however, she is based upon a true type. And that was one reason she was (and to some degree still is) such a popular character among “Southern folks” here in the USA.
At the end of the Civil War…and even today (believe it or not!)…there were (and are!) those that truly believe that one day the Confederate States will rally and fight against “the Yankee scum” in Washington.
Now, about the “disarming” of the Southern soldiers at the Civil War’s end. The Confederates were, in fact, required to surrender all of their weapons at the end of the war. But, after the surrendering ceremonies were over, there were not any laws against former confederates carrying weapons of any kind.
The bit in ONE SILVER DOLLAR where they give the soldiers their guns back with the barrels cut off is something that never happened, historically.
The Southerners were required to surrender their “rebel flags” at the end of the war, as well. However, many managed to hide their flags and proudly displayed them in their homes, and even in public (in some States) long after the end of the war.
The rebel flags are still to be seen in certain parts of the USA, even today, and though these flags can, and do frequently, create controversy and stir up old hatred—they are not illegal to own or to display.
It may all sound ridiculous and preposterous, but these are facts.
The basic premise of THE HELLBENDERS is not implausible. The group were traveling about under the guise of taking a fallen soldier to be buried in the territory he once lived in. This would have been entirely allowed and respected by the US Army, at that point in time.
In fact, it would not have been unusual for the US Army to have provided an escort for such a troupe!
This group being armed would not have raised any eyebrows, either. Everyone traveling around the countryside in those days went armed–it was to be expected. And, again, it was not against the law for former Rebel soldiers to carry guns—after the initial ceremonies of surrender were carried out.
Of course, if their true purpose had been discovered by the US Army–then, they would have been deemed an outlaw band (such as Quantrill’s Raiders and many other such “terrorist” groups that operated both during and after the Civil War).
Whether there are other implausibilities in the plot of THE HELLBENDERS is a matter of personal taste and opinion. But, the basic premise is, from a historical standpoint, quite plausible.
My apologies for going so far off topic here, but I just wanted to address some things that were brought up here.
No offense meant to anyone, of course!
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Interesting - thanks for that Chris.
Personally, I’ve never been bothered by them wearing their own uniforms. It never occorred to me that they wouldn’t wear some version of it, as times would have been desperate for the southerners.
I enjoy both of these films for what they are anyway - but now the debate has started it’s good to know that there is some historical truth in them as well.
Thanks for the enlightenment Chris!
All the talk about this one recently made me view the film again. Steffen reminds me a bit of a scarecrow at times with his long poncho. Some inventive killings and the way Steffen appears and goes is effective. First Steffen western I ever viewed and still my favourite so far of his westerns as like the dark tone of the film.