I just saw this. I was expecting a total borefest since some people on this thread found it boring, but to my surprise, I was entertained throughout. It was certainly a very uneven film, and the lunatic subplot and Jenovahās witness bit felt a bit out of place, but coming from Lenzi I can manage that.
While I donāt hold it in as high regard as SD, 17 out of 20 seems a little bit generous, I would say that this film is above average.
A few plot holes here and there, like how did PLL learn how to shoot so good when at the beginning he was asking some dude to teach him how to shoot.
[quote=āCol. Douglas Mortimer, post:21, topic:591ā]While I donāt hold it in as high regard as SD, 17 out of 20 seems a little bit generous, I would say that this film is above average.[/quote]Any film with Peter Lee Lawrence is 15+/20 for SD
a nice movie, not good (therefore the story is too uneven), but you get a wonderfull score and nice pictures.
I think, Lenzi made absolutely the best of a bad story.
one more plus factor, Peter Lee Lawrence looks very good in this movie.
Iām not really known in horror movies, but I donāt think so (in comparison to the films of Margheriti).
Thereās only one scene, which have some horror elements, but this is a special part of the āuneven stroryā and not important for the main story.
Donāt get me wrong, Iām also a PLL fan but I tihnk SD probably has a shrine in his home that he worships, talks to and makes sacrifices to everyday.
There might have been some freudian thing goinā on, CDM, about subdued passions and all other things bubbling up from the subconscious world of our most intimite but suppressed desires
I never put this forward, because it wouldāve outraged him, and I never thought this was the right place to drive people to frenzy
I was hinting at a very specific aspect of Freudās theories, Korano
To answer your question: I think quite a lot of westerns (Italian as well as American) were influenced by Freud
In the first half of the 20th century, or at least large parts of it, Freud and his psycho-analysis were the dominant tendency within psychology (and psychiatry). In the sixties, when the spaghettis were made, he was still considered as one of the great thinkers in human history, and his work was very popular among students, along with the work of, for instance, Adorno, Sartre and Foucault.
Since then his reputation has paled, some people have even sustained he was a charlatan and quack doctor
(I can give you some titles if you wish to know more about the subject)
As far as I know, psycho-analysis has become rather marginal within psychology and most scientists and philosophers think Freudās work should be read as āliteratureā: his theories are not scientific in the sense that they canāt be tested or falsified, theyāre just an interesting (or if you hate him: boring) look at the human condition and a way to explain human conscience. In France psycho-analysis still is of some importance (both as a docrine and as a therapy), mainly due to the works of Lacan.
Iāll have to agree with scherp, PLLās psychology changes abruptly after he finds his family murdered. It all happens too fast i guess. Same thing happens when he see him becoming a lethal gunslinger (remember, he refused to use a gun before), not convincing and hastily shot. Itās not all crap though, iād say that it is a watchable one. The score was nice. Someone said that Lenziās crime films are a lot better- i definitely agree. 6/10
Just started this yesterday before Phill posted. Coincidence?
I really ejoyed this oe on the first viewing. Very entertaining and nowhereās near as boring as everybody says. Good amount of duels and gunfights. The finale is especially strong.
i saw this last night finally after getting it free with the django book and i thought it was quite good and an effort at trying something different at times. did not think it was boring at all, easily watchable. good music, and i thought Peter Lee Lawrence was ok. the maniacs were a bit over the top but that was the different part, and proberly made Lenzi feel at home. The climatic duel was straight from Sergio Leone, of course. entertaining film 6/10
When I him first saw, I found him not very good.
The second time, I found him good.
OK, change the character of Lawrence, a Jehovahās Witness to a Gunsliger is very implausible. But whatever.
There are some unusual ideas, such as the mad prisoners.
Here are some Italo Western specialties like the coffin-maker or a stranger (Ireland).
Entertaining, not more.
I have the X-rated DVD with Vengeance. Iām very satisfied. The picture quality is good.
Is perhaps the reason why he gave me the second time like it better.
The first time I saw him in a bad quality in television.
Also watched the X Rated DVD recently but i was sorely dissapointed with this Lenzi western. He hasnāt made that many SW and itās pretty obvious why. Granted the presence of PLL is reason enough for me to dislike a movie, his pretty boy looks just donāt gell with the spaghetti western genre IMO. Although i did manage to appreciate his performance in "Raise Your Hands, Dead Man, Youāre Under Arrest ". But his performance here leaves me stone cold.
But considering that Lenzi directed this you would expect something spectacular action like his later poliziotteschi flicks. There also so many weird plot developments which lead absolutely nowhere. Like the insane people who are kept in the jail cause the asylum burned down. Yet nothing is done with this subplot and one wonders why it was included at all. And like most i found PLLās character shift in faith to be hardly plausible. In the end i only held on to the DVD because of the bonus feature āVengeanceā which i enjoyed a whole lot more.
If i have to say something positive then i guess i would be the beautiful poster artwork which they used for the DVDā¦
