This one has recently been cleaned up & redone… the hiss/VHS noise has been removed, volume levels more equaled out and it sounds pretty good now. Still not perfect but a decent improvement
Would also agree this is a great film though. I think it grows on me a little more with each viewing. Ghidra was really cool in this one and the music is among the best I’ve heard… a nice bonus that it is included on the NEW disc
The subtitles are a bit whacky, but much praise to NEW for such a nice release
At the 107 minute mark you will see the most hilarious moment in SW history. Two women stumbling up a quarry. No stunt doubles were used in the shooting of this scene LOL.
saw this last night but like a few others who have commented on here, didn’t like it much and the first 20- 30 minutes is just almost unwatchable. it’s so boring, it was the first one that i actually considered turning off. happily it got better but still wasn’t a lot in my opinon. the music was ok and some have commented it was brutal in parts but i didn’t think so. thought anthony ghidra was bland but just my opinon. an average, forgettable film.
I don’t remember too much about this film, but I remember liking it.
Haha, how opinions in the human brain differ. I thought the boring beginning was the best part. It had great atmosphere … helped by the music and the priests. I think this film is at least in my top 20.
Watched this recently & agree more with MWNN. It was really slow & did not get off on an intriguing note. Not a bad movie but kinda boring.
Purely by accident I saw two spaghetti westerns within a week that were scripted by Adriano Bolzoni (the other being Silver Saddle). In both films we meet a character called Garrincha. In this film he’s one of the Mexicans in possession of a crucial playing card, in Silver Saddle he’s the bandido played by good old Also Sanbrell. Anyway, seems to me this Bolzano must have been a great fan of Brazilian soccer player Garrincha.
For those who’ve never heard of Garrincha (he was a star in the fifties of last century, so a while ago), he probably was – along with Maradona - the greatest dribbler of all times. Of course, England had George Best (well, he was from Northern Ireland, but never mind), Holland had Piet Keizer and Germany had Reinhard Libuda, all fantastic dribblers, but Garrincha and Maradona were in a class of their own.
Enjoy:
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I just finished reading scherp’s new review of this film at fistfulofpasta.com.
And then I re-read Phil H.‘s review of the film here at the ol’ SWDB.
I enjoyed both reviews as I am always interested in both Phil and scherp’s opinions.
And for what it is worth, I think I agree more with Phil on this film than I do scherp.
One thing I thought really odd was scherp and Phil H. both being astounded by the size of Robert Hundar’s hat! Are you guys really serious? Haven’t you ever seen Mexican bandits in movies before? For a Mexican sombrero Hundar’s hat in this film is pretty much average in size and therefore, for me, not unusual at all. The tassels he has on it are another matter altogether; but, that has absolutely nothing to do with his hat size! Maybe I have just seen too many Mexican Ranchera movies, or something. But, seriously…“the biggest hat in cinematic history”? Give me a break! That might apply nicely to Philippe Leroy’s headgear in YANKEE, but not here. Leroy’s hat is outrageously huge for a standard Western hat. But, Hundar’s sombrero is not so big for a sombrero.
Unlike our compadre scherp, I didn’t find the story all that predictable. And I certainly didn’t see it as predictable due to its supposed similarities to some of Leone’s films. I can see some extremely microscopic similarities with the plot of GBU (the treasure hunt aspects). But, I think saying that it shares something with FISTFUL OF DOLLARS merely because an infiltrator is beaten up is frankly a huge stretch. Beating of infiltrators goes back to films made long before FISTFUL OF DOLLARS and there are countless other films with such scenes.
But, that all said…fine reviews by two fine fellows!
Well, perhaps I exaggerated just a little on the hat front but I never like to let the absolute truth get in the way of a potential laugh 
And besides, although it may not be out of place in a Mexican vaquero picture, if someone left it lying around in central europe for any length of time it would be turned into a Principality with its own seat in the european parliament before you know it.
[quote=“Chris_Casey, post:49, topic:846”]I just finished reading scherp’s new review of this film at fistfulofpasta.com.
And then I re-read Phil H.‘s review of the film here at the ol’ SWDB.
I enjoyed both reviews as I am always interested in both Phil and scherp’s opinions.
And for what it is worth, I think I agree more with Phil on this film than I do scherp.
…
But, that all said…fine reviews by two fine fellows![/quote]
You said it Chris. I side with Phil. Actually I love this film - soundtrack and style. I’ve even forgiven it having a bit of a lack-lustre ending as the journey to get there is so good. Top 20 for me.
Ha ha ha! Nice one, Phil!
You know I meant to put a ;D in my post after all that hat business.
Yes sir, Rev! This is actually one of my favorites, too! Don’t know if I put it in my Top 20, but if I didn’t…it is pretty close to it.
I have rewatched and enjoyed it. Good western.
And the the first 20 min are the best part of the film. Interestingly how much opinions can differ.
It’s instead the middle section where the film runs a bit out of ideas, where it becomes partly conventional.
And it is another one which suffers from the cheap sandpit locations in several of the outdoor scenes. Vari still does the best out of it, but if he had could shot all his SWs in Spain, they would benefit very much from the (assumed) improved look.
Yes, the budget was very low … Some scenes are filmed in a gravel pit (wir spielen in der Kiesgrube !!!). ;D
Question: Where are the bulldozers?? 
Not important. The movie is ok. But the look is cheap.
My rating: 2.5 / 5
Gravel pit scenes are always a flaw. But here, and generally in Vari’s SWs, they don’t look as bad as in so many other westerns.
Found the chance to watch this one today. First and foremost, the score is terrific and it basically creates the gritty atmosphere of the film. Secondly, I liked the script and I wish more SW used the treasure hunt theme. Thirdly, no clean, moral guys in here, all main characters are very flawed and that means we’re dealing with a western 100% Spaghetti in feeling.
I’ll agree with Stanton as far as the sandpit locations are concerned: while they don’t add anything to the atmosphere, they’re not ruining it totally either as it happens most of the time in those extremely low-budget SW. Don’t know why the first scenes in the monastery looked boring to some, I certainly found the beginning very interesting in combination with the magnificent score.
I may not be a big fan of Ghidra, but I think that this is easily his best western.
All in all, a very interesting but not always impressive gritty SW with a one-of-a-kind score, cheaply made yet able to deliver. 3.5/5 stars
I am a big fan of this film. I am always up for watching it again. It was listed in my Top 20 of Sept '09 and will rise in my new list.
Spoiler alert!
Just about every time I read somewhere about it, it is dismissed as “forgettable” or “sub-standard.” Not so. Ghidra is good (though Undari is merely okay), the music is good, etc. The gravel pits are depressing, but hey! it’s all depressing . Ugly, dirty, mean. Blood is deeply flawed yet saves 2 women from sex slavery and donates 2/3 of the treasure to the monks for distribution to the peons. Don’t see that often.
I initially saw it on the german language only disc. I wasn’t really paying too much attention to it. After seeing it in english, I can safely say it’s probably in my top 30. Very atmospheric and thoroughly enjoyable. Loved the score and the sandpits somehow added to the cold atmosphere.
Spuff mailed me the WE double feature of this that included Tequila Joe. At first glance I wasn’t sure if I was gonna like either of the movies as much as others I’ve seen, but I was pleasantly suprised. Both movies were great, and I thought WE did a really good job on the restoration. These introduced me to Anthony Ghidra, who does an excellent job in both.
I’ll have to get that one. Looks like a good release.