A Sky Full of Stars for a Roof / … e per tetto un cielo di stelle (Giulio Petroni, 1968)

I put this one on last night - (having watched a couple of Petroni’s recently, and definately having …Serpent in my new top 20)- but I only got the first hour and ten, until the Sams*ng started playing up again (it doesn’t like dvdrs).
I would have to agree with Silver … [quote=“Silver, post:20, topic:124”]Basically…no. The film itself is a bit of a shambles. It can’t seem to decide whether it wants to be a kind of “buddy” comedy or a meaner film. [/quote]

I was greatly encouraged by the brutal start and to see Frederico Boido 8) as the villain (been fond of him since Apache Woman and his kneecapping in …Trade your Pistols.…). I was even ready to shed a tear :‘( with Gemma when he brushes the dirt of the woman’s face and that wonderful mournful music plays - but 10 minutes in and we’ve got the obligatery choreography of a barroom brawl - altho’ thankfully not too protracted, but still a bit unreal and uneccesary - and the whole film seemed to take a turn for the (comedic) worse. I put up with it, not really finding it bad, but just not living up to its initial promise.
(I did find the discussion on how mermaids ‘do it’ quite quirkily amusing tho’.)
I probably wouldn’t have bothered trying to watch the last half hour or so that I was denied, 'scept it sounds like this bit is back on form … so I’ll stick it on the computer later and see what that brings, before I give it a 2 maximum. Who knows … maybe a 3?

[quote=“Reverend Danite, post:21, topic:124”]I put this one on last night - (having watched a couple of Petroni’s recently, and definately having …Serpent in my new top 20)- but I only got the first hour and ten, until the Sams*ng started playing up again (it doesn’t like dvdrs).
I would have to agree with Silver …
I was greatly encouraged by the brutal start and to see Frederico Boido 8) as the villain (been fond of him since Apache Woman and his kneecapping in …Trade your Pistols.…). I was even ready to shed a tear :’( with Gemma when he brushes the dirt of the woman’s face and that wonderful mournful music plays - but 10 minutes in and we’ve got the obligatery choreography of a barroom brawl - altho’ thankfully not too protracted, but still a bit unreal and uneccesary - and the whole film seemed to take a turn for the (comedic) worse. I put up with it, not really finding it bad, but just not living up to its initial promise.
(I did find the discussion on how mermaids ‘do it’ quite quirkily amusing tho’.)
I probably wouldn’t have bothered trying to watch the last half hour or so that I was denied, 'scept it sounds like this bit is back on form … so I’ll stick it on the computer later and see what that brings, before I give it a 2 maximum. Who knows … maybe a 3? [/quote]

Have to agree with you there, the opening is fantastic…even better with the first stirring and then melancholy music, which is why i also had high hopes for it at first. As said i’ve warmed to it more since…(i’d maybe give it a 3 out of 5). Also gotta agree about Frederico Boido, he’s my favoutite villain aside from Aldo Sanbrell. Good to see Benito Stefanelli in amongst the bad guys too :slight_smile:

I’m with both of you about this.
The opening was the most effective part for me too. Morricone’s score here reminds me of his score for Once Upon A Time (as you said, nicely melancholy). The movie was all downhill from there though. I’ve come to really like Petroni but this is his weakest movie to me. And it started so great.
I love Frederico Boido too. It is kind of funny though, in the beginning, when he shoots a guy and the body starts flying an intstant before the shot is fired.
I love the way Frederico gets it in Run Man Run. Death by irony.

Definatly give the last half hour a shot. It’s the best part of the film.

I duely watched the last half hour - and it was good. It was great to see Anthony Dawson turn up, alongside Adorf, (after seeing them together recently in Deadlock).
But, the first five minutes is the best bit imo, and because the film does not live up to the promise of this, and to my expectations … and the middle chunk is clumsily (un)funny, I feel obligued to round down the 2 and a half to a 2. (I was hoping that the first bit - with the dead blonde, and meeting Adorf’s character, would turn out to be a flashback - and that there was a love interest - that she and the widow were the same person … they did look similar after a couple of ciders :slight_smile: :P, but alas, not to be.)
Petroni’s worst film so far for me.
It could’ve, and should’ve been great.

nice review Korano!

I have to agree, one more a very enjoyable movie directed by Petroni,
and one more a likeable Guiliano Gemma. But the best part here is Mario Adorf (normaly I’m not really enthusiasm for him, maybe I’ve seen him to much in the german TV); the comedy here only works due to his acting.
I wouldn’t say there’s too much comedy. As Korano said in his review, it’s a nice “fun homour that has some genuienly “sweet” moments that sort of bring a tear to your eye” …
and one of the rare cases, in which the balance between comedy (or maybe better said: lighthearted moments) and the real spaghetti moments works very well.

I’ve never thought about that, but Korano has right in his review: each film of Petroni has it’s one style …
“A Sky Full of Stars for a Roof” couldn’t be compared to Providenca. it is total different: not comedy, it’s pure slapstick - also in a nice way.

Do anybody know which is the longest version of ‘A sky full of stars for a roof’ ?
I’ve read that the original length is 103 min.,my VHS tape runs only 82’40

I have a probably uncut version which runs 97 min (cinema runtime).

I find this to be the type of film thats grows on me. I was a little disappointed initially but is often to subject of periodic and enjoyed rewatches that become nostalgic to me since my split cinematic focus of late. Spaghetti Westerns and film Noir. Or what I may now call, Spaghetti in the Shade.

My problem with the movie is not the balance between the comedy and the drama, it’s not handled in the best possible way, but it isn’t that distractive either. No, my problem is the fact that the serious parts, while fine and all, aren’t as good as you’d expect them to be. Considering how unique the opening scene feels, I was kind of wishing the other joyless moments would be as affecting and original, unfortunately they are not. I was also saddened to see that the character of Tim actually knows how to use a gun (even if he doesn’t like to), that he’s even a great sharpshooter and that he also didn’t do much to earn the wrath of the Pratt clan (I was expecting him to have really wronged them or something). No ballsy surprise ending either.

A good film overall, but maybe lacking in ambition, which is not a great sin, but when you tease someone with an opening scene like this one has, I think it’s fair for them to expect something really different.

Watched this film before, but didn’t realize then how good it was

Once you manage to accept some of the more silly scenes, you’re in for a very fine, often touching buddy movie, with the couple Gemma & Adorf in fine form. It’s a bit episodic, but Petroni infuses his picaresque story with a melancholic touch. And just admire that wonderful opening scene!

Also been wanting to see this one for a long time, always liked the title.

Hummm and something tells me that I’m just going to do that very soon.

Yeah, especially Adorf, hes amazing in this.

Saw this one today I always liked the title, but don’t understand the film connection with it, anyway it’s a great film title.

My first thought was what! another one with Chris Huerta, but no (only lunch money for his role in this one).
I like Petroni’s films only have seen his SW and not all (have also the non SW Non commettere atti impuri somewhere in my waiting to watch list), I think he has the strange capacity (and this my sound weird) of presenting his films to the viewer better than they are, or making us liking his films even if not so good or extraordinary 8difficult to explain), and I’m saying this as compliment, Petroni’s films always have that grandeur look or grandioso sentimento, his films do have a majestic look the way they are shot, well at least to me.
I only recently notice that Adorf was in several SW always though he was a more a Art House or Artistic type of actor I started to see him in Fassbinder films in The Tin Boy (yeah some heavy viewings in my youth), so was a quite a surprise when I check is SW list, anyway a great actor, both he and Gemma go pretty well in this buddy movie, that if I got the release dates correct, must have worked as an archetype for the following SW comedies. Gemma is not so so comfortable in this more comic parts, but is pretty believable as the womaniser, and rises above when there is some drama, in any case the widow/turkey scene is pretty funny.
The more dramatic and violent scenes those bad guys were really bad ( no wonder with Anthony Dawson around) but they fit well and are not totally out of context or desynchronized with the rest of the film.

So in the overall I liked, not the best Gemma, not the best Petroni SW, but kind of a pioneer SW in genre terms, and pleasant to watch.

The soundtrack was pretty cool from Morricone although the main them worked better in the more dramatic scenes.

I gave it 4 stars in the pool but that cause I can’t give it 3.8, but with the title we get the extra 0,2 to reach the 4 stars so no problem.

P.S. this was shot both in Spain (Almeria) and in Italy I recognized the usual quarry.

All in all And for a Roof a Sky Full of Stars is entertaining, but still a minor film for me. [b]I even think that the first scene is mediocre stuff. Only the short segment which introduces Gemma is well made[/b].

Objectively, what do you find wrong in the pre and/or opening credits sequences?

The assault on the stagecoach did not require anything different, the scenery is imposing, the faces are the right ones, Rick Boyd is adequately incisive, the music is undoubtedly wonderful and even after that brief introductory segment the sequence retains the right atmosphere…

1 star for the soundtrack :-[

[quote=“JonathanCorbett, post:36, topic:124”]Objectively, what do you find wrong in the pre and/or opening credits sequences?

The assault on the stagecoach did not require anything different, the scenery is imposing, the faces are the right ones, Rick Boyd is adequately incisive, the music is undoubtedly wonderful and even after that brief introductory segment the sequence retains the right atmosphere…[/quote]

Ok I just re-watched the first scene. My opinion is of course only subjective.

Actually it is better than I remembered it. But in no way outstanding. The music is good, but also not great compared to other SW scores. The directing is not bad, but what I still don’t like is the staging of the assault which is as mediocre as in every other cheap SW with such scenes.
SWs directors somehow like it, just like in US b-pictures, to have this scenes with the bandits riding and shooting while chasing the stagecoach instead of simply stopping it by blocking the way. And this shot with the riders lurking on the hill and watching the stagecoach in the valley is also part of these typical SW robberies, just like every SW director does it. But it indeed looks slightly better here.
And the killing of the passengers doesn’t make any sense in this one (and in most of the other SW assaults on trains and stagecoaches in which for no logical reason everybody gets killed), especially as they do not even want to rob them.
Normally I don’t care about plausibility, here I do.

What is good is then the aftermath of the killings, one of the few remarkable scenes in any Petroni western. The best scene of the film.

[url]http://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/And_for_a_Roof,_a_Sky_full_of_Stars_Review_(Scherpschutter)[/url]

i´m going to watch it tonight :smiley: