Most political westerns have automobiles, motorcycles etc in them, but thatâs because they take place at a later time in history than other westerns.
So itâs quite natural that they should have a more modern feel, same goes for The Wild Bunch which takes place at a later stage in history.
Whatâs the problem here ???
I guess for me the âproblemâ is the loss of mystique. Westerns as a genre have a pseudo historical / mythological setting and when trappings of the 20th century leak in I find it breaks my sense of fantasy to a certain extent.
Of course, revolutionary westerns are, by their very nature, set in the early part of the 20th century so cars, etc are perfectly fitting for those subjects. They just donât fit with my âfeelâ of what a western should be. This of course opens up the whole argument as to whether these revolutionary stories should be considered westerns at all. An argument I have struggled with for years and one I have only been able to resolve for myself by saying I like them too much not to include them. Not logical of course but thatâs me for you.
I have to say i like those more modern westerns because they kinda blend
with
creating a whole diffrent mythical realm that i find fascinating.
Isnât this almost a little typical Spaghetti Western to use such âturn of the centuryâ modern inventions?
Same with machine-guns and dynamite which are often used in SWs, these were also fairly modern, late 19th century inventions.
[quote=âLindberg, post:24, topic:428â]Isnât this almost a little typical Spaghetti Western to use such âturn of the centuryâ modern inventions?
Same with machine-guns and dynamite which are often used in SWs, these were also fairly modern, late 19th century inventions.[/quote]
Well, Gatling gun and dynamite were both inventions of the 1860s so not so late in the 19th century. But your point is a fair one. In spaghettis there are all sorts of gadgets (in particular in Sabata, Sartana and the like) which stretch the belief but I guess for me that is just the point. These gadgets are fantastical, not a part of the real modern world. The car, motor bike, aeroplane bring the mythological setting into the reality of the 20th century. But it is all pedantics really. I just prefer to keep motor vehicles out of westerns. Itâs personal taste and aesthetics is all.
I watched this last night and thoroughly enjoyed it.
I personally have no problem with the motor car in this type of film and think the Zapata era westerns bring something good to the genre (however I wasnât brought up on the old western myth to the same degree as Brother Phil, Brother Romaine, and many others on this forum, - but I think I can still empathise with those sentiments). But, if the bringing of the railroad heralded the end of the âwesternâ old ways (as hinted at by the Prophet in FAFDM, and made explicit in OUATITW) and frontier violence isnât applicable anymore, then the Mexican Revolution and build-up make for a welcome extention of the genre - cars, planes anâall. Some of the best ⌠Tepepa, The Mercenary, Duck You Sucker, have them included - as previously mentioned.
I enjoyed seeing Steffen playing a humanly fallible character, as opposed to mister mean and moody (which I also like), and there was good well rounded characterisation of all the major players (particularly of Dominique Boschero as she leans forward for a wash 
:-*).[Gratuitous but expected misogynist statement included here.]
Tongue in cheek ⌠but no extended brawls and not a stick slapped in sight.
Great fun - 4 stars.
This was my first comedy spaghetti experience (yes, even before the Trinityâs) and I was floored by how downright funny some of it was. I wasnât expecting that at all because of the Steffen/Damon pairup, both of whom I had only been familiar with via âseriousâ performances before seeing this. Both of them are masters of comic timing however, and their final shootout is a really great laugh out loud moment.
I am afraid that some of the humor will be lost on the German language audio â the vocal inflections of the voice actors was pretty important to why I found it enjoyable. Supposedly there is a Brazillian Region 0 PAL DVD with an English audio track but I donât believe itâs a widescreen transfer. But itâs definitely one that any Anthony Steffen fan simply must add to their collection, and Kochâs DVD is apparently pretty slick.
I enjoyed seeing Steffen playing a humanly fallible character, as opposed to mister mean and moody (which I also like)
That is an EXCELLENT point and one of the qualities that drew me to the film: You donât expect to see Anthony Steffen screw up or have a pretty woman wrinkle her nose at him because he needs a bath. He doesnât just make blunders, he gets totally played for a SUCKER in the movie and wonderfully acts against type.
[quote=âReverend Danite, post:26, topic:428â]I watched this last night and thoroughly enjoyed it.
I enjoyed seeing Steffen playing a humanly fallible character, as opposed to mister mean and moody (which I also like), and there was good well rounded characterisation of all the major players (particularly of Dominique Boschero as she leans forward for a wash 
:-*).[Gratuitous but expected misogynist statement included here.]
Tongue in cheek ⌠but no extended brawls and not a stick slapped in sight.
Great fun - 4 stars.[/quote]
Sums it up for me. Really enjoyed this entertaining film. 4 stars from me as well.
How is the action in this one? Before Iorder it or soemthing I have to know what to expect. And one thing I must konw before watching a spaghetti is what to expect from it action wise. I went into Death Rides a Horse expecting action but it was much slower. I had no previous info on it except by reputation. And to find it slow was not what Ihad expected. Iâm sure if I watched it again, knowing what to expect, I would like it more. So how is the action in Train for Durango?
The film does not have that much action, but enough of shooting and bodycount (in my opinion). It´s more a comedy spaghetti western, but not as silly as some of the later ones - Anthony Steffen performs really great in this one, maybe from an actors view his best SW-performance.
It´s hard to say if you´ll like this one, it´s a bit of a b-movie in an a-movie range. If you like action-comedy films in general, I think you´ll like that one tooâŚ
Oh, my rating: 4 stars - I really enjoyed this one on the Koch Media releaseâŚ
Well, korano. As axl said, itâs not really a real actioner. But Durango is worth buying anyway. You have got solid (Steffen) or even good (Salerno) acting, a great story and much moreâŚ
Iâm not a big fan of SW comedies, but I like Durango.
Re-viewed recently. Good stuff. Plot, characters, etc.
Perhaps my favorite Steffenâs performance.
Yeah I was suprised how much range and comedic timing he showed in this role. Probably his best SW performance along side Two pistols for a Coward.
Unfortunately the performances of the actors were not enough to make me like the film. This film bears the double stigma of being both a comedy and a Zapata (Iâm not really into Zapatas) so that is why I donât really like it.
I still donât know wether Steffenâs performance is good, of if his usual woodface accidentally matches his role (him being a fool).
Makes sense to me.
Havenât come across a Koch released spaghetti not worth buying yet⌠From a collectorâs point of view, the entire catalouge is essential
cough the fidaniâŚ
Yep but itâs the best Fidani! ;D
Arizona returns isnât a gem eitherâŚ