Blood Calls to Blood / Sangue chiama sangue (Luigi Capuano, 1968)

[Mickey13]

Copied from the Spagvemberfest 2023 thread:

@Mickey13

Though the film technically reworks the revenge formula in order to incorporate some twists and turns in the way the tale unfolds, the extremely stodgy execution proves largely sleep-inducing and makes the motion picture a real chore to sit through. The refreshing thing about the flick is that most characters stay in the dark as to the identity of their true adversaries and this is further complicated by the interminable scheming of Sancho’s concubine as well as everybody’s quest for the diadem, so the narration turns out quite convoluted and intricate in the way different allegiances play out and exert an impact on the narrative trajectory.

Whether all of that translates into a gratifying film-viewing experience is another matter altogether though and what evetually stymies some of film’s aforementioned assets is Capuano’s remarkably corny, one-dimensional directing the old-fashioned disposition of which is further compounded by De Masi’s customarily antiquated score. Moreover, the motion picture tends to put emphasis on drama at the expense of action which is something I am usually a fan of, but here just proves remarkably tedious and soporific in that the flick simply comes to be reminiscent of a soap opera. Sancho puts on a good show as always, other performers are fine for the most part, but there is simply no sidestepping the issue of the passé direction, the nondescript, insipid craftsmanship and oppressively mawkish drama.