[quote=“El Topo, post:173, topic:68”]I does not make sense
It goes this way
"Luchando con el hambre"
Figthing with the hunger like if they were fighting agaisnt hunger, and not with hunger
The correct phrase should be
"Luchando con hambre, sin dinero"
Fighting with hunger, without money
But maybe Julio ALberto from beautiful Sevilla, could tell us for sure, after all I’m Portuguese :D[/quote]
I just listened it and this time it really sounds like if they were singing Luchando con hambre sin dinero. Naturally that means fighting with hunger, meaning with hungry belly. But with “sin dinero” it does not make as much sense as “luchando contra el hambre sin dinero” -> fighting against hunger without money. My sense of spanish language says that the latter one sounds better. Of course they may sing “con hambre” or “con el hambre”. The lyrics are quite “incomprensibles” as the spanish would say.
I can ask my spanish wife to listen it and give her opinion, although she is not that happy with my obsession of spaghetti western
And yes, cielos should be cielo as dineros -> dinero.
Putting in my two scents, I enjoy Il Mercernario much more than this film - perhaps 'tis due to this film (as well as Il Grande Silencio) seeming fuzzy visually. I love the stories, of course, but combining Mustante’s performace along side Nero’s in TM with Palance’s lovingly twisted John (and Marcia) from Companeros would have been the ultimate synthesis of the two. We get a much better back-story on why ‘Palance’ would want to kill ‘Nero’ in Companeros than in TM. It would also be more effective to have that motivation when considering why Curly wants to off The Pollack one second, and then instantaneously letting avarice supersede vengeance when he realizes there’s a “Big Fish” on the line.
John is just too unhinged for me to not like. In fact, I feel that if Palance had not been part of this movie, I wouldn’t even rate it very memorable. The camera work seems very sloppy, it might have been intended so, but I particularly dislike the beginning when the camera pans 100 degrees around Vasco, then Penguin… reminiscent of Henry Fonda’s chillingly awesome introductory scene in OUATW but unfortunately also reminiscent of poor film student movies: they only have enough money for one take - also, seemingly written very hastily - I cite the newspaper issue ((henceforward known as NewspaperGate™)) being reported to the authorities (even via Telegraph), transmitted thus to reporters, typset, printed, dried, folded, delivered and then read by John before the train even arrives in Yuma. I suppose this could be possible, but the length of the Swede’s train trip after he hijacks the locomotive must have been fairly short as Vasco catches up with 'im within the same day… Oy!
Despite its flaws, I do like this movie, but like I said before, I wish this and …Silence wouldn’t have been so fuzzy… What would anyone recommend as the absolute best versions you can buy of Companeros and The Grand Silence in English version, or, hell, in any language, I could edit together a copy from my English copy disk’s audio and the video from any superior copy (if it exists).
Ironically, I live in the “West” and Sergios by any surname are unknown around these here parts of it…
I agree. The Mercenary is a hands-down, better film than Companeros. It has much more of the essential spaghetti western elements–hands down.
Companeros is your average Zapata. I don’t care for Zapatas at all. Millian makes things worse when he becomes the main character. Millian received more screen-time than Nero, which was another mistake among many of Companeros.
That’s what makes the Mercenary so good. Even though it’s a Zapata, it’s only a faccade. The actual plot revolves around the trust and feuding of two characters.
Me as well. Have to re-watch both, but still have a feeling I enjoyed Companeros more.
The Mercenary is great, however, Companeros is simple fun and I guess I will never be bored by this film.
[quote=“Mickey13, post:189, topic:68”]Me as well. Have to re-watch both, but still have a feeling I enjoyed Companeros more.
The Mercenary is great, however, Companeros is simple fun and I guess I will never be bored by this film.[/quote]
The Mercenary has one of the best duel scenes in the genre. Companeros has none. I don’t know about you all, but I love drawn out, genre-defining duels.
The Mercenary has one of the best themes in the genre. Companeros theme is tacky and forgettable.
The Mercenary gives Nero much more screen time. Companeros shows more of Millan, who sucks for the most part. Even Nero complained about this and said that he would never work for Corbucci again.
The Mercenary has a rock solid ending that keeps you wondering…“is it over yet?”
More on the soapbox-- The Mercenary is less political, and uses the mexican revolution Zapata plot as a facade (as mentioned).
It all comes down to whether, or even how much, you enjoy Zapata westerns. The Mercenary is more universal in its elements.
I don’t mind Zapatas all that much but I think The Mercenary is a much better done and better made movie. I felt Compañeros was too episodic and Corbucci’s direction wasn’t so inspired. I always though he was terrible when it came to the use of the soundtrack for instance, but he made good use of it in The Mercenary while I think he wasted it in Compañeros. I also liked the character of Musante a lot more than Millian’s and Nero’s performance was also better, helped by more screen time. And in The Mercenary you have a scene like that one with Nero lighting his match in the boot of a hanging man which was great and I don’t remember any of that kind of stuff in Compañeros. That being said, I do like both movies a lot.
Oh, and seeing Silence’s comment that was posted while I was typing, I do like the ending of Compañeros more than the one in The Mercenary.
You might be the only person on all of the forum to think that the Companeros theme is tacky and forgettable! ;D It’s definitively my most listened to SW theme and never fails to send chills down my spine every time I listen to it, the rest of the soundtrack is also grade-A Morricone.
I would agree that Milian is way too over-the-top in the film, but he’s still a lot of fun and his performance fits the overall tone of the movie (that doesn’t mean he couldn’t have played it down a little). Musante is so much better, though. And while Nero is one of my favorite actors ever, I don’t think Companeros would necessarily have benefited from Nero having more screen time (it’s not like he was underused).
I think most would agree that Companeros also has a very good ending (not as much as the other film, but still), a victorious and optimistic ending that actually isn’t one.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen both films (and therefore, I couldn’t really back up my claims with concrete examples), but when I did watch Companeros I also had (re)watched The Mercenary not that long before and my feelings were that Companeros was much more interested in being a playful film while The Mercenary was more interested in politics. I really don’t think that The Mercenary is any less political than other Zapata films or that the Zapata elements are just a facade, it’s not because most of the film revolves around the relationship between the characters that the Zapata elements are not integral and essential to the film. Musante’s character transformation from a bandit to an opportunist revolutionary to a real revolutionary is very political in nature, for example. Furthermore, almost all of Corbucci’s westerns have some politics in them, they never get in the way of the film, but I doubt he wanted to pull a bait and switch with The Mercenary, it’s political side feels very sincere to me and very much in line with how Corbucci deals with politic in his films (although Zapata SWs feel even more political because of their settings to begin with).
Well, personally, I’m a big fan of Zapata westerns, but I like I said I much prefer The Mercenary - and I agree with most of cochino’s criticism of Companeros.
.![http://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Vamos_a_matar,_compañeros!_-_Special[url]http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/197/companerosspecialbanner.png/[/url][/size]](http://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Vamos_a_matar,_compa%C3%B1eros!_-_Special%5Burl%5Dhttp://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/197/companerosspecialbanner.png/%5B/url%5D%5B/size%5D){kind=link}