Death Rides a Horse / Da uomo a uomo (Giulio Petroni, 1967)

[Reverend_Danite]

Right - I’ve moved all the relevent stuff from another thread here where it makes more sense.

@John Welles

I’m watching Death Rides a Horse at the moment. Fantastic! The opening scene alone is as good as anything Leone ever did.

@Silence

One of my favorites too.

[quote=“Stanton, post:4942, topic:372”]Very interesting.
I would say that especially the opening scene is pretty weak.[/quote]

@John Welles

Why do you think this? I found the pouring rain and lightning especially fitting to the murdering and raping. The photography was great, I thought.

@Reverend Danite

Totally in agreement - it’s great. The air of menace, and the handling of a brutal rape and murdering is exceptional.

@John Welles

Yes, as I said, it’s worthy of Leone. But then again, the rape wasn’t that graphic, thank goodness.

[quote=“korano, post:4948, topic:372”]I too find the opening strong. Stanton, we understand you don’t like it as much as most but do you honestly find it very interesting that someone likes the film?
The expressionist use of weather to interpret mood is brilliant and the atmosphere is thick[/quote]

[quote=“Stanton, post:4949, topic:372”]When I first watched DRaH I was so disappointed with the 1st scene that the film was dead for me before it already really had started.
Meanwhile I don’t think it is that bad, but it is still nothing special. I rewatched the scene this afternoon, and somehow it happened that I rewatched the whole picture.
Yes, I’m still surprised that this film is liked that much by so many SW fans.

“The handling of a brutal rape and murdering is exceptional”
Here I would partly agree, and this it what saves the 1st scene a bit. But I can’t see anything expressionistic in the photography, and my main idea about it is to call it cliched. There are a few good cuts in combination with the music, but too many aspects of this scene are still only mediocre for me.[/quote]

@I...I...Idiot

My avatar says it all. Great scene, great score, great movie!

@korano

I think what I meant to say was metaphorical photography. Not expressionist but they do operate in the same way but for different locations.

[quote=“valenciano, post:4952, topic:372”]I am also not the biggest fan of the opening scene. Its too dark and has not much atmosphere for me. When the violence starts it gets better. But the zoom onto the items of the bad guys is a bit too much. It is cliche and tries a bit too hard to create an atmosphere as if you are in a crime movie and you as a viewer can also try to solve the crime. I dont like it it is not subtle enough. In contrast to the rape scene which shows the exact amount of visuality that is needed to scare the viewer without showing too much.
So i have mixed feelings about the opening, but the very beginning is not very good in my eyes, due to dark images where you really cant see anything. but some parts of it are good and i undewrstand why some like it.[/quote]

@John Welles

I know what korano means. The outside storm reflects the inner turmiol going on inside the house. Doind this has become corny, but the director handled it originally enough for it to stick in my head, so he must be doing something right.

[quote=“Reverend Danite, post:4954, topic:372”]Right - I’ve stuck DRaH in the computer … let’s have a look as it’s a while since I’ve seen it…
Right - it isn’t too dark a print imo. It’s the MGM one I am watching, is that the same as yours valenciano? I know there are ‘darker’ prints out there.
It is a bit silly that the opening dialogue is -
“You’d better watch out - that gang’s around here.” to be answered with a fellah shouting “And what we’ve got in the cart, $200,000, then we’d better keep our eyes open.” You can only imagine that he was hoping that the thunder, wind and rain would cover this. But the nasty weather and the mud does set a good scene for the action. The men being knocked off is pretty well done, but it’s when we see the contrast into the family home, through the window, that we realise instead of the safety and security that it should afford, it’s gonna be the setting for something nastier.
The rapes, after the father is dispatched, aren’t gratuitous - but does leave a lasting impression. In fact it isn’t even obvious that they are actually raped - it’s just that I would presume that in that time and situation, it would’ve been likely. I think that says something about ‘setting the scene’ sucessfully - it leaves some gaps that the viewer fills. The scene in the house is perfect for me - there is some genuine tension, the murder of the beautiful young daughter is quite shocking. Unlike Brother valenciano, I enjoy the clues that we are given - and I’m particularly pleased that I’m gonna be in for an episodic ‘one after the other’ style sw, as with Vengeance et all…
The boy is great when he’s dumped outside - he looks genuinely shocked and unable to comprehend what’s happened, and luckily for us he doesn’t snivel for too long either.
All in all, it does the job stylishly and memorably.
As both Stanton and valenciano point out, and I’d agree, it is cliched - but that really isn’t a problem for me.
(And as I’ve just noticed JW’s post - I agree - it stays with you - maybe more in mood, than detail though.)[/quote]

@John Welles

Good points all Rev. and I agree with just about all you say except that on first viewing I found it obvious that she was being raped. I don’t think the director was trying to make the audiance try to speculate if she was or not. It seems very clear to me she was.

It’s implied of course, and that was obviously the intention of the gang, with all that blouse ripping. But, the women are fighting. After the daughter bites a hand and she scratches 4 Ace Cavanagh’s chest, the mother pulls the Pistilli character’s mask down, and they seem to back off. “That’s all - lets go.” says Pistilli. There’s no climbing off the women, no trouser pulling up and fastening. We know that in that time and place - those women would have been raped - but it isn’t in the film. Brutal murder - yep. Attempted rape - yep … but no rape.
It’s present - but only in the ‘mood’ - which makes the filmmaking even better.