Franco Cleef

Anybody know if he is working on more releases?

I have bought my FC dvd’s from Xploited so I don’t have any contact with the guy ::slight_smile:

If I remember correctly his latest were Jonathan of the Bears and If you want to live, shoot! I haven’t heard about the quality of the discs but all I’ve seen so far have been great.

But these aren’t available on xploited, at least yet.

if you wanna live, shoot?
http://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Se_vuoi_vivere…_spara

that one?

By the way. who the fuck is Franco Cleef anyway?

That is a very good question, and one I would like answered aswell, some arsehole said to me he was the brother of Lee Van Cleef!!.
Does any one think his product is expensive?
I read the other day that he only now sells officially through the Exploited site, as he was getting pissed off of people selling copies of his work on E Bay.
But he is surely only doing the same?

I mean, what does he do?

He produces homemade DVDs of SW, or whatelse?

Does he sit at home, and perhaps write his name on a piece of paper, and say 'Thats right (yes you guessed it) my name is Franco Cleef Man!

I have 2 dvds by Franco Cleef and they are not all that great copies.
The picture is clear and the sound good, but occassionally the picture freezes or breaks up slightly.
I don’t agree with paying expensive prices for downloads , as all they are are dvd-r’s.

The audio quality on the english franco cleef version of ’ They Call Him Cemetry ', is very poor quality.
To sell this quality product for money is not on, people are taking advantage of people(the fans), who want to see the film in English Audio.

Franco did a good job of The Big Gundown, but other projects are not up to this standard, so I ask myself is someone after a quick buck after establishing a reputation?

If only poor source material is available( and I mean rubbish in other words), do not release it!!, as it not doing a film any justice in the long run.

Once again: what are Franco Cleef DVDs?
He releases DVDs? Official? Or Bootlegs? Is there a list?

Franco Cleef DVD’s are films that have only had a foreign language DVD release. Franco sources English language dubs, usually from old video releases, cleans them up and dubs them onto the DVD releases. Obviously, the audio quality can be a bit hit and miss coming from old VHS and Betamax tapes. Most of his DVD’s are watchable if you are not too fussy. The only exception is “They Call Him Cemetery” which is quite poor audio. However, Franco does warn buyers about this and it also says on the case that the audio is of low standard. This was because the only known English dub is from a very old South African video release.

I have most of Francos releases and am happy with them. Yes, the audio quality isn’t perfect on all of them, but bearing in mind these are the only English language copies available, I can live with that.

Also, for $19 including P&P to Ireland from the US, they aren’t bad value.

I agree, all that I’ve gotten from FC are excellent and since it’s the only English dub uncut versions I can live with minor audio problems. Some of these films it seems will never get official releases, especially with the stuff they do release.

Going back to an earlier point I mentioned, which nobody has picked up on, Franco Cleef was getting pissed off of people copying ‘HIS’ work so I think he is mainly selling films on the exploited site.
BUT, he is only doing the same, and earning money at the same time, now thats what I call being a bit two faced to say the least!
If people are copying his stuff its just to bad, as he is only doing the same thing, and earning money from it at the sametime.

His so called product are copies and are not official releases, is this not harming genuine companies like Wild East bringing out a product?

If for example Franco Cleef brings out a product before a company can do perhaps a better job, are companies going to get put off a bit from doing a release, because there is already a bootleg out there?

I would not pay 19 dollars for a copy, as I think its a ripoff.

On the whole you’re absolutely right ENNIOO, official releases are better than bootlegs, and we should support the companies bringing out these films.

But still there is a market for bootlegs and redubbed releases, after all this genre is not a mainstream genre :wink:
Some films might never get an english language release, or a decent dvd release at all. Some releases are extremely expensive like the Japanese ones, so copies circulate.

I don’t think you should be offended of what FC is doing, his work is intended for the true fans, and I think what he is offering is great. I’m sure many fans also buy both the official releases and FC’s redubs.
And once again: if the official releases had english language, then FC wouldn’t have to bother about redubs!!

I don’t think he is out to make a lot of money, he is a fan himself offering something to other fans that isn’t available elsewhere.

Audio re-dubbing is not an easy task, I’ve tried it a couple of times with “God Forgives…I Don’t” and I gave up earlier, just today I finished the widescreen uncut english dub thanks to a Greek DVD. (Which was actually quite easy since only 11 secs was different from my ws version.) Franco Cleef has done WORK for his releases and even if he says it’s non-profit projects I would happily give him some extra bucks for his work. I’ve always bought his DVD-R’s straight from him.

Interesting points and I can see where you are coming from when you are saying he is doing it for the fans, but his prices are to expensive to fully convince me in this argument.
If he was just doing it for the fans his prices would be and should be lower.

He obviously gets some of his source prints (not including the english audio of course), from foreign DVD releases from say Germany for example.
If you were the company in Germany would you be happy with this?

There are plenty of titles available with english audio now so I say to people buy these first, and I know what you are going to say I have all titles, so thats why I am buying the franco cleef ones.

There are sevaral options open to you:

Be patient for official releases (who would have thought going back a few years there would ever become english audio versions of some of the titles Wild East has released).

Pester studios, companies that issue spaghetti westerns with e mails on what you want, and eventually someone perhaps may listen.

Bring it to the continued attension to forums like this one.

Search E Bay and other places for secondhand original copies of the Japanese Dvd’s with English Auidio. (I have managed to pick up many original titles for under 10 U.K pounds.)

And if all this is a bit to much then why not get another interest, hobby or whatever you want call it and broaden your horizon on a planet which we are not on for very long, now that can’t be to bad can it?

He obviously gets some of his source prints (not including the english audio of course), from foreign DVD releases from say Germany for example. If you were the company in Germany would you be happy with this?

Like I said, if the official releases already had english audio then FC wouldn’t have to bother, besides some fans probably buy both versions, while others particularly in german speaking countries don’t care about the english version. If sales losses were an issue then the companies themselves are to be blamed I think.

Pester studios, companies that issue spaghetti westerns with e mails on what you want, and eventually someone perhaps may listen.

The people releasing spaghettis are obviously fans themselves, like Bruckner of Koch Media, and Wild East. I don’t think they need to be told what to release :wink:

[And if all this is a bit to much then why not get another interest, hobby or whatever you want call it and broaden your horizon on a planet which we are not on for very long, now that can't be to bad can it?

How do you know we don’t already have work and other hobbies taking up time :smiley:

If Franco Cleef gave the UK and US markets ample time to perhaps release titles in english audio they perhaps may, but he always jumps in unoffically first, perhaps to do with the fact he does not have to pay for rights and things like that.

The people who release these films like Wild East are only human at the end of the day, and do not always get everthing 100% right, as they are only human after all.
That is why it is important to suggest improvements to try and achieve a better product in the future, and most companies welcome this in todays open society.

I do not know whether you personally have other interests, but I was not directing this personally towards you(Silvanito).
This was a general statement.
I come in to contact with many fans of certain films who have no life outside films, and I do not think this is good thing.

I come in to contact with many fans of certain films who have no life outside films, and I do not think this is good thing.

You’re right about that, but I don’t think that’s true about sw fans, I get the impression they like to experience the real world, or am I wrong?

People who only sit at home watching movies are more into horror and science fiction for example, or what do you think?

I think you are right it tends to be more in the horror and science fiction areas.

I still have a few U.K customers (I sell film memorabilia), who are like this though with the spaghetti westerns, you can not have a conversation with them about anything else, they just look at you blank!

Perhaps people may be different perhaps in different countries, , I do not know, what do you think?