I was specifically referring to āNavajo Joeā, which I feel was not cliched when it was released - Perhaps I could have been clearer ā¦ There were almost no films at that time which looked at the āIndianā point of view, or the brutality of taking scalps to sell as souvenirs, which this film deals with.
In a more general way, regarding the Euro - western ā¦ all the images and stylistic touches can now seem cliched, as they have been parodied so often, in comedy sketches, graphic art, 3rd rate imitation films, over the decades, and even within the genre itself when it was still commercially popular.
The bulk of these film are now around 60 years old, they were the trend setters of their time, not the purveyors of the old school American āmoralityā films, which by the 1960s were totally out of step with dreadfully corny old cliched plots.
So, if some young-ish person comes to watch one of these 1960s Spags for the first time, they will be familiar with at least some aspects of the aesthetics, because those ideas have been āre-cycledā or ripped off for so many years, that they may think theyāre watching a cliche, when it is in fact the original source.
I looked back at my old review from 15 years ago and donāt know why I was so harsh on it. Maybe Iām getting softer in my old age (well I know I am) but I think I enjoy it more with every viewing. The soundtrack too. Maybe as I said in my review Iād just come off a viewing of Return of Ringo and The Big Gundown when I wrote the review so Navajo Joe seemed a lesser article in comparison. Itās still a good film though. I needed to get over myself.
And itās taken me 18 years for me to watch it again, so I must have felt the same way. I donāt think itās going to climb the ladder into my favourites but itās definitely good fun and thatās all that matters. I think it would have been nice to have more insight into the villainās life because his back story is actually quite interesting, the son of a preacher and an Indian woman who turned into a scalp-hunter.
Navajo Joe (1966) is a very action-oriented film, if there was more of the villainās background story it would be a different film perhaps. Sometimes a few glimpses of the past is enough? Itās good to have this though and it makes Duncan not completely one-dimensional.
Another rewatch of a personal favorite. Navajo Joe might just be the most underrated spaghetti western. Itās a masterfully made film, from the filming locations to the characters, and especially the action. The filming locations are some of the best, most convincing and most aesthetically pleasing filming locations in the SW genre. The concept of a Native American seeking revenge and using the townās situation to his advantage is brilliant, and the scalpers are as stylish as they are evil. Burt Reynolds surprisingly plays a native Indian well too, even though its a bit of a caricature, itās consistent with the exaggerated larger than life almost comic book like characters of spaghetti westerns. While itās one of the simpler spaghetti westerns, itās definitely among the best. Itās very well made and well paced. The Ennio Morricone soundtrack is phenomenal as well, one of his finest works. Itās ridiculous that this film isnāt ranked among the essential top 10, let alone the top 20!
I still wonder if that story about Burt Reynolds expecting to meet Sergio Leone and finding out it was a different Italian director named Sergio is true or not. Was it his wife Nori Corbucci who told that story?It could well be true then.
But that is what makes it believable. No-one really knew who Leone was, so Burt gets tipped off about some guy in Italy called Sergio and ends up with Corbucci.
I watched Navajo Joe on Polish television today. It aired at noon. The rating indicated it was suitable for viewers aged 12 and up. Runtime: 88 minutes. I think they censored the scene where a child is shot. And probably something else too. Years ago, the film was shown in Poland under the title There Was Blood on His Shoes.
Gave this a rewatch last night. In terms of sheer entertainment value this one is hard to beat. I wonder if Burtās negative feelings about the movie stem from some resentment that it didnāt succeed as a star making vehicle, but regardless Iāve always liked his performance. This one to me is one of the quintessential spaghettis in terms of everything it brings to the table.
āNavajo Joeā opened in the United States in Belleville/Alton, Illinois on November 1 1967.
Source below: (Philadelphia Daily News, November 24, 1967)
In the UK it was first screened at ABC Bedminster/ ABC Whiteladies, Bristol and ABC Southampton on 3rd May 1970, prior to release across ABC cinemas in North London (10th May 1970) and South London (17th May 1970). As a supporting picture for the likes of āThe Killer Eliteā, āThe Good, the Bad and the Uglyā etc it played well into the late '70s.
Source below: (Middlesex Chronicle, 15th May, 1970)
Rewatch from the Koch Unchain box.
This one I like to revisit once in a while.
I imagine there were some original ideas in this movie when it came out. Indian perspective was not normal, an open end where the āheroā could be killed (we never know for sure if he made it in the end) and the music.
You like the soundtrack it or not but the Indian crying is original for the time it was made. The soundtrack sometimes falls back and that is a shame. There are some beautiful scores.
Also, I think the camerawork was pretty good as well, especially within the action shots where it sometimes ends in a strange angle or upside down.
I think I ought to increase the rating to a 7/10 due to the enormously interesting enigma of the location of the ESPERANZA railway station. It was my first try in location search except for the Lee Van Cleef Cerro on the maountain slopes fairly near Tabernas town which I found in Google Maps (and ran up that one the 2nd visit autumn 2018) 3D 2018 AFTER my wife Ann-Cathrin had brought me there spring of 2018 only visiting the least commercial like according to her, Fort Bravo.
Amazingly enough I wasnĀ“t totally hooked before, only having heard about them SWs to have been filmed in AlmerĆa by one of our favorite Ponchos restaurant owners, actually not the Argentinian guy half-owner, but the German who around 2015 or later told as about it. So I wasnĀ“t yet a SW freak nor location searcher, BUT was interested in history of my childhood TƤby and youth Danderyd etc north of Stockhom and the abandoned railway where I also had been running not even knowing exactly all about it that the nerds did already. As a 5+ year old child I had a toy train and was mostly looking at the beuty of the small toys including older nice models of houses or even warehouses. I was sort of nostalgic even as a 10 year old childā¦ Hmm
But I am a typical Bull (in the stock market) and ox in āhoroscopeā and in Swedish lat-oxe is an appropriate atttribute for me, at least sometimesā¦
That said, all my top top SW favorites deals with the fight between the good (God ?)and evil and I think the music in the following are extraordinary sutible and BEAUTIFUL Anda Muchacho Spara/Dead Men Ride - personally I will rank that one as number 3 (as before) but from now with a tie with El Puro after having THOUROGHLY watched the magic Bluray 108 minutes which AAADs a lot if you are concentrated - together with the magnificient Robert Woods performance ALSO in the 2023 interview/video. It also deals with and explains a lot about the current situation in the world.
And so does Requiem For A Gringo, Django Killā¦ all on my new tie for third place, and Sollimas The Big Gundown and A Fistful of Dollars and Cemetary Without Crosses. The Good, The Bad and the Ugly must of course be there also,
