Night of the Serpent / La notte dei serpenti (Giulio Petroni, 1969)

This is on my ā€œI have it but havenā€™t gotten around to seeing it yetā€ pile. Its actually a huge friggin pile. My copy calls it NEST OF VIPERS, but i think its the same movie. Luke Askew seems like a pretty good actor though.

The Specialists is in the pipeline (I want to do all Corbuccis), just like Night of the serpent (Nest of vipers is the same movie, the original Italian movie title means The night of the serpents) but I do my reviews one by one, and it takes some time researching and writing them

Itā€™s sometimes hard to say what Iā€™m going to do next
Often I decide very late what film Iā€™m going to do, and sometimes a review just wonā€™t progress, for one reason or another. I started a review a couple of weeks ago, of a film I had wanted to do before (because itā€™s an essential one), but I just kept staring at that empty page ā€¦
I chose another movie and the review wrote itself, so to speak ā€¦

I really should research my films better. I have th writters block but sometimes, as you said, the review writes itself. sometimes I feel like I go overboard butā€¦ My recent reviews I am happier with than my older ones. Are You, Phil, BL and myself the only people who write reviews regularly I would like to see some more reviewers here.

On topic: Since we have been comparing Petroni to sollima, does this film bare any resemblance to a Sollima western?

[quote=ā€œscherpschutter, post:19, topic:488ā€]we were both a bit puzzled by the fact that the rest of his work (his non-westerns that is) is so mediocre.[/quote]Well, I donā€™t agree, I think Revolver is one of his best films. Violent City isnā€™t that special as a whole but thereā€™s few very good scenes and the ending scene is the best thing he ever did.

Havenā€™t seen his other films though.

[quote=ā€œscherpschutter, post:22, topic:488ā€]The Specialists is in the pipeline (I want to do all Corbuccis), just like Night of the serpent (Nest of vipers is the same movie, the original Italian movie title means The night of the serpents) but I do my reviews one by one, and it takes some time researching and writing them

Itā€™s sometimes hard to say what Iā€™m going to do next
Often I decide very late what film Iā€™m going to do, and sometimes a review just wonā€™t progress, for one reason or another. I started a review a couple of weeks ago, of a film I had wanted to do before (because itā€™s an essential one), but I just kept staring at that empty page ā€¦
I chose another movie and the review wrote itself, so to speak ā€¦[/quote]

Youā€™ve probably been asked before but will you consider writing a book?

Idefinitely would like to see a Scherpschutter written book.

That guy is really horrible in this film. One of the worst acting jobs Iā€™ve ever seen in any spaghetti western. Imagine Jeff Danielsā€™ character from Dumb & Dumber in a spaghetti western and thatā€™s more or less what Askew give us here. So incredibly bad that itā€™s not even funny.

But I like Jeff Daniels in Dumb and Dumber!

seriously, I only saw a scene or two so I canā€™t judge. I have to watch the whole move first.

I guess I donā€™t think heā€™s THAT bad. But he does lack a certainā€¦charisma.
Funny that this was his only venture into Spaghettidom. I seem to recall him as a bit player in a lot of westerns (American). He has an interesting face. More suited to villainy though.

@ Scherpschutter (regarding Sollima & Petroni): I love the Big Gundown. But to me the step down from that film to either Faccia a Faccia or Run Man Run is a big one. Petroni seems to me to be a more broadly competent Spaghetti filmmaker. I donā€™t think Death Rides a Horse or Tepepa are as good as BG but they are both very good. Even Sky Full Of Stars (his least accomplished non-comedy) shows flashes of beauty & pathos. Sollima seems disorganized, Petroni focused. To me Petroniā€™s films LOOK better. And are more coherent.
But I have not seen Revolver (have it, but havenā€™t watched it yet) or Violent City.

I also think that Askew lacks the necessary charisma for this role, and I wouldnā€™t call him bad either.

Didnā€™t he play that hippie hitchhiker in EasyRider? He looks like an albino in this movie. I found a trailer on youtube but it seemed very vague and didnā€™t tell me much.

Sure Iā€™ve been asked before, in fact so many times that I owe the people here a serious answer

I would consider writing a book, if a publishing house would ask me to
Consider

I have some experience with publishers, and I know they usually promise a lot and do very little
Most of the time you have an agreement with mr. X, who, like Alice, doesnā€™t work here anymore, so you have to speak to mrs. Y, who isnā€™t quite sure about the project, and wants to discuss things with mr. Z first, who wants to do this or that before etc. etc. They promised you a great cover, a hardback edition, paperback edition, hundred of photos and a promotion campaign, but now they tell you you have to be content with a pocket edition, ten photos and to do without any campaign. And all this in the hope you throw an ashtray to mrs. Y or mr. Z (they all smoke) so they can blow the whole thing off
This might all be a bit different if youā€™re Alex Cox or Chris Frayling, and have a literary agent

I have spoken a lot with a British writer lately, who was finishing a manuscript for a book about spaghettis and needed some advice
The book shouldā€™ve been published by now, but so far, I havenā€™t heard anything about it
I warned him for all the above mentioned things, so I hope he hasnā€™t yet killed his first publisher

The problem with a book on spaghettis is that it wonā€™t ever be a best seller, so publishers arenā€™t too eager to throw one on the market. As a writer, such a book wonā€™t make you rich either, so you might as well publish your material on the Net.
In that case you have at least readers

Well, itā€™s not a book, but this sure is a nice pic:

http://imageshack.us

And thereā€™s some written text too:

http://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Night_of_the_Serpent_Review

Excellent review again Scherps. Just whets my appetite to see the film even further.
And a nice shot of Chelo for RF thrown in to boot. Very thoughtful of you. :wink:

I watched this a few nights ago & thought that overall it was very good.
I have to agree with previous posts that Luke Askew - who I usually like - wasnā€™t that great in this. He was pretty good most of the time, but is pretty average a lot of the time.
The main let down though, are two excrutiatingly corny scenesā€¦ The 1st being the scene where he gets his sh*t together & starts practicing with his gun - itā€™s painful to watch. The 2nd is the very last few seconds which made me laugh out loud involuntarily.
Very well shot, with quite a good score, this is a very good SW that could have been even betterā€¦

yes thatā€™s true, but this you can say about many, many others ā€¦ maybe the most?
interesting in a genre, this is something we have to accept, isnā€™ it?

I like it very much; and itā€™s very nice to get not the usual stuff. but Iā€™m wondered, that some consider it the best Petroni SW.
therefor Tepepa and Death Rides a Horse are too good.

with every movie I got more and more respect for Petroni. thereā€™s no SW I donā€™t like, even Providence (although Iā€™m not really a fan of slapstick or comedy).

regarding the criticism on Luke Askew I have to agree in some points. especial in the action (shooting) scenes I donā€™t like him - there he looks a little bit to clumsy.
besides he was ok for me.

Itā€™s an irresolute film with some good scenes, some weak scenes, nothing special.

The story is a bit odd, the characters are not interesting enough for me, the acting is mostly indifferent or exaggerated but seldom convincing. Luigi Pistilli and Magda Konopka have their moments though.

So nothing exciting in it, an ok film.

[quote=ā€œscherpschutter, post:33, topic:488ā€]Well, itā€™s not a book, but this sure is a nice pic:

http://imageshack.us

And thereā€™s some written text too:

http://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Night_of_the_Serpent_Review[/quote]

Thanks Scherps. Very nice.

IF you were going to write a book how would you structure it? Like Hughesā€™ book (a series of in-depth reviews w/info about related films) or a historical survey orā€¦
Obviously a collection of your reviews would be similar to HHā€™s but how would you arrange it?
Just curious.

For fans that have not yet found this website, it would be a treat indeed.

An underrated spaghetti that finds its place in my personal top-30, Petroniā€™s second best after the colossal Death Rides A Horse. Also known as Ringo Kill - Night of Vipers, what at title!

Well we pretty much agree on this bit of spaghetti-land amigo :smiley: