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

I thought Luke was absolutely perfect in this role, myself. And i too like this a bit more than DRAH. Still need to catch up with TEPEPA.

I didnā€™t really like this film. It was kinda slow. And the script wasnā€™t really interesting. However, I thought Luke Askew was fantastic. The part where he is trying to rediscover how to shoot is great.

[quote=ā€œNovecento, post:60, topic:488ā€]Really? You didnā€™t find the combination of a respectable alcalde, a hospitable inkeeper, a most pious sacristan and a cigar smoking prostitute a very interesting set of characters?

I do agree, however, that Petroni could have fleshed them out a lot more. Iā€™d probably put this one after Tepepa but above Death Rides a Horse.[/quote]ok yeah something i forgot the two main women characters were great looking, but no film didnā€™t do a lot for me but may change my mind on a second viewing at some time.

Watched it last night and found it somewhat interesting but a little slow, particularly at the beginning.

I donā€™t know if I like this one or not but it certainly deserves a second viewing before I can decide.

Since there where still two threads for this I merged them.

The virus (especially the ones the kids got) is like today itā€™s meā€¦ tomorrow itā€™s you :frowning: canā€™t keep nothing at the stomach, and forget about working got everything late now, well at least I could watch this one.

And liked very much, the cast is very good although I think Luke Askew is not perfect in the main role (I think that itā€™s one of his few main roles), he does a good job, but comparing with the rest of cast (in the main parts) IMO heā€™s the weakest link, but at least itā€™s a fresh face.
I liked very much the story, and Petroni does wonders directing it, in cinematographic terms very good, he really know how to use a camera and to compose the scenes, that scene where with Luke and thee hangman and the small table that didnā€™t reach itā€™s feet, very good, I also liked how he ā€œMcgyveredā€ his out of the prison.
The script itā€™s very well done (seems a like crime/police story sometimes), normal for a SW but different at the same time, not without itā€™s flaws, that William tell thing even for a SW seems a little bit to much, but I guess it was necessary for the lot to understand how the main character got so low, i liked also the way the itā€™s slow paced, I think it really helps the film keeping itā€™s integrity.
Itā€™s a pitty that Petroni didnā€™t directed more (and not only SW),all the SW are pretty good stuff, Also the copy I got in widescreen got one the best image qaulity Iā€™ve seen for a SW and that is not that common.

Sick but at least choose a good one (but with Petroni you really canā€™t go wrong)

Revisited this one a few weeks back and really enjoyed it this time around. Weird because I was on the fence the first time I saw itā€¦but I think others experience this as well, eh? (not just with this film, I mean second viewings of a certain film change your mind radically)

really weird at the start end very boring at the end
i liked only the scene when luke prepare himself for a battle
but afterwards you donā€™t see any battle

I finally saw this one and really enjoyed it good music and directing. I liked the flashback bits on Lukeā€™s character made you understand and connect more with who he was and why he became a drunk and it all connected like him protecting the child. Pistilli was great as the heavy.

After avoiding this one for a long time, finally got a chance to watch this one recently. Well, itā€™s not great but itā€™s not bad either. It starts slow in the begining but then it picks up the pace. Luke Askew was ok but imo he was not that convincing enough as a drunk. Chelo Alonso and Magda Konopka were both hot thought! Will have to rewatch this one again sometime, just for the women alone. :stuck_out_tongue: Top 60 at least on my list.

Love this movie and thought that Luke Askew was very convincing. Itā€™s possibly even at the end of my Top 20.
Actually have to re-watch it but I think it was really good.

[quote=ā€œMickey13, post:71, topic:488ā€]Love this movie and thought that Luke Askew was very convincing. Itā€™s possibly even at the end of my Top 20.
Actually have to re-watch it but I think it was really good.[/quote]
i think your top 20 has SWS with so much less killings see bounty killer it has only 20 kills and itā€™s one of my favourites

Yeah, Bounty Killer is on my Top 20 as well. Great movie, slightly better than Nest Of Vipers for me.
But La notte dei serpenti is more drama than usual spaghetti. It has more mysteries, which reminds me a bit giallo.
And great soundtrack by Riz Ortolani, possibly aside from Day Of Anger this is his best score composed for spaghetti. Adds so much spaghettique atmosphere to this one! Everything was great except for horrible English dubbing. >:(
Anyway top notch for me and itā€™s possibly somewhere on my Top 20 and definitely on my Top 25. :wink:
I guess Iā€™m interested more in atmosphere in Italian westerns than anything else. 8)

I didnā€™t remember much about this, probably didnā€™t get much of the plot on the first time.

Good different kind of sw with noirish plot. Pace of the film is slow and there isnā€™t much action in the first half of the film but the story build up nicely and thereā€™s good dose of gunplay in the end. I think Askew is good in the lead and the rest of the cast is good too, especially Pistilli whom I have always liked. Askewā€™s character is wearing sandals throughout the film, funny detail which makes me think of some sort of Christ symbolism.

7/10

Funny how Chelo Alonsoā€™s character is billed as ā€œDoloresā€ in this and also in Run Man Run. Her only other Spaghetti Western appearance was in GBU as ā€œStevensā€™ Wifeā€. One can only assume her full name in GBU must have been ā€œDolores Stevensā€ then ;D

Petroni is known for telling us stories of troubled men having their past haunt them day and night, and Nest of Vipers is no different. Our protagonist Luke is a barely functional alcoholic, hired to kill. But from the start, we notice something is terribly wrong. A lot of the main plot is flashback scenes showing Lukeā€™s backstory and leaving us to guess weather or not heā€™ll ever defeat his demons. As in every Petroni film, their is a final showdown thats full of action. In the end, its worth a watch especially if you like Petroni as a director.

Felt this needed a rewatch, and I got a lot more from it the second time. I will say Petroni tries to show us something original here. Each of Pertroniā€™s ā€œMain Charactersā€ an alcalde, a innkeeper, a prostitute and a sacristan seem to lead sinful lives, and have little care for forgiveness. Petroni shows us how ā€œsinsā€ and ā€œlustā€ and ā€œdesireā€ only lead to death, and in the end if we are to get any kid of inner peace or redemption, we must kick some of our old habits. Lukeā€™s character is unique in the fact he does try and find redemption, (in what seems to be a hopeless, situation). The film tries to show us what happens when moral and spiritual decay take over. I give Petroni a lot of credit, the film isnā€™t perfect, but certainly has a strong message.

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Iā€™m surprised this film seems to get so little attention on here though, judging from some other comments, it seems itā€™s clearly not for everyone. Personally, this is one of my favorite spaghetti westerns of all time. Luke Sakewā€™s performance is certainly understated, but I think that suits the character incredibly well. It contrasts him nicely with the more outlandish characters and helps sell the idea that heā€™s fallen far from grace after showing himself off too much.
The slow transformation of the gringo from the butt of Panchoā€™s gang to Manuelā€™s savior is another aspect of the film I thought was well done. When we first see the gringo, he seems completely helpless but by the end of the film he is standing up to the bandits and army both. None of this felt like it was done in an overtly ham fisted way, to me. It all felt very natural.
Either way, Iā€™m glad Night of the Serpents is available on YouTube (where I first saw it) since it seemed nearly impossible to get before.

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I watched this one a while ago and wanted to like it because it was made by Petroni, but I was left a bit disappointed. I thought it was well made and shot, but I couldnā€™t take to Askew or his character after we see him kill the child, even though it felt like we were supposed to like and relate to him and be happy for him at the end if I remember right.

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Yeah I can understand that. For me, it works well with his uncharismatic performance as it shows that he learned the dangers of pride and showmanship. Like UglyOne427 said, the movie seems to be about redemption and I personally liked seeing a character who committed such a heinous act ultimately find it.

Canā€™t blame anyone for still hating him by the end, though. Incidentally, I just watched Petroniā€™s Tepepa and didnā€™t feel like I could sympathize with Jesus Maria Moran because of his actions.