Sartana-films

Town Hall
21

I like the Sartana films very much. However, I have to confess that I really have a major dislike of the second one (I AM SARTANA–ANGEL OF DEATH). There are a number of factors contributing to why I don’t care for this film. Here are a few of them:

  1. The character names are completely ridiculous (Hot Dead, Buddy Ben, etc.)–they sound like character name’s from a children’s cartoon show.

  2. The theme song for Klaus Kinski’s character is a variation of the melody for “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”!!! That is just stupid…and they play it way too much in the film.

  3. In the original version of the film, there is a transition sequence for when Sartana goes to the big gambling town. In this sequence they show MODERN DAY neon signs for Las Vegas Casinos!!!

  4. Also in relation to the above, they show rows of slot machines in the casinos in this film…and those weren’t around until the 1920’s!

Now, there are other things that are out of place, historically, in the other Sartana films…but, they are not so jarring or obtrusive that they distract me from enjoying them. ANGEL OF DEATH has one distracting moment after another–to the point of ruining the film for me.

I do, however, like the main title theme for this film…there is some pretty cool action…Garko does a great job and looks very cool in this one…and I enjoyed Gordon Mitchell’s performance. But, beyond that…I do not care for ANGEL OF DEATH.

I think the ulitmate representation of the Sartana character is in the original film by Gianfranco Parolini: IF YOU MEET SARTANA–PRAY FOR YOUR DEATH.

The “Anthony Ascott” films, though enjoyable, are just not up to the same level of quality, in my estimation. I will admit that Bruno Nicolai’s scores for LIGHT THE FUSE…, and HAVE A NICE FUNERAL…, are outstanding and miles above the score Piccioni did for the Parolini film. But, that doesn’t make those films better than the original one, overall.

The Sartana character, as originally conceived by Parolini and Garko, was to be an extremely mysterious figure. He was to be a somber, sardonic, somewhat supernatural, magician-like fellow…who may or may not be a ghost or literal angel of death. Ascott got ahold of the character and infused Sartana with a bit too much humor and made him more of an all-knowing, practical joker.
That is just my take on the character.

Having said that, though, I must say that I do like LIGHT THE FUSE…SARTANA’S COMING (Sartana #4), and HAVE A NICE FUNERAL…SARTANA WILL PAY! (Sartana #3) . I find those films to be very entertaining and loads of fun!

I also like the George Hilton Sartana movie, SARTANA’S HERE…TRADE YOUR PISTOL FOR A COFFIN! (aka, FISTFUL OF LEAD). That one is a lot of fun, as well. Some folks don’t like to include it among the official Sartana movies because Garko is not in it; but, I like it enough that I always call it the 5th in the series.
Fun stuff!

Anyway, that is my take on the Sartana films…

22

[quote=“flynnparadox, post:20, topic:306”]No idea why that one in particular is rated higher than the others. My favorite is “Have a Good Funeral, Friend…” but “Light the Fuse…” is very close behind.

Here are my observations on the original Sartana film on Wild East DVD:
The picture is certainly squished. On my player, I simply went to the (player) menu and chose “16x9 widescreen” and it looked normal and ended up at an aspect ratio of about 1.66:1. I think, though, this means that the film is cropped. I’m sure on that, though…[/quote]

It’s more 1,78:1 on the DVD, and that is the correct aspect ratio.

23

[quote=“Chris_Casey, post:21, topic:306”]3. In the original version of the film, there is a transition sequence for when Sartana goes to the big gambling town. In this sequence they show MODERN DAY neon signs for Las Vegas Casinos!!!

  1. Also in relation to the above, they show rows of slot machines in the casinos in this film…and those weren’t around until the 1920’s!

Now, there are other things that are out of place, historically, in the other Sartana films…but, they are not so jarring or obtrusive that they distract me from enjoying them. ANGEL OF DEATH has one distracting moment after another–to the point of ruining the film for me.[/quote]Well, there’s also a strange weaponry, organ cannon and a robot in other films but I think all these things make Sartana films just more amusing. Who cares if slot machine’s didn’t exist at that time as long as it looks good.

24

Ah! Thanks. It sure looks closer to 1.66:1 on my TV but, I suppose that could be my player…

25

Yeah, I don’t have a problem with those things because they aren’t so outrageously out of place. Alfie (in LIGHT THE FUSE…) isn’t really a robot…he is more like a mechanical, clock-work fgure of which there were plenty in the late 1800’s. The Organ cannon is cool and so are all the strange weapons that can be seen in the last two Garko movies.
The thing is, in my opinion, in those two films, HAVE A NICE FUNERAL–SARTANA WILL PAY and LIGHT THE FUSE–SARTANA’S COMING, Carnimeo did a great job of making these wild and crazy things look like they belonged in the time period in which the stories are supposed to take place. They are items of pure fantasy…but, they fit the visual style of the film that Carnimeo establishes.
In those movies those things do, indeed, look good!

But, in ANGEL OF DEATH, he doesn’t take any steps to even slightly disguise the modern day things and that is why I find them so jarringly ridiculous. In that film these things look stupid…not good. So…I am the one who cares about the slot machines…because they DON’T LOOK GOOD…they look STUPID! :wink:

Another funny thing in the original version of ANGEL OF DEATH is Sartana’s mentioning of “Pop Art”!! That didn’t exist until the 1960’s.

Don’t get me wrong, I am glad that you enjoy the movie, amigo Bill–and I am not trying to change your mind about it!
I am just trying to make it clear as to why I will never enjoy ANGEL OF DEATH as much as the rest of the Sartana movies…it just seems to have been carelessly made and poorly thought-out, in my opinion.

26

Brother Chris - I have to pick you up on this point (just because you have an encyclopedic knowledge of spaghetti westerns that I can only aspire to - and I take off my yorkshire flat cap to you for that) but as ‘art’ is my major passion I have to be pedantic and point out that it was the English art critic Lawrence Alloway who first coined the term ‘Pop Art’ in 1958 to form a generic term for diverse work that was being produced on both sides of the atlantic from the mid 50s. You’d have to agree that the famous ‘flag’ paintings of your own Jasper Johns, from 1958, are Pop Art icons?
Anyway - just being a twat on that point just for the hell of it! :slight_smile:
Back on task - like you I also find some elements of the Sartana films a bit jarring but overall I enjoy them. There are other deliberately out-of joint (as opposed to simple mistakes) in other films - I’m pretty sure (without looking) that the term ‘muthafucker’ is used in a very jarring 1970s way in ‘Sonny and Jed’.
Anymore?

27

I love the Sartana films, in spite of (or perhaps because of) their budget limitations and bizarre/left field plot elements. Top me Garko is the biggest reason why they work as his interpretation of the character is so grounded. This in spite of the fact that Sartana is never clearly formed as a complete character in any of the movies.

I find the Garko ones to be very re-watchable and consistently entertaining, although I do prefer Parolini’s direction in the first one to any of the subsequent sequels.

28

I have never seen any of the Sartana films.
Which ones are recommended?

29

[quote=“genesis_pig, post:28, topic:306”]I have never seen any of the Sartana films.
Which ones are recommended?[/quote]
Hi - that’s a difficult call. The Garko ones generally get more far-fetched/gimmicky as they progress. Some people prefer these to the earlier ones. There’s a very cheap videoasia boxset (10 films) that has some ‘proper’ Sartana films as well as some with a more dubious link to the name. It would be worth your while sampling some via this?
Welcome btw.

30

Thanksalot!

I’ll try with first one I guess, before making any judgements about the rest of the series.

31

[quote=“genesis_pig, post:30, topic:306”]Thanksalot!

I’ll try with first one I guess, before making any judgements about the rest of the series.[/quote]I prefer the Carnimeo Sartana’s over the first one myself, they’re more fun imo.

32

[quote=“genesis_pig, post:30, topic:306”]Thanksalot!

I’ll try with first one I guess, before making any judgements about the rest of the series.[/quote]

That’s what I’d suggest.
Start with the first one and work your way through the others in turn (or as you can get hold of them).
I like the first one fine but, like Bill, actually prefer the Carnimeos. Have a Good Funeral is my favourite of all of them but they are all pretty close for me.

33

i loved the original sartana soooooooooooooooooooooo much!!! for me the best spaghetti western ever made!!! the music it’s litle boring but who cares?

34

[quote=“genesis_pig, post:28, topic:306”]I have never seen any of the Sartana films.
Which ones are recommended?[/quote]
begin with the first: if you meet sartana pray for your death’

35

I’ve seen the first one couple of weeks ago… the rest of the movies are really hard to come across…

Thanks for the recommendations.

36

[quote=“Chris_Casey, post:21, topic:306”]I have to confess that I really have a major dislike of the second one (I AM SARTANA–ANGEL OF DEATH). There are a number of factors contributing to why I don’t care for this film. Here are a few of them:

  1. In the original version of the film, there is a transition sequence for when Sartana goes to the big gambling town. In this sequence they show MODERN DAY neon signs for Las Vegas Casinos!!!

  2. Also in relation to the above, they show rows of slot machines in the casinos in this film… and those weren’t around until the 1920’s![/quote]

I want to say first of all that I share your opinion on the film, but I don’t find those historical inaccuracies so weighty

3.To be precise in the uncut original version they show hypercoloured, modern-style WOODEN signs, not NEON signs

  1. According to wikipedia “The first slot machine was invented by Charles Fey of San Francisco, California, U.S. (…) Most assert that Fey invented the machine in 1887 (…) Sittman and Pitt of Brooklyn, New York, U.S. developed a gambling machine in 1891 which was a precursor to the modern slot machine. It contained five drums holding a total of 50 card faces and was based on poker. This machine proved extremely popular and soon many bars in the city had one or more of the machines”.
37

Thankfully in the original version there are absolutely no references to pop art: this is the rather irreverent dialogue in front of a painting portraying a nude

Baxter Red: Vi interessate d’arte?
Sartana: Bellissimo quadro. Vostra madre?
Baxter Red: No, mia moglie. E’ fuggita col pittore, li ho fatti secchi tutti e due.

In all probability the following expression “una passatina di poker” (a brief poker hand) was misunderstood… :wink:

38

i loved the 3 sartana films of gianni garko very much, i see them a million of times!!!
‘sartana does not forgive’ they will be one of my favorites also when i found the english audio re-released by some company

39

[quote=“Bill san Antonio, post:4, topic:306”]I’ve seen:

If you meet Sartana…pray for your death
-this is actually my least favorite of the official films. I prefer Carnimeo’s films. But I haven’t seen this for a long time and I should give it a try with Wild East’s dvd.

I’m Sartana your Angel of Death
-My favorite Sartana film. Great action and characters.

Have a Good Funeral… Sartana will Pay
-best music in the series.

Light the Fuse…Sartana’s Coming
-Very good film too. Great story and usual strange Sartana-weaponry.[/quote]

completely agreed.

40

And while speaking of Sartana rip-offs:

Trinity and Sartana Sons of Bitches…

This gotta be the strangest Sartana rip-off. I mean we are used to see Sartana wearing black… but black Sartana…

AND NOW WE HAVE A BLACK dJANGO,THANX TO TARANTINO!!!