SEVEN GUNS FOR THE MACGREGORS (1966, Franco Giraldi) REVIEW

(scherpschutter) #1

GOOD NIGHT (Afternoon) - WE’RE IN THE DATABASE NOW !

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

(Stanton) #2

Yes a somewhat odd film, entertaining, but not too much, and a great success, probably Robert Woods only greater success in the genre.

By mere coincidence I’ve just seen the sequel last week, which works with the same odd mixture, but is less violent.
The concept of these 7 nice (too nice) and unvulnerable brothers is not my idea of western heroes, so the most exciting thing in the sequel was … Agata Flori. Ha ha I like her, she’s a cutie (moustache? never!), with a beautiful face, she was also great in both Halleluja films. Sorry to hear she was possibly a bitch.
Woods had by the way also problems with Elsa Martinelli in The Belle Starr Story, where he was fired by Lina Wertmüller because of behaving like a diva, so, ha ha maybe he was the pain in the a… .

I like both, Bob and Agata

(Bill san Antonio) #3

I once read somewhere that Robert Woods said Agata Flori had a bad breath and that’s why he hated making scenes with her. Haha! dunno if it’s true but it’s kinda funny anyway.

(Firefox) #4

I like this film, but I’m not sure why! It has a good feel about it, comfort viewing. Mind you my copy is pretty ropey, a pan and scan from some old video source, I would love to see a decent copy in widescreen.

(Phil H) #5

I really enjoyed both MacGregor films although Woods’ performance in this first one makes it my favourite of the two. It is a strange mix of comedy and violence but the main mood of the film is definitely more light hearted.

@Firefox
The italian RHV releases are excellent. Clean, widescreen prints with english audio. They are well worth getting if you like these films.

(Firefox) #6

[quote=“Phil H, post:5, topic:1104”]@Firefox
The italian RHV releases are excellent. Clean, widescreen prints with english audio. They are well worth getting if you like these films.[/quote]

Thanks for the info Phil, I’ll have a look around the net for a good price and treat myself.

(ENNIOO) #7

Well worth it.

(Reverend Danite) #8

I tried to watch this last night but found the jokes lame :stuck_out_tongue: and the action (mexicans attacking the house and the barroom brawl) tiresome. The film never got past 20 minutes before I put something good on (Night of the Serpent) again. Maybe I’ll try again one day, but so far neither early or later comedy westerns are seeming to hit the spot.

(Phil H) #9

You should give it another try Rev.
Although far from the gritty fare I know you prefer this film becomes less comedic as it goes on. In fact I wouldn’t class it as a comedy at all. However, the first 20 minutes (the bits you watched) with the old couple probably give the impression it is a comedy.
In reality it is one of those strange mixtures that is neither Arthur or Martha which Giraldi seemed to make a trademark of. Sugar Colt is the same. A massacre, followed by a silly fist fight, followed by a tense gun battle.
Worth another go anyway. If you’ve a mind.

(Reverend Danite) #10

Maybe so - I’ll try again another day. Cheers

(ENNIOO) #11

Or you could watch Night of The Serpent again…

(Reverend Danite) #12

;D

(Romaine Fielding) #13

Whiskey and Glory!!!

I re-watched this again this morning. I’m of mixed feelings about this one. Somewhere in between the Rev & Phil. While I did enjoy it, I found myself inadvertently checking the time to see how much of the movie was left. I did this four or five times during the last half of the film. It’s funny that the Rev mentioned Night of the Serpent, I watched that right before I watched this.
For me the comedic elements are too strong NOT to call this a comedy. Yes, there are juxtaposed moments of brutality (often handled with black humor) but the movie never seems serious to me. But it is a weird hybrid at the least.
I love some of the lines (Tessari at work?). Old Biddy: “Harold, there’s a couple of horse thieves that want to talk to you.” Cue the shotgun blast.
It is a fun movie and the rambunctious score drives that home in a literally resounding way.

It has a wonderful cast.
The wall-eyed Victor Israel has a tiny but eccentric part as a saloon piano player who takes advantage of a barroom brawl to play the classical music he prefers instead of the customary honky-tonk. He does so sublimely.
Always on the lookout for the boys from L’America A Roma, Paolo Magalloti (as Paul Carter) plays Kenneth, one of the brothers.
It’s two-for-one on banditos as Fernando Sancho this time plays the second in command although he carries a lovely golden scepter for part of the film and wears a gaudy uniform jacket with tasseled epaulettes. The terrific Leo Anchorez plays the vicious leader Santillana who perishes in yet another waterwheel related Spaghetti fatality.
The “much too soft” Chris Huerta makes a brief appearance and a fiery exit.
Antonio Molino Rojo is the corrupt and not too bright sheriff.
Saturno Cerra, who gets “boot shot” by Jason Robards in OUATITW is MacGregor brother Johnny.
Georges Riguad, Alberto Dell’Acqua, etc, etc…

If you pay attention at minute 58:07 on the RHV dvd you can witness a real life “near death” experience. One of the stuntmen is climbing onto the top of a moving train just as it starts to pass underneath a low-clearance trestle bridge. As he comes to the top of the railcar, he puts his head down to keep his hat from blowing off in the wind and doesn’t see the bridge approaching. The bridge clears the top of his head by what appears to be just inches.
Yikes, I almost jumped out of my chair.

Oh yeah, Robert Woods punches Agatha Flory twice in this one. Rough.

“If my hunch is right” some will like this, some won’t, and some will feel both ways.
Hurrah the MacGregors! (Well, kinda.)

(Romaine Fielding) #14

Well, I guess I should have read Scherps review BEFORE I posted my comments on the film. :-[
Naturally, as in all his customarily comprehensive reviews, Scherps catches nearly everything.
Scherps are you sure it is actually Sancho who nearly gets decapitated? I (probably wrongly) assumed that Sancho would not perform a stunt like that. Obviously it is his character who is climbing onto the top of the train but is it likely that he would have done such a thing himself? He was not exactly nimble. There were at least two working stuntmen/actors as part of the cast (Paolo Magalotti & Alberto Dell’Acqua). Surely there were even more stuntmen available. Just curious…
Thanks

(Romaine Fielding) #15

I went back and looked at the near decap again and Scherps is clearly right. It IS Sancho. Wow.

(Reverend Danite) #16

Maybe I’ll get to watch this one day - even if just for this … :wink:

Where is it that they show that clip of Eli Wallach in GBU, after he’s removed Mario Brega from his wrist via a train? They go on about how he was nearly decapitated by the train’s footplate - but this sounds closer to a near death experience :P.

(scherpschutter) #17

[quote=“Reverend Danite, post:16, topic:1104”]Maybe I’ll get to watch this one day - even if just for this … :wink:

Where is it that they show that clip of Eli Wallach in GBU, after he’s removed Mario Brega from his wrist via a train? They go on about how he was nearly decapitated by the train’s footplate - but this sounds closer to a near death experience :P.[/quote]

It’s in one of the extras on the 2XDVD from GBU
I think Eli is telling the story himself, so it must be one of the interviews

(Angel Face) #18

This was a great, fun movie. I especially enjoyed how the younger Macgregors race back to save the oldsters at the beginning, but at the end, it’s the elders that come to the younger boys rescue. Wonderful score and a playful nature with a slightly dark comical tone and a fine villain role for Leo Anchoriz, who previously essayed antagonists in a handful of sword and sandal and Italian adventure movies. It’s obvious some money was lavished on this, and seemingly, even more so on the sequel.

The only sad note is that on the RHV disc, the English dub track is out of sync from time to time during the movie. Was this ever corrected?