I still need to buy that BluRay somewhere… bummer that this is such a hard to get title
At least it exists… cough cough El Puro cough cough
I’ll carry on this Saturday with a Richard Harrison flick: La lunga cavalcata della vendetta
I’m half through when I’m writing this short note, one thing is already clear to me, it is the spaghetti western with more fake cactus that I recall.
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Day 7 has me looking into another long curious to see SW
https://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Dio_non_paga_il_sabato
I had never heard of either of the American leads prior to this one which was surprising especially since Larry Ward seemed to have had a very steady career up until the 1980’s. It definitely has the look of a smaller classic. I’m sure I’m in for another fun time.
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It’s two in a row for Tanio Boccia.
After Garrone’s third Western, Una lunga fila di croci, I watched his fourth, the well-known Django il bastardo, which was released only a few months later in 1969. In addition to good camera work and inventive staging, both films feature strong female characters, played by Nicoletta Machiavelli and Rada Rassamov respectively. Sergio Garrone directed a total of six Westerns, the first two of them, Se vuoi vivere … spara! (1968) and Tre croci per non morire (1968), are next on my SpagvemberFest list.
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I’ve seen Days of Violence (1967) today and it’s another solid outing from Alfonso Brescia, probably one of the best scripted entries amongst the more Americanized spaghs. If it’d been more violent and cynical, this easily could’ve been a minor classic in my book, as the story has a lot of potential, some of which is regrettably left unexplored. The corny ending left a bad taste in my mouth and there are things which I wish had been structured and executed in a more compelling fashion. With that being said, there is plenty to enjoy here IMHO. Moving on to May God Forgive You… But I Won’t (1968).
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Surprisingly, this uninspired mixture of whodunnit/treasure hunt spagh was directed by Giuseppe Vari. Albeit it seems quite promising from the starting point and it certainly is not all bad along the way, almost everything about this movie is just mediocre. And the ending? Great finale would really help, but no, let’s shoot the bad guy in a most boring trivial way as had been done numerous times before. 4/10
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I turned my attention from the nail-biter in Washington to a nail-biter in Clifton with DAY OF ANGER. It’s a classic for good reason. And the BluRay is brilliant
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In moments like this I am starting to lose hope for the genre. Let me explain:
This spagh starts off on the battlefield of Civil War and it is simply great, serious and brutal with great score and interesting revenge premise - kind of similar as in Garringo. Although it doesn’t go that road, first half is pretty decent, no complaints there. But then, these batshit crazy italian ideas start to sneak into the story and what was once quite serious venture turns into super lighthearted triggerhappy tomfoolery with lot of, and I mean lot of comedic relief - the final gunbattle is so retarded that I couldn’t believe my eyes. This is definitely one of the worst PLL’s spaghs and I thought it will be one of the best. 4/10
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I was surprised too … and switched off 15 mins before the end … it actually made me a little pissed off, that’s not a good sign. 
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- Corbucci: The Great Silence
-Another blu-ray purchase which I had not yet watched. 10/10
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SPAGVEMBERFEST 2020
Day 7
I Am Sartana, Your Angel of Death (Carnimeo / 1969)
More of a whodunnit than the first one which was more of a “who the hell didn’t dunnit” this second Sartana flick benefits from another great support cast and an insanely catchy theme tune. It was the first Sartana film I ever saw back in the days of crappy rental VHS tapes and it holds a certain charm for me as a result. It also features one of the best support roles for Klaus Kinski in my opinion, playing against type as the soft spoken inveterate loser who loves to gamble. The scene in the stagecoach where he catches the card sharp cheating and holds him at gunpoint to play again so he can lose honestly is a peach. Could have done with a better ending but that’s a small criticism as the pleasures are plentiful enough to make up for it.
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- Miraglia: Shoot, Joe And Shoot Again
-Film famous for a whipping scene of a naked Franca Polesello and nasty torture of Richard Harrison turning him into a blind man. Film also has almost absurd bank robbery in the beginning where bandits use a huge weird contraption as a battering ram. It’s like something out of a… I dunno, Emir Kusturica film or something. Unfortunately this is otherwise rather mundane film. At least the tv-print I saw looked excellent. 4/10
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SPAGVEMBERFEST 2020
Day 8
Have a Good Funeral My Friend… Sartana Will Pay (Carnimeo / 1970)
I remembered this one as the best Sartana of all and it is definitely right up there. Garko is at his coolest, the score is great and the supporting cast is again top drawer with all the best Italian “faces” showing up to be cut down. Franco Ressel is a personal favourite but Aldo Berti, Rick Boyd and Ivano Staccioli are also welcome assets. George Wang also gets one of the best lines in the series when he goes all Sammo Hung and responds to Sartana saying in surprise he thought he was a cripple with “No, I’m just a very lazy man.” 
But it does flirt with silliness just a bit too closely and it has a gambling hall fistfight that is disappointing. But I can forgive it that because of its other qualities. Is it still my favourite? I’m not sure I can decide.
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Day 8: Stranger, Say Your Prayers!
I found it so difficult to focus due to the slow pacing of this film. I did, however, laugh so hard when the stranger took a “nice long drink of water”… utterly ridiculous. Thankfully, I’ve only got one more Fidani in the list.
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Those 15 minutes are quintessential!
Day 8-A stranger in Paso bravo
The film that inspired Margheriti’s And god said to Cain, this one feels more like a traditional sw than it’s Kinski counterpart but it’s still a pretty damn good action packed western with Anthony Steffen as a leading man. I am surprised I hadn’t heard too much about this film except for the and god said to Cain tie because this film is up there with Steffen’s best work!
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’A Pistol For Ringo’ (1965)
I love this film, and Giuliano Gemma’s super-cool performance in it.
A great cast, featuring Fernando Sancho, Nieves Navarro, Lorella de Luca, Parajito, and George Martin…
Throw in a fantastic score by Ennio Morricone, and the scene is set for a Spaghetti banquet.
Years ago, as a kid, I bought the LP soundtrack, even before I’d seen the film.
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SPAGVEMBERFEST 2020: DAY 8
Still a day behind having missed a viewing on Friday, I figured today would be a great day to catch up with a Sunday afternoon double-bill of A Fistful of Dolars (Leone, 1964), a searing musical extravaganza in which a girl on YouTube plays an Ennio Morricone piece on the recorder for five minutes. Of course, I had to watch it for ten minutes because I double billed it, but I got there in the end. What a trooper I am. All caught up.
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