Well behind with my SW’s for this annual ‘Spagfest’, but hoping to catch up with some fav. Blurays.
Before that…
’Fedra West’ (1968), aka 'I Do Not Forgive…I Kill’
Directed by Joaquin Luis Romero Marchent (Cut Throats Nine), this stand-out SW has been spoken of before on the site, usually with disappointment because of a shitty presentation.
The usual complaint is that the only (or one of the only ways) to watch it is via an itchy-scratchy, censored, truncated, butchered DVD.
In my case, this is how I have unhappily just experienced it for the second time.
This is, potentially, a stylish, down to earth, well-acted SW, that deserves far more respect than it has received on disc.
For the record, our SWDB amigo, Scherpschutter, has written an excellent review of this movie, that can be found on the site - and it pretty much sums up my feelings.
Starring Norma Bengell (‘The Hellbenders’); and Simon Andreu (Those Dirty Dogs); the stand-out performance for me was James Philbrook, the father who gets peed off with his son.
Norma Bengell should have made more films, because she is totally watchable, and had a genuine ‘presence’ on screen. I was actually counting the minutes until she made an appearance. She was certainly one of the most talented, and most missed of our SW dames.
The version I watched is 78 mins long…the original is supposed to be 90 mins. ‘Fedra West’ deserves respect. Even if a full version ever does emerge, it may not be the best of SW’s , but it holds its own, and certainly deserves a lot more courtesy and love - rather than the crap (pictured below) that is presently available.
To finish, my tribute to the guiding light in ‘Fedra West’…Norma Bengell, (1935–2013) R.I.P.
