Certainly not, but I seem to remember something like that in a previous release. And there was a case where the censored scene was regularly present in the trailer.
Yes, even though according to dvdcompare the runtime is exactly the same. For this reason I ask about the black screen.
I long ago came to accept the fact that you will have spags with the same title and have learned to work around it but when you have two movies with alternate titles that are the same and they both star Anthony Steffen…that is just too much confusion in my life.
Day 13: The Grand Duel (1972) with Lee Van Cleef and Horst Frank. I didn’t think I had ever seen TGD. But when I started watching the gun battle at the beginning, I realized I had seen it before. Nonetheless, the film had grew on me. Van Cleef is an ex-sheriff who is after an outlaw named Vermeer. He wants to get to him before the ruthless Saxon family (led by Frank) tries to kill him. There are a couple of good reasons why the Saxons want to see him hanged, but I would ruin the film for those who haven’t seen this one yet. The theme song by Luis Enrique Bacalov is hauntingly beautiful (I always thought it was a Morricone score). I give it an 8/10.
Directed unevenly by Giuseppe Rosati, this is not one of my favourite SW’s, although it does have a few good points in its favour.
Starring genre icon, Gianni Garko, and co-starring Stephen Boyd, (Ben Hur), the film never really seems to know which direction to go in. One minute there is a savage massacre, then a played-for-laughs fist fight, followed by an introduction to the chief baddie - a general who is a bit of a clown.
His second in command, played with sadistic relish by Simon Andreu, is a believable bastardo.
Needless to say, Gianni Garko - here sporting an umbrella and carrying the Koran - is as cool and charismatic as always. Stephen Boyd (who also appears in ‘The Man Called Noon’, and ‘Shalako’), is suitably gritty, and even gets to sing the film’s main theme - a little ditty that does tend to stay in the mind long after the credits stop rolling. The soundtrack, courtesy of Nico Fidenco, is enjoyable, and pleasing to the ear.
An enjoyable, if flawed SW…
I don’t know when this film was actually released in Australia but this God awful Daybill poster I have would suggest somewhere around the mid seventies as it is clearly trying to ride the success of both Trinity films and My Name is Nobody despite the fact the film pre-dates all of them by some years. Whatever works I guess was the distributor’s mantra but it’s a crappy title and an equally crappy poster for what is actually a pretty good mid tier Spaghetti with a banging soundtrack and a particularly earwormy theme song. I’ll be humming it for a while for sure.
Hellman: China 9, Liberty 37
-Italian production with american director which also feels more like american western than spaghetti. I wish this one would get decent release, I think there’s only some crappy dvd releases. I watched quite good looking widescreen print but the audio was so muffled that I could barely hear the dialogue. Anyway, I like this one, nice score and eh, well there is several nude scenes of Jenny Agutter which might affect my grading… 7/10
Continuing with the Vengeance Trails box set, I decided to go with Bandidos today. This is a movie that I appreciate more each time I watch it and one that firmly helps establish what an underappreciated genius director Massimo Dellamano was, no matter the genre of the movie. This one has a good story, great action, and looks absolutely beautiful in the new restoration. Dallamano’s eye as a cinematographer is on display in nearly every frame.
On a side note, I do have the U.S. version of the box set which is intact and feel inclined to share my unsolicited opinion. I have been around horses my entire life and first learned to ride on my own when I was about 8 years old. I love horses dearly and some of the most peaceful and serene memories I have in my life occurred on the back of a horse. There is little that breaks my heart more than to hear of a horse being mistreated but, in this movie, that wasn’t the case. Just in the controlled way they fell it is easy to see that they were trained and had riders on the their backs that knew how to safely guide them to the ground. I have seen plenty of old westerns that used trip wires to create this effect, which should never have been allowed to happen, and the way the horse falls in that instance is completely different and certainly could lead to catastrophic injuries.
Not bad but unmemorable early sw that mixes the Hollywood inspiration with some clear Italian elements. Lorenzon is the best part as the villain who clearly channels Volonte.
Also, - Cannon For Cordoba (1970)
Nice entertainment with a great cast! I never actually thought of this film as a spaghetti western before seeing it but loads of Italian actors changed my mind. It’s got some pretty nasty violence and great action. All around I’d call this one of the better us-mad spaghetti westerns.
Unfortunately that’s not often the case … there are tons of instances in Euro westerns when you know the horse is finished after some horrendous crash … and frankly, the directors and people of this era didn’t give a shit.
One that actually upset me recently was from Minnesota Clay (1964) near the beginning a wagon is brought down and it’s just one horse of two that’s been tripped - and it lies there dead for the rest of the scene … it actually put me off watching the rest of the film, as I kept thinking, “Corbucci, you’re a c**t!”
Having said that I’m completely against the pointless censorship … as mentioned earlier, the release of ‘Navajo Joe’ in the UK has a similar wagon crash edited out, but can be seen in the trailer … so those implementing this law don’t give a shit either!
Spagvemberfest 2021 Day 14: KILLER CALIBER .32 (1967)
German actor Peter Lee Lawrence was probably the most babyfaced of all genre stars, and here it works to his advantage in maybe his coolest role. He plays Silver, a dandy high-priced killer hired to uncover the leader of a gang of bandits. He looks awesome here, with his fancy clothes, silver spurs and black gloves, and of course, he’s popular with the ladies. He uses silver bullets and is quite handy throwing a knife too.
The movie is structured like a mystery, which makes it unique, but unfortunately there is little action, and a lot of screen time is wasted on poker games, dragging things out needlessly. I really wanted to like this more, but it was just a bit too reserved.
It’s a shame that PLL never got to reprise this role in another film, but instead Gianni Garko got to play Silver in THE PRICE OF DEATH (1971). Despite the great main character, this film doesn’t really ever catch fire, but it’s enjoyable enough for a 6/10.
When I was writing that, I thought of bringing up Corbucci as I can think of numerous instances where the cruelty to horses in his movies is extreme which is probably why I don’t hold him in as high regard as many do - not that I am knocking anyone that does, I’m just speaking for myself personally. Unfortunately, this trend of horse destruction not only shows up in Euro westerns but in old U.S. westerns as well. You are right, censoring something that happened in a movie 50 years ago is pointless. What does that accomplish? It doesn’t change the fact that it happened simply by erasing its existence on film and, as the saying goes, “those who forget history are doomed to repeat it”. The best route to go is to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Great example of a spagh, which starts great and then slowly degrades into pure trash. I mean, what the hell was that fortress attack? This could be such a memorable spag easily. 5 or 6/10
That’s a little harsh!? LOL … I mean it has Chris Huerta for “Comic relief”, what were you expecting? Also, if I’m not wrong, and long before the finale it has Garko feeding Federico Boido and his gang of brothers, Shit Stew … literally !!!
I don’t mind him in a comic relief role, but the silliness of a fortress attack is just so out of place. You can easily say that they decided to put zero effort into that scene. At least Garko comes back to his senses and draws his revolver for last two times.
Day 14: ‘Requiem for a Gringo’ (1968) aka ‘Duel in the Eclipse’
Amazing music - vile baddies - and a stoic hero with a terrible poncho!
Really enjoying this one despite some of the costume design choices - there’s great character development and a no-nonsense hero who really sorts out the bunch of psychos led by our old favorite, Fernando Sancho 7/10
Rewatch. I haven’t seen this one since I purchased it back in 2017-18. I gotta admit the film kinda has a special memory for me as it was one of the first German Blu Rays I bought after getting a Region Free Player (I know I bring that up a lot, I just enjoy having it so much).
The first time I watched it, I was kinda lost in parts and only really grasped things after it ended. At first I thought Hilton’s character was some kind of fool for hanging out with a guy he knew had a few marbles missing and would bring him nothing but trouble, but now I realize he always felt like an outsider, and probably sensed something similar in Tracey, hence why he stayed.
Frank Wolff’s Tracey is the first, and so far only, SW villain I’ve seen with an exploitable weakness in his suffering epileptic fits. Wolff plays the part so well in his sliminess and viciousness.
Eduardo Fajardo proved he could play characters who had good in them just as good as playing villains, as you see him as a caring, if fairly jealous and power happy, husband/landowner.