Spagvemberfest 2021 Day 17: WINNETOU III: THE LAST SHOT aka THE DESPERADO TRAIL (1965)
My 8 and 10 year old granddaughters were visiting this week and I got tired of trying to sneak in films after they went to bed, so I went with something a bit milder that their mom and grandma wouldn’t totally object to. This German produced, shot in Croatia film is another based on the hugely popular (in Germany anyway) novels of Karl May featuring mountain man Old Shatterhand (Lex Barker) and Apache warrior Winnetou (Pierre Brice). Like the rest in the series, these are well mounted, beautifully shot adventures that are closer to clean cut old school American style films than gritty spaghetti westerns. The only real Spaghetti connection is the villain, played with panache by Italian actor Rick Battaglia. Like most these films the villian meets a brutal fate. This one also has a surplus of comic relief character Sam Hawkins (Ralf Wolter), but it’s most well known as the one in which Winnetou actually dies, (not really a spoiler) bringing up a montage of footage from the previous films. Like most of them, there’s plenty of action and excitement, and despite the stereotypical and highly inaccurate portrayal of Apaches this was enjoyable hokum just like the others I’ve seen in the series. 7/10.
Day 17: Hannie Caulder (1971) with Raquel Welch, Ernest Borgnine, Strother Martin, Jack Elam, and Christopher Lee. It was my first time watching Hannie. I had my reservations about it, since all I’ve seen relating to the movie in the past were risque promotional photos of Raquel. It wasn’t bad for a revenge movie, but wasn’t great either. A fine performance by Strother added depth to one of the three Clemmons brothers, who Raquel is after for killing her husband, raping her, and then burning their house down. As the other two Clemmons’s, Borgnine was his usual irritable self, and Elam was Elamesque. I was delighted to see the great Christopher Lee as the man who builds Hannie’s gun. I give it 5/10.
A re-watch after 10 years or so … I remember thinking this pretty good for an exploitation hybrid … certainly 100 times better than it’s awful sequel, ‘The Return of Shanghai Joe’, which I’d seen first on a late night TV broadcast in the late 80s or early 90s … the type of stuff that was shown before we got all night gambling programs.
It has it’s moments, and some are unintentionally funny, like it’s infamous gore scenes - Open heart surgery and eye gouging etc.
It’s one of those, ‘It is what it is’ movies … of it’s time, not bad, but not my cup of tay ! 6/10
I started out with the intent of watching a single Anthony Ghidra movie but was enjoying myself so much that it turned into a George Eastman double feature.
Django, the Last Killer (1967) is a cheaply made spaghetti. I am almost certain that I spent more on the appetizers alone when I took my wife out for our 20th wedding anniversary than they did in making this film. But this movie proves that with the right actors and a decent, though often told, story in place you don’t need a big budget to make something that entertains. George Eastman is great as the put upon farmer who reluctantly picks up a gun when all other options are gone while Anthony Ghidra is as cool as the inside of a freezer as the mentor who guides Eastman along the road to becoming a gunfighter. Admittedly, this film probably doesn’t zip along at a very quick pace which means it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but, for those who don’t mind taking the time, the movie builds to a satisfying and entertaining conclusion.
Hate Thy Neighbor (1968) is not what anyone would call a great movie. The plot is silly and convoluted while Horst Frank, dressed as a stereotypical Southern plantation owner, presiding over his own personal Roman Colosseum is so excessive that it borders on the ridiculous. As for our leading man, Spyros Fokas is so wooden and stiff that I have to wonder if the role was originally written with Anthony Steffen in mind. This movie should be a complete and utter disaster – but, for me anyway, it isn’t. For me, this movie is total non-stop fun from start to finish. It is full of dastardly methods of murder and torture and George Eastman jumps headlong into his villainous role with complete reckless abandon. On top of that, we are treated to the absolutely gorgeous Nicoletta Machiavelli who never fails to light up the screen. Sandwiched in between the really good Django, Prepare a Coffin (1968) and the classic The Forgotten Pistolero (1969), this is obviously not Ferdinando Baldi’s best. But, for those who like their spaghetti cooked both nasty and gritty, this movie contains all the elements required for a great over the top and illogical Spaghetti Western joyride.
This one doesn’t get a lot of love but I’ve always really enjoyed it and considering us Brits’ track record in making westerns it could be something of a masterpiece. I like all the arty farty camera angles and depth of field stuff, I love the soundtrack and I think the cast is pretty damn good too. Does it feel properly Spaghetti-like? Not really. It seems clear the Italian co-producers weren’t overly active in the content of the thing. Was it enjoyable even after multi viewings over the years? Yes. Yes it was.
According to the sticker lumped on my poster the Italian censors thought it suitable only for over 14s. I’m pretty sure it got a similar Double A rating in the UK too. Not sure I saw any particularly adult content but there you are. I remember American Graffitti got the same rating and that was equally mild mannered.
Did Giuliano Gemma ever look more like a Roman god than on this Yugoslavian poster? Good Lord that man was a looker all right. And this film is typical pre-buddy movie Gemma fare. Lots of action, a bit of romance and everything coming out alright in the end. Plus you get Nieves Navarro for good measure. Ticks pretty much every box for me.
Another one I’d watched fairly early when I wanted to dive deeper in the genre at the beginning of the pandemic. This is definitely one of the best of PLL’s western and honestly he is the films biggest strength. It also has really catchy music and a general ambiance of fun that’s infectious. That being said, a lot of the nuts in the saloon are tediously slow and lack any spaghetti look or feel. Not as great as it could have been and sadly I find it the case with a lot of Brescia films, still worth many watches in my opinion.
Parolini: Return of Sabata
-Last film from the Eureka’s bluray box. During the first 30 minutes I thought I had judged this film too harshly before as it starts very promising then it somehow loses it’s grip and I was mainly bored until the shoot out in the end. Still, it’s a better film than it’s reputation, I’d say I prefer it over Adios. 6/10
Yes, it’s time for “Kill Bill Goes West” by way of top-tier revenger Death Rides a Horse (Petroni, 1967), in which it appears at first as though John Philip Law has decided to devote his existence to scowling at every single thing on God’s green Earth; at least, that’s what we’re led to believe until - plot twist! - it turns out that that’s just his FACE! His unmoving, one-dimensional FACE!
I’m just teasing. It’s true that JPL sports a face like a smacked arse throughout most of the picture but it’s a cracking film nonetheless, with the almighty Lee Van Cleef giving us some of his finest work. Really looking forward to seeing this one again, it’s always a pleasure.
And remember, you hopeless romantics: If you’re ever going to get married, make sure you pick someone who looks at you the way JPL looks at LVC on the cover of the Von Mann zu Mann Explosive Media blu-ray cover.
Now, that was something different, but probably for other reasons than you would think. I mean, this movie is so intense. A peaceful dialogue can turn into a violent outburst in a split of a second and you can bet it will in every scene. What the hell. I basically laughed through it, and when the cavalry arrived in the end from another movie and basically for no reason I knew I’ve just seen most entertaining spagh of this years fest. Pure gold. No rating.
Day 18: Hands Up Dead Man, You’re Under Arrest (1971). Peter Lee Lawrence plays an ex-confederate who witnesses Union officer Aldo Sambrell (was bad guy in Navajo Joe) killing injured soldiers under his care. He vows revenge against him. Lawrence later joins the Texas Rangers and ends up investigating Sambrell, who is now a greedy land speculator who is strong-arming property owners into getting more properties to sell to the railroads. I had never seen Peter Lee Lawrence in a movie before, and was impressed by his acting chops. Sambrell is always convincing as a reptilian villain. I give it 5/10.
… and the movie will never be the same after reading your review - thanks for the laugh!
A peaceful dialogue can turn into a violent outburst in a split of a second and you can bet it will in every scene. What the hell. I basically laughed through it, and when the cavalry arrived in the end from another movie and basically for no reason I knew I’ve just seen most entertaining spagh of this years fest. Pure gold. No rating.
