Spagvemberfest 2022 - the legend continues

DAY 16:

Pecos è qui: prega e muori (1967) - Director: Maurizio Lucidi - 5/10

Ahh, nothing screams “Mexico” more than sunless skies, withered leaves, the autumnal Lazio landscapes shrouded in mist and fake cacti stuck in gravel pits. In other words, there is plenty to exult in here if you happen to cherish this sort of thing. I was not much of a fan of the first movie to begin with, so the change of tone did not matter to me that much I suppose. This is a perfectly serviceable cheapo as far as I’m concerned and it is always a pleasure to see Bobby Woods in the lead role.

The mariachi are a bit irritating, but the movie likewise includes some good looking shootouts; a number of outlandish sets in tandem with the unusual treasure hunt tale revolving around the Aztec gold gives it a bit of panache and animates the endeavor quite a bit too. Albeit not the greatest thing under the sun and undoubtedly less serious than its predecessor, there is still plenty to enjoy about this straightforward, yet elegant follow up. I like both films in equal measure, but I guess I’m not the biggest Pecos fan out there, so take my words with a grain of salt.

Little Rita nel west (1967) - Director: Ferdinando Baldi - 6/10

It is difficult to rate the work inasmuch as it is not a regular genre opus in virtue of its relatively scant story which serves as a pretext to embark on a number of music pieces sung by Rita Pavone; hence, it is essentially a glorified music video with scores of musical numbers and a pastiche of spaghetti western tropes; the final product is a lot closer to a television music show of sorts, except that the whole lot is presented in a much more lavish fashion with plenty of sets, extras and the likes.

The music is good though, Rita is charming and has a characterful voice, however, if you do not cherish the entire medley in its quintessentially simplistic nature, you are very likely to be left sorely disappointed. It is hardly anything atrocious, but at the same time, its composition and content readily betray its age and most of it works as a kind of time capsule for better or for worse. Personally, I found it to be funny and endearing in the corny way even if it proves kind of disjointed in its final form by reason of some strange cuts and feeble writing; still, it is much more entertaining and immeasurably superior to most of the 1970s spaghetti comedies.

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