DAY 18:
Di Tressette ce n’è uno, tutti gli altri son nessuno (1974) - Director: Giuliano Carnimeo - 5/10
Yeah, this one is so mad it acquires a quasi-phantasmagoric quality which propels it into a firmly surreal territory. Yes, it is slapsticky, but it is also much more beyond that: the utilization of differing frame rates in conjunction with the utter absurdity and crudeness of its storyline produces a truly jarring effect. The fact that this insanity amounts to anything resembling a proper film is a true testament to Carnimeo’s skills as a director, this is basically pure loony tunes which is why it works so well if the flick has you under its spell.
Another reason why it works better than similar works is because it betakes itself to a funny farm among other locations and generally features different situations than the ones you are accustomed to seeing in westerns; this is only partly a western which makes for a refreshing variation, plus the gags are completely bonkers in defiance of all the established conventions and rules. Yes, it is awful, but purposefully so and quite inventive in its own right and in its own crude, deranged fashion. Possibly the best spaghetti western featuring hardcore slapstick, I legitimately found it to be funny even if it is sort of extreme and I wish it had more duels involving Twinkle Toes. I shall refrain from further praise for fear of being scalped by other Spagvemberfest participants.
Il West ti va stretto, amico… è arrivato Alleluja (1972) - Director: Giuliano Carnimeo - 4/10
Basically a standard comedy western with the kind of panoply of jokes you would expect; while the material is rendered in a predominantly palatable fashion, the issue is that the humor is nowhere nearly as whacky as subsequently found in the Tresette films nor is it anything along the lines of its classier predecessor, so it sort of falls through the cracks on account of the middling story and its generally bland nature. It is okay for a Sunday evening viewing when there is nothing else to do, but to my way of thinking, there is just not enough of Hilton here among other things.
Likewise, too many gags simply fall flat, the soundtrack is slightly inferior to what you would expect from such a heavyweight as Nicolai, the fast motion sequences lack the jarring effect of the second Tresette installment and there is just not enough narrative focus, so it is a tad too humdrum and too all over the place for its own good. Still, Carnimeo’s directing is nothing to scoff at and at least the overall craftsmanship is kept on a reasonable level, so it does not devolve into utter dross either. Be that as it may, it is still my least favorite comedy from Carnimeo in that it does not provoke too many laughs and is narratively too lackluster to be much of a diversion in the end.