You can never go wrong with Chuck Connors and action. Still need to pick up that UK release myself.
1 Like
DAY 26
No.16 came out of the bowl today, and that’s Ferdinando Baldi’s overwrought but compelling gem The Forgotten Pistolero (Baldi, 1969), one of those based-on-an-ancient-tale spags where tear-streaked revenge and burning homesteads are high on the agenda (as is one of the best - and most recognisable - scores the genre has to offer). I haven’t seen it in some time and I always find myself reluctant to give it a whirl since, on the face of it, The Forgotten Pistolero doesn’t exactly snap my radish. That said, I’ve always found myself falling under its spell once it’s on.
8 Likes
Day 23 Hate they neighbor
Day 24 Four of the apocalypse
Day 25 Minnesota clay
Day 26 If you meet Sartana…
7 Likes
Ben and Charlie - Rather long and starts out a bit heavy on the slapstick for my tastes, to the point where it seems like a movie I’m not going to like much at first, but then it turns around when the duo begin getting into trouble and becomes something else. I can appreciate the slow start now for its building of character, even if I would have preferred it to be done in a less goofy way. Its a unique entry in the genre which although it borrows from other titles in different scenes, still has a character all its own
4 Likes
I find it to be Batzella’s least vexatious entry personally, but that does not say much in view of how bad the other two are.
DAY 27:
Kid Vengeance (1976) - Director: Joe Manduke - 2/10
Some of the worst shootouts, acting, editing, camerawork and directing I have seen in a spaghetti western and on top of the aforementioned, you get another helping of Leif Garrett’s cutesy theatrics, a subpar soundtrack, a preposterously plodding storyline as well as Lee Van Cleef looking like some 1970s hippie butt pirate. Some television productions of the era look superior to the kind of mortifying, slipshod appearance this endeavor exhibits and it is unbelievable how worthless the entire thing feels. God’s Gun was no grand masterpiece and you can tear it down all you want, but as bad as that was, it still had its share of attractions, did not look as dilapidated and hopeless and did not feel like a consummate catastrophe all things considered.
Kid Vengeance, on the other hand, manifests all the hallmarks of a grindhouse feature film as well as turgidity of an old-fashioned western along with its ensuant millstone of grandiloquence, which makes for the worst possible combination. All the additional brutality displayed in the sequent killings gets effectively stultified and nullified by the atrocious rendition on account of which it is occasionally difficult to tell what is going on. Very embarrassing and beyond awful, getting through this thing was a legitimately painful experience, it was a real challenge not to zone out completely whilst watching this somnolent wreck. Perhaps it’s just that the Spagvember fatigue is getting to me; be that as it may, I didn’t like it one bit, no sirree.
Sette winchester per un massacro (1967) - Director: Enzo G. Castellari - 4/10
6 Likes
#21 Fago: Vengeance is Mine
-Good film I had not seen for a while. Very atmospheric film with great music. Too bad that the plot seems to run out of ideas in the end and some of the action scene are rather routine, otherwise it would had potential to be top20 material. 7/10
7 Likes
Day 27
A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die (1972)
Ragione per vivere e una per morire, Una - The Spaghetti Western Database (spaghetti-western.net)
Another re-watch today, this time of an often unfairly maligned film in the genre. I personally believe that the majority, not all but a majority, of people who do have a negative view of this film have never seen an un-edited release. And, sadly, the vast majority of the releases out there are heavily edited and, frankly, don’t make much sense.
James Coburn, Telly Savalas, and the legendary Bud are all excellent in this film and the finale is non-stop action. The plot is straight forward enough on the surface but then digs a little deeper into an exploration of the fine line that often lies between redemption and revenge.
6 Likes
(I began writing this text a week ago, but several tie-ups have hindered my participation here, so I guess this will become more of a summary than a realtime-following of my part of this month)
Night of the Serpent (Giulio Petroni, 1969)
Is there any SW director not named Sergio who can compete with Giulio Petroni in terms of constant quality? I don’t think so. Maybe Dallamano, but he only made one entry, while Giulio made five. Out of those, three - his serious ones - have a safe spot in my top 20. This one appears to split opinion a bit, being a slow-paced, character-driven, melancholic story (particularly in the first half) which is obviously not to everyone’s liking. But, these are typical Petroni characteristics and make the film truly stand out from the crowd. Out of Petronis five westerns, this is probably the one most similar to Death Rides A Horse, with similar aesthetics and narrative themes.
The best scene ought to be about 25 minutes in where Luke makes his first attempt to shoot in a long time. It’s a quiet, slow, empathetic sequence that becomes almost heart wrenching when accompanied by the main theme played on a sole nylon guitar. In fact, I would not hesitate to call it one of the very best scenes directed by Petroni, perhaps even second only to Ryan getting released from his chain gang early in Death Rides a Horse.
By the hour mark, the question you keep asking yourself is how come this remarkable SW isn’t represented in any top 20 lists save for a couple. But then unfortunately, things go slightly downwards - probably because this is, as several others have pointed out, where the more standard genre conventions begin to show up. In the half-hour between Manuels abduction and Luke’s prison break it all becomes a little rushed and slightly melodramatic, although it’s still far from a movie killer, especially not as it does a great comeback in the last ten minutes or so. It ends on a positive, even somewhat heartwarming note, as The bad guys are down, Manuel is safe and Luke finally able to move on. It may be a bit too sappy for some, but I think it suits the entire redemption theme to a T (like in DRAH, the redemption and reconciliation themes ultimately overcome the darker ones, which is one of the more humanizing elements I like about Petroni).
Then there’s of course the score. The main theme is really closer to a 1950s Excello Record than your average Spaghetti Western score, but it sets the tone for the story so well that even a slightly altered soundtrack would ruin a part of the experience. It might not be the most complex, epic or ingenious non-Morricone score from the genre. But it might be the most beautiful.
Just make sure you watch it in Italian. The English dub is terrible. With original language it’s an impressive 8/10 (or 7,5/10 if I allowed myself to do half-star ratings).
(My next review is coming soon. I’ll try to catch up with my viewing by the end of this month)
7 Likes
#22 Kokkonen: Speedy Gonzales -noin seitsemän veljeksen poika
-Something different for change. I never get tired of these finnish comedy westerns, I must have seen this dozens of times. 7/10
4 Likes
This is one spaghetti I’m somewhat certain I will never watch again. Its maybe the worst out of them all for me
DAY 27
Oh, bugger! From the movies left in my tub, I was hoping my girl would draw no.11 last as it’s by far my favourite from that final four so I wanted to save it for a grand finish. Still, never mind. Any day’s a good day for Django, Kill… If You Live, Shoot! (Questi, 1967), one of my all-time favourites and, let’s face it, one of the most gleefully bonkers spags of the lot. Talking parrots? Stock footage of bats? Gay cowboy gangs? People being ripped apart for the gold bullets lodged inside them? Yes, sir! Django Kill is a movie which never fails to make me grin from ear to ear and, much as I’d love to have saved it 'til the end, I can’t wait to watch it tonight.
4 Likes
Day 20 - Hands of a Gunfighter
Day 21 - A Sky Full of Stars for a Roof
Day 22 - God’s Gun
Day 23 - The Mercenary
Day 24 - Django, Prepare a Coffin
A canon Django movie? I’m with the few that say it makes sense as a prequel. Mercedes and Django must fall for each other at the end–there is quite a stare between them.
Here’s my theory: Django Cassidy’s first wife is Lucy Cassidy, who is summarily the victim of a murderous plot.
But later, he falls in love with Mercedes Ibanez, wife (later widow) of two-faced Garcia Ibanez.
After Garcia’s death, she takes her maiden name once more, becoming Mercedes Zaro, the woman Django must avenge after her off-screen death by the time the next one starts.
7 Likes
Spagvemberfest 2022
Day 27
Massacre Time (Fulci/1966)
Watched this one with the Italian dub as the English dub falls into the “Django” category for me. Chiefly because of the voice given to Franco Nero. The Italian works much better but strangely when watching you realise they shot it in English so the English dub looks better even if it sounds worse. It’s still a good one either way and makes you wish Fulci had made more westerns in their heyday.
6 Likes
Day 28
Requiem for a Gringo (1968)
Réquiem para el gringo - The Spaghetti Western Database (spaghetti-western.net)
When compared to the majority of movies in the genre, this one is a bit strange. In this case though, it isn’t a bad thing as that is one of the things that makes it so memorable. It was an enjoyable re-watch.
Only two days to go! 
4 Likes
Spagvemberfest 2022
Day 28
And God Said to Cain (Margheriti / 1970)
The last of the Vengeance Trails box set and another classic. Margheriti’s best western? I would say so, though I do like Vengeance a lot too. And a proper lead role for Kinski too which was far too rare.
Two more to go now. The month has fair skipped by. 
4 Likes
I wouldn’t go that far, as it has a more or less intergral storyline unlike some of the worst duds… but yeah, I fucking hated it too.
1 Like
DAY 28:
Arizona si scatenò… e li fece fuori tutti (1970) - Director: Sergio Martino - 4/10
Basically a transitional work between the two periods with both comedic and serious ingredients. The issue is that the final result is a bit of a bland pulp which is carried out with just enough verve to justify the viewing, but not enough to stay in memory for too long, especially in view of its dubious originality and its uninspired second half. That is not to say the material does not serve as good entertainment because it does and balances its serious as well as humorous elements quite well for the most part, however, it conspicuously pales in comparison with its preeminent predecessor.
It is essentially a bit of a remake and a bit of a sequel featuring a familiar reformulation of ideas incorporated from other outings. The execution is solid enough to make it a diverting enough watch, notwithstanding, I scarcely cared for any of its story, especially in the latter part of the narration once Martino’s infirm grip on the narrative begins to manifest itself more prominently, producing a slight lack of focus. The flick is somewhat entertaining, moves along well and constitutes a decent mix of comedy and western, furnishing just enough action and occasional laughs to make amends for its salient derivativeness. It is too bad that the vigor of the first forty minutes does not abide past the film’s midpoint.
E poi lo chiamarono il magnifico (1972) - Director: Enzo Barboni - 4/10
3 Likes
DAY 28
My girl drew no.29 today and it’s a SpagvemberFest debutante for me. I mean, no, The Savage Pampas (Fregonese, 1966) isn’t a spag in the strictest sense, but I say this: Many of those cheapo spag box sets come with a non-spag or two thrown in for no discernible reason, so why can’t SpagvemberFest? And I’ve not seen this one since I bought the blu-ray almost six years ago, so it’s well past time.
5 Likes
Personally, I can deal with no real story as long as the other elements are good enough. Everything about Kid Vengeance is so generally terrible and that kid is so annoying that I can’t even stand watching it
1 Like