Spagvemberfest 2022 - the legend continues

[Mickey13]

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.

[makesthemovie]

While the original Pecos is the best of the two, I still find Pecos Cleans Up to be a fun Western Adventure flick. I would say 6 out of 10 if I used that rating system.

[Christoph]

Few days gone, very little time within last days and also realized movie marathon is not mine… I took a break and will join on some days till end of november but not on every day

Addendum Day 8: What Am I Doing in the Middle of the Revolution
tried this rare Corbucci movie, his third and last Zapata (skipped Companeros for later). Did not catch me. An actor and a padre in the mexican revolution, both no classic SW heroes.

Day 16 (Movie 8): Cut-Throats Nine
Not that much action, but blood and innards, torture and rape, dirty characters and snow. What is deadlier, the criminals or the merciless and cold nature? Will the lust for richness win or will the criminals work together while bonded by chains? And there is the Seargent hunting for his own goals. Some kind of character study included.

[aldo]

@Mickey13

Ahh, nothing screams “Mexico” more than sunless skies, withered leaves, the autumnal Lazio landscapes shrouded in mist and fake cacti stuck in gravel pits.

I bet the producers thought, 'Ah fuck it, … no one’s ever gonna see this after it’s first run at the theatres, … so we’ll just shoot it in some wet fields and save molto Lire ’

[LeSpecialiste (Loïc)]

Day 16 - “Blood Calls to Blood” (1968) Luigi Capuano

Had all the right ingredients to be somewhat solid but this is just a pretty lame adventure film with some nice moments (all of them are when Sancho is on screen).

[last.caress]

DAY 16

My girl drew no.14 from my bowl o’ spaghetti earlier, and that’s another classic: A Fistful of Dynamite (aka Duck, You Sucker) (Leone, 1971), a movie I never really appreciated until the release of the Eureka blu-ray, despite owning it on DVD for years and years. Maybe I was just ready to pay it the attention it deserved by then, or something. I dunno. All’s I do know is that it’s become a firm favourite in (very) recent years.

I’m still convinced they’re singing “SHONNG!” instead of “Shaun!” though. I’m sure they’re musically representing Coburn’s sudden, massive erection every time he blows something up. SHONNG!

[Mickey13]

@aldo

I bet the producers thought, 'Ah fuck it, … no one’s ever gonna see this after it’s first run at the theatres, … so we’ll just shoot it in some wet fields and save molto Lire ’

Well, I guess it technically could have been even worse with blizzards raging in the midst of the “Mexican” desert and Woods iceskating between the cacti, but let’s face it, the scenery does verge on the absurd, what with the general setting.

I mean couldn’t they just rewrite and tweak the script just a little to make it tally with the locations? Not that it matters, as this patent inauthenticity only adds to the charm, the choice of landscapes is a bit questionable just the same though.

[makesthemovie]

Spagvember Fest Day 16

Une Corde…. un Colt / Cimitero Senza Croce

https://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Une_corde,_un_Colt

Rewatch. This is the other Mini Masterpiece I was referring to yesterday, and I would also say it’s a Mini Epic too. Robert Hossein created a wonderful, wonderful Western that is both a homage and the genre itself at near perfection. Hossein went for the minimalist approach with only necessary dialogue and sets, and his attention to the atmosphere, characters, and emotions makes everything feel so much greater.

I know this might be sacrilegious, but for me Maria Caine is the best and strongest female character in the SW genre. Now don’t get me wrong, Claudia Cardinale is wonderful as Jill McBain and a staple to Frontier women, but there’s something hauntingly and poetically beautiful about Michele Mercier in the role. Maria is the closest I think we’ll get to what life was like for women on the lone prairies, the harsh and unforgiving landscapes, unpredictable and cruel weather, and much more constantly throwing obstacles at them, and having to toughen up to survive.

Robert Hossein himself is great in the role of Manuel. He’s almost like a Noir character in the Old West with his pessimistic outlook on things and of course his near constant expressionless face, and it works so well.

The film itself has that Noir vibe, especially with Manuel’s ghost town in that it’s meant to represent both Maria and Manuel’s decay and their lost future.

Arrow Video’s 2nd best SW release.

[aldo]

@Mickey13

I mean couldn’t they just rewrite and tweak the script just a little to make it tally with the locations?

I suppose that the stories were written in advance, with the hopes that a decent budget might elevate the production - but yes it does have a certain naive charm when time and again we see Mexican Bandits freezing their nuts off in sand quarries and Italian farmlands.

[LankyGringo (Brian)]

Day 17

Make the Sign of the Cross, Stranger! (1967)

Straniero… fatti il segno della croce! - The Spaghetti Western Database (spaghetti-western.net)

Continuing on with my tribute to the underappreciated Charles Southwood, today’s offering also has the distinction of being the legendary Demofilo Fidani’s first film as a director. And, for this one, he seems to have actually had something of a budget to work with.

Southwood is a bounty hunter taking on a family of outlaws, one of which is Jeff Cameron. Not particularly engrossing but there is some nicely done gunplay in this one and some interesting camera work from none other than the legendary (or infamous) Aristide Massaccesi aka Joe D’Amato himself.

[Mickey13]

DAY 17:

Lo chiamavano Tresette… giocava sempre col morto (1973) - Director: Giuliano Carnimeo - 4/10

First things first, Bruno Nicolai’s main theme for this entry might be my favorite piece of music for a spaghetti comedy western, it’s just so exhilarant and catchy and cute, it’s second only to My Name is Nobody in my book. As regards the film itself, err, your appreciation hereof undoubtedly will depend on your fondness of the vignettes which are spliced together into a more or less integral narrative, although much of the action is only superficially related to the story as such. Much to my surprise, I did laugh out loud quite a few times because of how absurd and stupid this thing is, I mean Carnimeo flushes the entire enchilada down the toilet and does so with gusto, which gives it a kind of attitude I guess.

George Hilton has such a good screen presence and his tussles with the Twinkle Toes character do make for a diverting watch, even Chris Huerta almost gets ravished at one point. There is no use denying the film is absolutely awful, but its self-awareness of its own demented nature helps it stay afloat. Honestly, I’m astonished I enjoyed it as much as I did, it is some horrid shit, granted, but the way Carnimeo puts it all together somehow makes this mess watchable even if the crude humor is something you would find funny in primary school, except that it’s a little naughtier, so perhaps junior high; viewing this kinda feels like “growing young” and regressing mentally, so maybe that’s what lapsing into dementia feels like.

El bandido Malpelo (1971) - Director: Giuseppe Maria Scotese - 4/10

Other than the fact that Fajardo turns in one of his better performances, this is basically a low-rent Zapata western with most of the same tropes you have seen in more accomplished works e.g. the idealist revolutionary type is contrasted with the apolitical, thieving peon who gets involved owing to purely pecuniary reasons, but gradually turns into a revolutionary himself; you could say that the motion picture features a juxtaposition between the informed, idealist form of violence as well as the apolitical, ignorant brute force represented by Malpelo.

Apart from some shaky, hand-held camerawork, the execution is fine for the most part, yet the film evidently lacks the polish and sophistication of the more celebrated works and fails to provide much in the way of novel ideas which could distinguish it from the outings it essays to emulate. In spite of having loftier ambitions, it is a cheap production through and through and its visibly inferior production values saliently vitiate the final results. I suppose it is preferable to see something like this, which was clearly made with the intent of outling broader social issues and invoking topics going beyond film’s modest boundaries, but the final outcome does not exactly live up to its exaltedly defined goals and too often appears excessively preachy for its own good, getting enmeshed in its arid political discussions about revolution.

[Bill_san_Antonio]

#14. Costa: The Beast/ La belva
-Klaus Kinski as a crazy sexually obsessed rapist. Too bad that the film isn’t as interesting as it sounds. After 30 minutes I fell asleep…
I think I’ll give it 4/10.

[last.caress]

DAY 17

My girl drew no.10 today which means a third genuine classic on the spin for me: Tonight, it’s going to be Django (Corbucci, 1966), the humourless coffin dragger with a silent “D” and a compulsion for wallowing in mud.

I have a strange relationship with this one. Many movies either steadily improve or steadily deteriorate for me over repeated viewings. But I seem to alternately really enjoy and then really not enjoy Django. Can’t remember how I felt about it last time out so I guess I’m in for a surprise tonight, for better or worse.

[Bill_san_Antonio]

Have you seen the Invincible sequel The Crazy Bunch? That’s even more infantile! And I love it.

[makesthemovie]

Spagvember Fest Day 17

Sono Sartana, il Vostro Becchino

Sono Sartana, il vostro becchino - The Spaghetti Western Database

One of many rewatches. This is Day 1 of the Sartana Sequels Weekend, and what better way to start with the first sequel, which is also my favorite. Gastaldi created a great script with a well devised plot, mixing both the Western and the Investigative Procedural Mystery as our hero Sartana looks to unmask the culprits who framed him for bank robbery. I know Tito Capri helped with the script, but it’s really Gastaldi’s signature on the film.

Gianni Garko is an absolute blast as Sartana, mixing James Bond ingenuity and the slight of hand of Mandrake the Magician. He still has the same mysteriousness that Gianfranco Parolini intended for him, but now we know he’s a mystery solving gambler who’s not above some larceny.

Frank Wolff’s final SW is bitter sweet, but it’s on a high note as he’s the co lead and Sartana’s friend, and he can trust him cause he knows he’s a crook. Klaus Kinski has an ultra rare role as a rat like gambler who’s bizarrely likable in that he’s no cheat and honors his word, very refreshing actually.

The only thing that would’ve made the film better in my opinion was if Gordon Mitchell’s Deguejo and Jose Torres’ Shadow had a little more screen time, possibly showing them on the trail and asking questions of people they come in contact with.

The one bit I thought was over the top was how anyone could mistake the rough looking Sal Borgese as the suave Sartana. It’s totally beyond me.

Arrow once again delivers on an excellent Blu Ray.

[makesthemovie]

This one’s on the YouTube channel Films&Clips, with the option of watching it in Italian or the English dub. In Italian it’s an enjoyable C average Western, in English it’s kinda awful. Charles Southwood’s debut is generic, but well done.

[JohnnyCashFan66]

Day 13 - Shoot the Living, Pray for the Dead
An interesting one to be sure, but also slow with some uninspired dialogue. The subverse “shootout” at the end is a highlight. And this song!

I'am Not Your Pony

Day 14 - Last of the Badmen
This was my first new spaghetti this year! Frank Wolff made for a very interesting “Sartana” outlaw figure, playing somewhat against his usual type. Also, the ending might just have inspired Sergio Leone’s “Once Upon a Time in the West” and Cheyenne’s end.
Day 15 - Payment in Blood (7 Winchesters for a Massacre)
Another first time watching! The music was familiar for a long time, but now I put a face to the name, so to speak. Spaghetti with extra revenge sauce! Add in a mix of creepy crave burial ground at the end, and this made for a really fun watch.

[Dean]

@JohnnyCashFan66

Shoot the Living, Pray for the Dead

You have sublime taste. You’re getting me in the mood, amigo.

[LankyGringo (Brian)]

Day 18

Roy Colt and Winchester Jack

Roy Colt e Winchester Jack - The Spaghetti Western Database (spaghetti-western.net)

My Charles Southwood film fest continues with a film directed by the legendary Mario Bava…also starring Brett Halsey…and Marilu’ Tolo.

Undoubtedly, with that much firepower, this is a spaghetti western for the ages. Except it isn’t. Not even close. It does have lots of action though. I can say that for it.

[Mickey13]

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.