That’s my review. I posted it in both places. I apologize if I offended anyone!
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Day 5
Resa dei conti, La - The Spaghetti Western Database (spaghetti-western.net)
I have been saving watching the un-cut Italian release of this film just for this occasion. It was such a pleasure to watch as this is a step up from the Grindhouse release, though I will be holding on to that one as well.
This is one of those films that I never tire of watching despite the fact that I have now seen it so many times that I almost know it by heart. But, there is one question that has always bothered me. What exactly had the old man in the village done to Cuchillo that he needed to cut up his face that way? If they said, I have somehow never managed to catch it.
This film is just so wonderfully shot and, as strange as it may seem, I think some of my favorite scenes are the ones with Cuchillo in the sugar cane field. Watching Milian appear and disappear in the sugar cane is almost like watching the baseball players in Field of Dreams disappear into the corn field except in The Big Gundown it is all accomplished with camera placement and movement and with no special effects.
There is one thing that has always bothered me about this film (and several others for that matter) and I am finally going to bring it up. How can someone who has made as many westerns as LVC look so horrible on the back of a horse? (Sorry @NeedleFork but it’s true 
) I have seen several different people say that he was scared of horses but, come on! Eventually, after appearing in that many westerns, you would think he would have conquered that fear. Gerard Herter looks no better and we all know he made his fair share of westerns as well! Both of them just had to be exhausted after a day of shooting as they look like they are in a power struggle with their horses the whole time.
For those that have never watched the interview with Milian that is on this disc, it is well worth your time.
All in all, this was a thoroughly enjoyable re-visit and I am excited for the next few days as I have several new releases from the past year yet to explore.
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I didn’t realize it was your own review - My apologies to you.
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He was doubled by stuntman/sometimes actor, Romano Puppo, who probably did most of the riding scenes … LVC had also been in a car accident (I think?) so he had trouble with a bad leg … maybe that shook his confidence?
Any particular scenes when he looks like a bag of potatoes on horseback ?
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Day 4:
Ace High
This was a first-time watch, and I am still puzzled by the fact that I have only seen the two sequels in the Cat Stevens trilogy. I found this one very enjoyable, especially since it had a good mix between serious and humoristic tones. Terence Hill and Bud Spencer were great as their respective roles, but the one who really takes the cake: Eli Wallach as whatshisname the Greek. He is funny, charismatic and a pleasure to watch. I also really appreciated that he didn´t just rehash his GBU character, which he easil couldv´e done, but instead did something different (of course, he is not entirely different from Tuco, and I bet Colizzi or the producers tried to make him as similar to Tuco as possible).
The cinematograpy was beautiful despite having a lot of indoor scenes. The music wasn´t that memorable, but still solid. Overall, a solid 8/10. I have been watching some good ones this year. Now I have to watch God forgives… right?
Also, could someone explain what was going on at the firing squad in Mexico? Were those mercenaries working for the government, or local warlords/bandits executing people?
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27: Gian Rocco’s Giarrettiera Colt (1968)
Garter Colt did not make a star out of Nicoletta Machiavelli. Her acting skills were too limited for that. Nevertheless, the film is remarkable for its female protagonist, not entirely unheard of in the subgenre of the Italian Western but still the exception. Machiavelli, who died at the age of seventy-one in 2015, summed up her performance perfectly in a late interview: “I wasn’t a good actress, I was just pretty.”
Next up: Uno dopo l’altro (1968), directed by Nick Nostro.
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Film #5: Find A Place To Die - First viewing. 
out of 5
https://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Joe…_cercati_un_posto_per_morire!
The way Im doing my schedule: Picking the movies then watching them at night since I dont watch TV during the day (also gives me something to look fwd to).
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Though I didn’t realize it you, as usual, are correct regarding the car accident. According to Westerns All’Italiana it was a head on collision that occurred in 1959 that resulted in a broken leg and internal injuries. He was out of acting for nearly a year. This accident resulted in severe discomfort anytime he rode a horse.
I knew that Puppo did his long shots but this would go a long way in explaining his appearance in the saddle as he rides into a scene.
My sincere apologies to LVC.
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Day 5 - Keoma (1976)
10/10
Franco Nero is at the top of his game here. Ten years ago in Django, he mastered the comic-book-cool antihero. Now he does it again, only with so much pathos. Rewatch the first scene where Keoma sees his father, played by the great William Berger. Nero’s eyes are so full of subtle emotion, sorrow and joy. Nero, Berger, and Woody Strode give us the best three-lead performances of any non-Leone western.
I personally love the strange soundtrack. The imagery is beautiful. This is THE twilight spaghetti western.
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Me standing to the side, arms crossed, nodding
apologies accepted~ 
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Been rewatching some of the ones that I found to be subpar / not very good when I had originally seen them, to see if there had been any change in my opinion.
1. The Man Called Gringo Sie nannten ihn Gringo - The Spaghetti Western Database (spaghetti-western.net)
Enjoyed it rather a lot more this time around. Several familiar faces in Daniel Martin, Sieghardt Rupp and Franco Lantieri. All I can think is that maybe I was not in the right frame of mind to enjoy it properly the first time, as it is a pretty solid production all round. Certainly has a lot of charm to it. Moves up to a 3 out of 5 for me.
2. Vengeance Trail Vendetta è un piatto che si serve freddo, La - The Spaghetti Western Database (spaghetti-western.net)
Still on the fence about this one. Was underwhelmed the last time I saw it and still feel the same now having seen it again. Leonard Mann makes me want to enjoy it more as I love his other two spaghettis, but this one really does fall flat more often than not - for me at least. Remains the same at a 2.5 out of 5.
3. The Greatest Robbery in the West Più grande rapina del west, La - The Spaghetti Western Database (spaghetti-western.net)
Appreciate it more now than I did before, but it still feels like a let down for such a great cast. With George Hilton, Walter Barnes, Hunt Powers, Mario Brega and many more familiar faces, you’d expect this to be well above average, but instead it just about squeaks in at a 3 out of 5 for me now - a little more than before.
4. Acquasanta Joe Acquasanta Joe - The Spaghetti Western Database (spaghetti-western.net)
A hard one to get through on a second viewing. Hadn’t seen it in some time and my opinion on it had somewhat softened, but a rewatch now has reminded me that it just isn’t good. Falls half a star down to a 2 out of 5.
5. A Coffin Full of Dollars Per una bara piena di dollari - The Spaghetti Western Database (spaghetti-western.net)
This one gets worse the more you see it, as the humour of its cheapness instead becomes tiresome and there are no real redeeming qualities. It doesn’t help that the sets are really ugly. It used to be that it got by on the performance of Kinski alone, but I’d just much rather watch him in one of his many other better spaghetti outings. Slips down to a 2 out of 5.
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Day 5: I Came I Saw, I Shot (a.k.a. One Dollar Too Many/Three Who Upset the West) (1968) D: Enzo G. Castellari. Starring Antonio Sabato Sr, Frank Wolff, John Saxon and Agata Flori Hijinks ensue after a highway robber (Sabato) and a thief posing as a preacher (Wolff) team up to rob a bank. Since there is never honor among thieves, the rest of the comedic movie is spent with Sabato and Wolff trying to steal the money from each other. In the process, card sharp/con man Saxon gets involved in the money chase. Sabato’s character reminded me of Milian’s Cuchillo due to his quick-witted and sometimes slippery personality. Wolff is great as always as being the butt of jokes. His phony preacher act was funny at times, like when he was quoting Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar at a funeral. John Saxon did a great job too as the smooth-talking, suave Southern poker player. The movie felt like it had shades of It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World after a while. Other, lesser characters soon join the race to the money first. There was even a hen-pecking wife who was reminiscent of Ethel Merman in Mad World who get a comeuppance at the movie’s end. Rating: 2.5/5
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Grinders no. 5
KILLER KID
Killer Kid - The Spaghetti Western Database (spaghetti-western.net)
Since I have this movie on various VHS tapes and on DVD (Koch) this could be rewatch no. 7 or 8 I guess.
To me this is a perfect example for a cheap but enjoyable Spaghetti Western.
It was shot mostly in the studios and/or gravel pits of Italy. So, there is the lack of Spanish Landscapes. But with the really good camera work they did their best to conceal.
Anthony Steffen is in the lead playing an undercover agent smuggled into group of Mexican Revolutioners and Gun Runners.
Group leader is El Santo (Nelson Rubien) but one of his men is also good old Fernando Sancho
There`s also Luisa Barrato as El Santos niece who seems to be interested in Mr. Steffen.
Overall this is a really nice, little Zapata/Revolution Western that I can watch over and over again.
Best possibility to watch still is DVD from Koch Media. My personal best viewing experience was from 35mm in cinema.
For this Spagvember fest I have watched one of my good old fashioned VHS tapes in 1,66:1 ratio instead of Scope. Anyway still with good picture quality.
German cut is missing 11 minutes…for the record.
https://www.directupload.nethttps://s20.directupload.net/images/231105/4fk3xa2z.jpg(image larger than 2.05 MB)
Trivia:
In Germany the movie started in cinema as CHAMACO via Adria Filmverleih on 20.06.1968. Before the start they had trouble with competitor Alpha Filmverleih that planned to start GENTLEMAN JOE… UCCIDE with the title SHAMANGO in cinema. To avoid a confusion of both titles with Steffen in the lead Alpha renamed their movie from SHAMANGO to DER RÄCHER BIN ICH.
But when on 26.9.1968 SHALAKO with Sean Connery started in German cinema Adria Filmverleih decided to rename CHAMACO into it`s orignal title KILLER KID to avoid again any confusion or misunderstanding.
It makes me wonder why we had dozens of DJANGOS in German cinema then
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Spagvemberfest Day 5: Sergio Leone - une Amérique de légende (Giré)
I am actually off on vacation now. I will keep posting some updates for the fest, as I pre-watched a few flix. For the trip I opted for a documentary that I had downloaded from Arte. It’s alright, offers a lot of insight into Leone, even though it skips a lot of details.
Here is a picture of me watching it from way over the Atlantic:
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Day 5: The Tramplers
Thoughts:
Mostly average and at times middling. Mainly notable for the historical value and cast; Joseph Cotten and a pre-Django Franco Nero mainly come to mind in that respect. The action scenes are very frantic, although with all those shots fired that miss it does get a bit comical.
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Spagvember Fest 2023 Day 5
First time watch
Duello nel Texas
https://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Duello_nel_Texas
*** out of *****
This is the film that got the ball rolling in the expansion of the SW genre that helped lead to Maestro Leone’s Per un Pugno di Dollari. The film is fairly enjoyable, especially for a pre Leone fare. It’s a little more American than what we’re all used to and love about the genre, but that’s OK as it pushes all the right buttons that make a Western a Western.
Richard Harrison in his 2nd Euro Western appearance is really good in the part of Gringo Martinez, a man returned from war now having to deal with mysterious baddies looking to take his family’s ranch.
Giacomo Rossi Stuart, a British-Italian actor who’s highly underrated in my opinion, made for a great Sheriff who may not be exactly who he says he is.
Herr Bruckner’s Explosive Media does it again with another solid Blu Ray release, and while the restoration isn’t perfect, it still trumps all previous DVD releases by quite a few miles.
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Day 5:
Vamos a matar companeros (1970)
I used to think this one was ok … but it’s actually pretty boring and overlong at 2hrs
My biggest problem with it is Franco Nero, who is a really lousy actor for my money. He’s trying to play it for laughs by mugging and hamming it up - by contrast, Tomas Milian is really funny without all the bullshit.
Franco Nero as ‘the Swede’ narrowly escapes decapitation when General Mongo’s car forces the charging horses to disperse … Under the vehicle we see Franco blowing kisses and saying, ‘Oh Mongo my sweetheart’ (or something to that effect) kiss, kiss, kiss … I actually cringed with embarrassed discomfort at his pathetic attempts at being the funny guy … 
5/10 … and that’s for Milian and Morricone, the rest I found tedious.
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Lately, as you might have noticed, i have been on kind of a hiatus from Spaghetti Westerns (don’t really know why, I’ve just been more into in some of my other interests for a while) so i thought a moderate participation in this year’s Spagvember event could be a good way to draw me back. It was then quite natural for me to begin with a film i’ve been wanting to see for quite long, but only recently found a copy of the city library close to where i’m currently attending a course. The film in question was A Reason to live, a Reason to die which i started watching on wednesday but didn’t finish until friday night (113 minute version, more coherent but unfortunately without Coburn’s own voice).
Like many others (i imagine) i was quite curious about this film for a while as the people involved (Valerii, Ortolani, Coburn, Savalas) suggested an enjoyable effort. On the other hand, it has never been very well liked by the fanbase (although the grades on sites such as IMDB or Letterboxd doesn’t look so bad) so i decided to see for myself. And for the first half hour or so, i felt the film was really building up to something. Then, strangely enough, once our… well… not-THAT villainous protagonists left the military fort for their destination the spark was lost.
Maybe the most bugging shortcoming is the characters who forms the posse. Benito Stefanelli aside, they mostly turn in quite weak - at times, almost awkward - performances, and i find Scherpschutter’s suspects of them being chosen primarily for their looks fairly plausible. That’s a quite critical problem in a film largely based around the actions of and interactions between those characters. Yes, i know they are supposed to be unpleasant, bad-mouthed and generally not the kind of people you would like to ever be forced to interact with, but they can’t quite sell it in a natural way, and all their “sonovabitch”:es and “you bastard”:s quickly turned quite repetitive and irritating (this could be a shortcoming of the dub, though) and the final settlement at Fort Holman felt a bit boring. That said, contrary to others, i think Savalas handles his role (not much more than a cameo) well, the score by Ortolani is great as always (he was an underrated composer really), the two hours roll by quickly and entertaining and the adventurous mood set by the first part of the film is never quite undermined. It’s just a shame it didn’t build up to a more remarkable plot.
It should be noted, awkwardly i admit, that i have not seen The Dirty Dozen yet, which is another reason, aside form the unevenness, why i’ll have to wait before settling for a proper grade - i have to see the quality of the ground the filmmakers where working with to evaluate what they made of it.
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Face to Face (1967)
Known in the UK as High Plains Killer and in Germany as Hallelujah, The Devil Sends His Regards, Face to Face is the second of three Italian Westerns by Sergio Sollima. He also made Violent City and Devil in the Brain. It was written by two Sergios, Sollima and Donati, who also scripted Orca, Almost Blue and Holocaust 2000.
In the time after the Civil War, Civil War, Brad Fletcher (Gian Maria Volonté, who was in A Bullet for the General, A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More) quits his job teaching history at Boston University. His tuberculosis would do better in Texas, he thinks, and he makes his way out West. As the movie begins, he’s a liberal — Volonté was an extreme left wing activist — who thinks violence has no meaning. Then he meets the criminal Solomon “Beauregard” Bennet (Tomas Milian). When he tries to give the man a drink, he’s captured and taken into a hideout in the middle of nowhere.
There, he learns how to shoot a gun as Bennett recovers from his injuries. Instead of finally going back to Boston, he soon is part of the gang, along with Charley Siringo (William Berger), Aaron Chase (José Torres), Jason (Frank Baña) and Vance (Nello Pazzafini). He even kills a man to save Bennet.
They’re joined by Maximillian de Winton (Ángel del Pozo) and stay in Puerto de Fuego, a world of no laws, criminals and outsiders. As the gang leaves for a train robbery, Fletcher stays behind and has an affair with Vance’s woman Maria (Jolanda Modio). When the gang comes back, Fletcher kills Vance in self-defense.
Fletcher also starts to take over the gang, setting up a robbery dressed as everyday folks that gets spoiled when a kid recognizes Bennett. At that point, Charley reveals that he’s a lawman and kills Jason, Maximillian and Aaron. He also captures Bennett and only Fletcher and Maria escape. She dies and he goes mad due to all the death — Maria and the kid who fingered Bennett — and betrayal. He transforms the somewhat oasis of Puerto del Fuego into a wretched hive of scum and villainy that has a posse led by Zachary Shawn (Aldo Sanbrell) coming to town to kill everyone. Bennett gets there too late to stop them.
By the final scene, the good man has become a criminal and the gunfighter has started to atone for his past. That said, they have to get through an entire posse if either of them is going to survive, as well as deal with Charley. I love that Bennett is around violence all the time and it’s become a habit while Fletcher comes to learn that his brains, when combined with a willingness to do horrible things, can make him stronger and wealthier than he was back East. The West changes them both.
That’s beyond obvious when Fletcher kills another turncoat, tying him to a cross and putting a gun to his head, blasting his brains out without a thought. Obviously, his illness is no longer bothering him.
Sollima used his experiences in fighting with the anti-fascist resistance in World War II to make this movie, remembering how he saw children be brave and adult men be cowards. He also pushed his actors by using their real-life differences. Volontè was a Communist and Milian left Cuba when Castro took control. He also made them box one another before shooting.
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Day 6
Segno del coyote, Il - The Spaghetti Western Database (spaghetti-western.net)
The Sign of the Coyote tells the story of a rich Californian of Spanish decent who leads everyone into believing he is a spoiled rich fop but is actually none other than the masked vigilante The Coyote. Set just after the U.S. takeover of California in 1850, The Coyote is forced to take on the forces of the new corrupt regime who are intent on stealing from the citizenry as much land and money as possible.
One can be forgiven for thinking that this is nothing more than a cheap rip off of Zorro. After all, Zorro literally translates to fox. And Zorro possesses an almost identical background. Zorro had a secret cave underneath his mansion that served as his secret lair and so does The Coyote. And Batman as well. There seems to be a pattern here. The film makers even went so far as to cast Maria Luz Galicia as the female lead and she was fresh off back to back female lead performances in Joaquin Luis Romero Marchent’s Zorro the Avenger and Shades of Zorro just the year prior.
Undoubtedly, this film was nothing but a rip off of the Zorro films!
Except, when I investigated further, I discovered this was not the case. This may be well known to my friends in Europe but I had no idea that beginning in Spain in the 40s, The Coyote was the lead character in a series of popular dime novels and comic books. And this film is a fairly faithful adaptation of those printed tales. Now, were these dime novels and comic books a rip off of Zorro? Absolutely. But not this movie.
This is a fairly innocent tale reminiscent of a Saturday afternoon serial instead of the blood and guts spaghetti westerns that we all know and love. However, if one holds a soft spot for that sort of nostalgia, then they might find this one of some entertainment value. I did. But, if not, it might be for the best to give this one a pass unless someone has a completist nature.
Interestingly, entire scenes from the this clean, wholesome movie would later be heavily borrowed from to complete the cheaply made soft core French-Belgium porn The Girls of the Golden Saloon Filles du Golden Saloon, Les - The Spaghetti Western Database (spaghetti-western.net). Fortunately, while characters named Sabata and Ringo appear in this film, they had the courtesy to re-name our masked vigilante. The Coyote would have been appalled at some of the behavior of this masked vigilante. Sadly, a great deal of the footage they did steal featured one of our spaghetti western favorites, Piero Lulli. As tawdry as his characters have been in many films, they don’t even hold a candle to the tawdriness of this production.
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