Day 7: E Dio disse a Caino…
This is the first time I have seen this film and, oh boy, I loved it. Right from the start, I knew this spaghetti would be for me. Kinski is great, both sympathetic and creepy as hell (this is the most restrained I have seen him). The camera work and the atmosphere were fantastic. The story started simple, but managed to develop into something interesting. Overall a very soldi 8/10.
Grinders no. 8: I decided to stay with Fidani one more day, so now I`m done for 2023 
IL SUO NOME ERA POT…MA…LO CHIAMAVANO ALLEGRIA
Even the title is in typical Fidani stupidity this is a rather well made Western. Pot (Peter Martell) is a “light” character with some funny elements and there is a long bar room brawl in Spencer/Hill style. The rest is really serious and well made. Especially camera work is exciting. The end of the movie stands alone in whole genre and it seems Peter Martell had fun doing it
Also worth noticing is that we have Gordon Mitchell, Lincoln Tate and Peter Martell in this movie and one scene was shot and used for the “famous” cameo in ERA SAM WALLASH
Score was recycled from JOHN IL BASTARDO… I think in yesterdays E VENNERO IN QUATTRO PER UCCIDERE SARTANA! they recycled music from DINAMITA JIM.
I watched the new German DVD. It is also english friendly and with good picture quality. Also packaging is very nice.
Suo nome era Pot… ma… lo chiamavano Allegria, Il/DVD - The Spaghetti Western Database (spaghetti-western.net)
Definitely one of the better Fidanis.
I’ve been avoiding this one … but after your recommendation I will give a chance
Day 8: Scalps (1987) D-Bruno Mattei. Starring Vassili Karis and Mapi Galan. Somehow this very late spaghetti came under my radar during the last few days. The only Scalps movie I had seen prior to this was the schlocky 1983 slasher-horror movie. Mattei’s movie (co-written by Richard Harrison) follows the daughter (Galan) of an Indian chief who is massacred along with the entire tribe by Confederate troops at the end of the Civil War. The sadistic Confederate military officer wants her for his bride. Galan escapes, and eventually develops a romantic bond with an ex-Confederate turned rancher (Karis) who helps her heal from a wound in her eye. I couldn’t help feeling that the movie had a Grindhouse vibe to it. Especially, the grisly scalping scenes. There was also a Roger Corman look to the production. Overall, more competently made than I thought it would be. But, no new cinematic ground for the genre. Rating: 2/5.
Spagvember Fest 2023 Day 8
Rewatch
Per il Gusto di Uccidere
https://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Per_il_gusto_di_uccidere
**** 1/2 out of *****
Tonino Valerii, one of Sergio Leone’s many protégé’s, took a basic plot and made it into a miniature spectacle. While not on the level of his teacher, Sergio Corbucci, or Enzo G. Castellari, Valerii’s shootouts and explosive stunts show he was a fast learner in his days as an assistant and his debut Western proved he was a talent to keep an eye on.
Craig Hill offers up probably the most morally ambiguous SW Anti-Hero in Lanky Fellow. While we’ve come to expect these characters to be disconnected to others, especially authoritative types, to a certain degree, I will say @LankyGringo has a point in Lanky going a little too far with the opening ambush. That he doesn’t allow harm to come to Kennebeck’s woman and son shows he has a degree of honor and humanity.
I do have to disagree with @LankyGringo on a point with George Martin’s Gus Kennebeck. While Kennebeck is indeed a loving and caring father to his son, it’s his chosen profession and infamy as a cold blooded killer and bandit that prompted the kidnapping of the boy, which never seems to register to Kennebeck.
Martin’s performance as Gus is excellent and nuanced, showing multiple facets.
Koch Media’s DVD of the film looks pretty good, but I’m hoping the French Blu Ray, or a rerelease under the Plaion Pictures banner will look even better.
I also really enjoyed this one, and the Eureka release is excellent. I think this one really managed to do the comedy/satire extremely well because it flows more as part of the movie. It’s a western with comedy, instead of a comedy western. Cuchillo is my favorite Milian character, so it’s great that he gets to authentically do the role twice, and I think both leading ladies keep up with him and earn their laughs.
I think the gothic undercurrent is probably something that resonated with me. The cave scene ending was the part that remained in my memory over the last few years, and that didn’t disappoint. And that was certainly a gothic setting. And the old, vaguely aristocratic father who lost his legs and clings to his daughter as his family falls apart . . . I think those are the best elements. Traits that belong in a Hammer Horror film are always welcome. What I disliked was the extended dance routine and some of the clowning around with that whole troupe; I guess it jarred with the dark mood too much for me.
Day 8 - A Cemetery Without Crosses
9/10
Rewatch of a classic. Star/director Robert Hossein isn’t too proud to pay tribute to Leone, and yet he manages to make a western that doesn’t really resemble Leone’s. This is so bleak and cynical that to my mind, only The Great Silence is–slightly–more downbeat. Michéle Mercier gives a great performance. The melodramatic soundtrack brings the violence and pain to operatic levels, and the rousing main theme is as catchy as they come.
Great points! There’s definitely a Hammer Films air to the movie that makes Mannaja stand out. Like you, the travelling circus part of the movie gets to be a bit much at times. It’s amazing how cliched travelling circuses became in Italian westerns after a while. Overall, the film’s more bleak vision should not be overlooked as a genre entry.
Kill and Pray (Requiescant) (1967)
Also known as Kill and Pray, this comes from director Carlo Lizzani, who also made Un Fiume di Dollari. It starts with a massacre of Mexican people as they are betrayed aby Confederate soldiers under the command of Ferguson (Mark Damon). Only a young boy survives, running into the desert where he is raised by Father Jeremy (Ferruccio Viotti) and grow into a holy man who is also incredibly good with a gun.
His stepsister Princy (Barbara Frey) rebels against her family and joins a traveling circus and the boy (Lou Castel) sets out to find her, getting the name Requiescant for the words he says every time he shoots someone. It basically means “go in peace” and he’s atoning for each murder while providing last rites.
He finally finds his sister in San Antonio, a town now run by Ferguson and a place where his stepsister is forced into sexual slavery by Fergusson’s henchman Dean Light (Carlo Palmucci). Once he learns who is in charge, he joins the cause of Father Don Juan (Pier Paolo Pasolini, who also worked on the script and yes, that’s the same person who made Salo). Holy men sometimes need to kill, at least in the Italian West.
Damon is a revelation here, appearing as if he has walked out of a gothic horror movie all in black with his pale skin, literally treating everyone around him like they mean nothing. There’s a scene where he strangles his wife while Dean watches where he seems aroused as he shouts “She died well, Dean. It was a beautiful moment for her.”
I love the idea that these religious men have had enough and need to speed up God’s vengeance.
This was written by not just the director and Pasolini, but also Franco Bucceri (My Dear Killer), Renato Izzo (Tentacles), Adriano Bolzoni (Sonny and Jed), Armando Crispino (The Dead Are Alive) and Lucio Battistrada (Autopsy).
Day 9
Cinque della vendetta, I - The Spaghetti Western Database (spaghetti-western.net)
Earlier, I was debating on what movie to watch tonight but, as I was too lazy to walk downstairs to grab a disc, I decided to go to the Tubi app on my Roku where I surprisingly found Aldo Florio’s predecessor to his great Dead Men Ride. Since finally finding a copy and watching Dead Men Ride earlier this year, I have been anxious to see this one so I decided there was no better time than the present. And, better yet, it did not disappoint.
Five for Revenge (among other titles) tells the tale of a group of former associates who set out to avenge the death of another of their friends who was brutally murdered on the porch of his home simply because his quite successful farm was dead center in the middle of the property holdings of a pair of nefarious brothers. What made the situation even worse was that the murdered man was married to the brothers’ cousin (Monica Randal) so they then took her child from her to raise as their own and left her on the street to fend for herself.
Leading the group bent on revenge is Guy Madison and I can honestly say this is one of his better movies in the genre. Another enjoyable part for me was getting to see Jose Manuel Martin have a very prominent role as one of the good guys (almost acting as the Steve McQueen to Madison’s Yul Brynner). The tale is simple enough and quite easy to follow but Florio gradually builds the tension until he finally delivers with an excellent climatic shoot out.
While not a classic by any means, this one is in the upper echelon and a fun ride from start to finish. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and that is rare with a first time watch these days. As a matter of fact, the last one was probably Dead Men Ride.
Very nice to see all the activity in this thread, it has a great positive vibe going for it 
I will join in tonight on festivities, I’ve got some films laid out ready to go.
You see, in this world there´s two types of people, my friend. Those who join spaghvember and those who don´t. You join.
In all seriousness, I also love the positivity here and it´s good that you are joining the crazyness here.
Spagvemberfest Day 9: Joe, Find a Place to Die
Another in the Blood Money box. Excellent BluRay of course, and a pretty solid movie as well. Saw Hunter recently in “No Man is an Island”. Quite a change from that role. I dig this one, even though it has a strongers first half compared to the second half. BluRay once again stellar.
I only managed to watch two films so far, both re-watches after many years.
The Belle Starr Story
The German Blu-ray disc has three language options (German, Italian, French) but no subtitles, so I was stuck with the German dub. While I’m a big fan of Rainer Brandt I’m the first to admit there are some films where his type of “make 'em laugh” dubs just don’t work. This is a prime example (Man, Pride, Vengeance is another). I have no idea how funny the original wanted to be, possibly not funny at all.
All this discrepancy between image and audio just wouldn’t gel for me so it was a bit of a drag. The heist sequence was by far the best part of the film. This bit i actually enjoyed a lot.
If you meet Sartana, pray for your death
Is it just me or is Piccioni just not good at, or not interested in scoring westerns? To me the music is the biggest flaw in an otherwise very enjoyable classic romp.
The story is pretty much irrelevant, sometimes it feels like you could summarize it as just “Garko opens and closes a pocket watch and people get killed”. It’s also the loudest pocket watch ever made, a fact that makes Berger’s character freak out every time he hears it.
But, the lack of a really interesting plot is not much of a problem when there is so much playfulness and creativity in other departments. The camera work and editing are extremely vivid, you just get the impression they had a lot of fun filming it. The cast is full of genre regulars that are near and dear to my heart. Some of it is really over the top, but hey… It’s easy to see why this started a series of films.
Film #9: The Forgotten Pistolero - edit: ok just checked letterboxd and i have watched this before, i mustve forgot since its been so long. its a Rewatch 
out of 5
https://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Pistolero_dell'Ave_Maria,_Il
Continuing with the same theme of rewatching ones I considered to be subpar / not very good when I had originally seen them.
6. The Fighting Fist of Shanghai Joe Mio nome è Shanghai Joe, Il - The Spaghetti Western Database (spaghetti-western.net)
My main issues with this one when I had first seen it was the annoying sound clip of him screaming that they reused time and again whenever Joe would get into a fight, as well as him constantly flying through the air at people, and the ending as they swing and dangle on clearly visible wires as if on a fair ride or something - all of this, combined with the reuse of a Sartana theme, rubbed me up the wrong way. However, on this rewatch I found myself far happier to just sit back and enjoy the madness, knowing full well what I was in for, and of course it also has a lot going for it with the bounty killers being the stand out parts of the movie for me. I enjoy the supporting cast in this much more than the hero. Still not a favourite of mine by any means, but I have definitely softened my opinion on it this time around. Up to a 3 out of 5 now.
7. Chaco Bastardo, vamos a matar - The Spaghetti Western Database (spaghetti-western.net)
Has its funny moments with George Eastman playing Chaco as a Cuchillo character, but other elements do not really mesh well and it starts to drag a bit over the half way mark. Same feelings as before on it, has not changed from a 2.5 out of 5.
8. Ten Killers Come From Afar Mio nome è Scopone e faccio sempre cappotto, Il - The Spaghetti Western Database (spaghetti-western.net)
Its a very bizarre and silly movie, yet, as on originally seeing it, I was never too bored and often found it to be quite a laugh in the most stupid sort of way. Steffen and Fernando Sancho are really quite funny together in this, and Robert Hundar is also hilarious, though a lot of the other characters in it really are pretty terrible. I think the three of them really carry it for me. Still, a bad movie, but because it got some small laughs out of me I feel I am going easy on it at a 2.5 out of 5. It probably should be lower.
9. Alive or Preferably Dead Vivi o, preferibilmente, morti - The Spaghetti Western Database (spaghetti-western.net)
Was not a fan of this one on original viewing, however after this rewatch I am happy to say that my opinion has changed. Its still a middling sort of one, of course, but I really had a good time with it and I finished the film in a much happier mood as a result. It left me feeling happy, and I think that is the sign of a good comedy. The problem I had with it when I had first seen it is probably down to the fact that it was at a time when I was watching so many greats of the genre that I just thought ‘what the hell is this’, and with Gemma in it too, so I was quite let down. But now, I think, knowing what you are in for with some of these films is a real help, and I have certainly seen a whole heap of worse ones since. This was a nice change of pace and very competently done. The Explosive blu ray is lovely, and really shows off what a visually pretty movie this is. 3 out of 5.
Day 9:
‘Ben & Charlie’ aka ‘Amico, stammi lontano almeno un palmo’
(Friend, Stay at least a hand’s breadth away from me!') rough translation
This one just went up in my estimation, appreciation, having watched the uncut HD print - What a difference!
The Wild East DVD release was shite quality, let’s be honest … little better than VHS with gorgeous interlacing ! 
Now we can see this in all it’s glory, and it does look great - plus for an Almeria location fan, it covers just about every classic vista.
Giuliano Gemma is his usual likeable goofy self and George Eastman doesn’t dare compete … he’s just about ok as ‘Charlie’, the grumpy sidekick, who share in a variety of humorous mis-adventures … until things turn a little darker with the arrival of ‘Kurt Van Nielsen’ (Luciano Catenacci) and his gang … a villain who could only exist in the Spaghetti Western world.
There’s a great supporting cast of SW regulars, not least the beautiful Marisa Mell, in a small cameo role as ‘Sarah’, ‘Ben’s’ jilted fiancé / now prostitute There are some photos from another scene they shared, which must have been cut from the final edit … and here’s a rather lovely behind the scenes moment …
8/10
OK.
But do not blame me afterwards 
No, it is really surprisingly good (in Fidani universe)
