Spagvemberfest 2023
Number 5
The Dirty Outlaws (Rosetti / 1967)
Watched the excellent Explosive Media BluRay release of this one and it looked stunning. The film is very well shot and a pristine print like this makes it really pop visually. The film definitely goes up in my estimation as a result. Great theme song too. Very enjoyable revisit.
17: Carlo Lizzaniâs Requiescant (1967)
Since after thirteen Spaghetti Westerns Iâm already showing signs of wear and tear and fatigue, Iâve decided to simply consult my literature on Requiescant and let the experts have their say.
My oldest book on Spaghetti Westerns is Laurence Staig and Tony Williamsâs Italian Western: The Opera of Violence (1975), but it doesnât have an index, so Iâm skipping it now, as I donât feel like skimming the whole thing looking for Requiescant. But as far as I can remember, the film is not discussed.
Christopher Frayling mentions Requiescant in Spaghetti Westerns: Cowboys and Europeans from Karl May to Sergio Leone (1981, pp. 58, 137, 237, 260, 265 [2006]) and in Sergio Leone: Something to Do with Death (2000, p. 309 [2012]), but he offers no opinion on Lizzaniâs film.
The next one is Howard Hughesâs Once Upon a Time in the Italian West: The Filmgoersâ Guide to Spaghetti Westerns (2004); it says on page 79 (2012), âLizzaniâs execution of the material was mediocre and misused a talented cast.â
Alex Cox discusses Lizzaniâs second Western in detail in his 10,000 Ways to Die: A Directorâs Take on the Spaghetti Western (2009) and finds it âbrilliant and compellingâ (p. 149 [2012]). According to him, it is âa deeply weird, unconventional Western with remarkable imagery and intense performancesâ (p. 150 [2012]). In the revised edition from 2019, now a directorâs take on the Italian Western, Cox adds, âRequiescant is a grandiose, pretentious, political Western allâitalianaâ (p. 165).
In Any Gun Can Play: The Essential Guide to Euro-Westerns (2011), Kevin Grant sees Requiescant as âa minor masterpiece â albeit misshapen by its typically mixed agenda ââ and as the âmost offbeat of the political westernsâ (p. 221 [2013]).
Austin Fisher describes Requiescant as a âMexican peasant parableâ and adds that âLizzani and Pasolini were just two of many figures from the world of âartâ cinema who saw no contradiction in making Westernsâ (Radical Frontiers in the Spaghetti Western: Politics, Violence and Popular Italian Cinema, 2011, p. 40 [2014]). In the book Fisher edited, Spaghetti Westerns at the Crossroads: Studies in Relocation, Transition and Appropriation (2016), no one writes about Requiescant.
I couldnât find anything about Lizzaniâs second Western in Lee Broughtonâs The Euro-Western: Reframing Gender, Race and the âOtherâ in Film (2016).
So, now my most important Spaghetti Western books have been aired once again. I personally feel the same way about Requiescant as I do about Questiâs Se sei vivo spara: I canât decide whether to find it great or ridiculous. But what always delights and amuses me is the presence of Pier Paolo Pasolini as the spiritual and intellectual leader of a band of freedom fighters around his beloved Ninetto Davoliânot far removed from real life.
Next: Sergio Corbucciâs Vamos a matar, compañeros (1970).
After Sartana I watched Film #15: The Executioner of God - I went from having a great time to being bored again 
out of 5
https://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Giustiziere_di_Dio,_Il
Day 15:
âJohnny Yumaâ (1966)
First time I watched this I was underwhelmed to say the least ⊠I didnât care for Mark Damonâs style or character, hated the theme song ⊠and just wasnât generally into the story.
Well, I have seen the light, as the âBorn Againâ say 
⊠and realize I wasnât giving it a chance (Bad mood?, fight with GF?, whatever!)
I still hate the theme song, or at least these âsingersâ rendition of the Nora Orlandi tune ⊠it seemed the polar opposite of what a SW soundtrack should be ⊠like a tired old American TV western song.
This is one tough nasty little flick with possibly the greatest femme fatale in SW history ⊠the beautiful and very dangerous, Rosalba Neri
Once the story gets going I was really into it and will come back to it again ! 7.5/10
For me the theme song is the best part of Johnny Yuma.
As John McEnroe used to say, âYou can not be serious!?â
It always reminds me of my old Marty Robbins Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs album I used to listen to when I was a kid. As a matter of fact, Marty would have been perfect for this song and I have to wonder if this album wasnât Nora Orlandiâs inspiration. I love the song too. 
I like Marty Robbins, but not these guys ⊠whose name I forget?
The Wilder Brothers? At least thatâs the name that popped into my head. I might be off base.
Film #16 - In A Coltâs Shadow - First viewing - this one had a cool aesthetic look to it but overall left me feeling meh. the story just wasnt very interesting. scenes were all over the place - out of 5
https://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/All'ombra_di_una_colt
Isnât he always? Nice to see youâre on the right path, though. :lol:
Ocaso de un pistolero (1965) - Director: Rafael Romero Marchent - 6/10.
Though the motion picture might be on the old-fashioned side, this aids the movie in that the script tends to accentuate the character development and the dramatic component at the expense of the habitual action filler, which is not to say that it likewise forgoes violence and some genuine nastiness because it includes plenty of that too; the end result turns out quite gritty and gratifying in spite of the pre-Leone stylistic proclivities. The opening scene is splendid and forms an excellent point of departure, then the narrative sort of slows down, but not to an excessive extent. The general storyline does not appear all that unconventional, however, the multiple points of strife between characters render the narration suprisingly taut and three-dimensional and afford Craig Hill a chance to act.
Hill does not squander that opportunity and turns in what might be the finest performance of his career in the genre, so much to his credit, the potential of his part is fully exploited here. In addition to the aforementioned complexities, the tragic development and protagonistâs gradual relapse into the vicious spiral of violence further boost the multifaceted nature of the tale and render the viewing quite memorable and captivating; the trenchant pessimism manifesting in the way the flick unfolds, in the manner in which it approaches the theme of human nature and in the way the story eventually climaxes seems to prognosticate the subsequent developments in the genre and in light of that, the opus becomes all the more substantial and meaningful in its own right.
Lâuomo dalla pistola dâoro (1965) - Director: Alfonso BalcĂĄzar - 7/10.
Contrary to the popular opinion, I fail to sense much in the way of an American feel and I find the entirety of it to be unapologetically Italian in its overall disposition, style and atmosphere. Though the trajectory of the narrative oftentimes proves somewhat tortuous and might appear a tad disjointed at times, the story is effectively bound together by the gripping premise: in order to evade the law, the main hero assumes the identity of a dead man who unbeknown to him, was some kind of renowned gunfighter. In spite of being a common crook, the protagonist eventually ends up living up to the reputation of the deceased man also by reason of him beginning to identify with his newly adopted role. Some of the auxiliary plotlines unfold in bizarre directions, but this trait actually comes to work to filmâs advantage in that it conduces to storylineâs unpredictability, which does not manifest in the way the work ends, but rather in the way it arrives at the taleâs conclusion.
Hence, the principal narrative strand relating to the protagonist ensures cohesion, whereas secondary motifs introduce novelty and vigor into the equation. Sancho puts on possibly his funniest and most spirited performance out of all his appearances in Italian oaters; in spite of the hilarity of his acting exploits here, his part is far removed from the comic relief character trope and it might be one of the most cruel depictions of a Mexican bandit he ever enacted. Lastly, Balzacarâs direction turns out surprisingly solid in that numerous scenes visually exhibit a certain cinematic depth, whereas action sequences display much energy and vim in the way they are staged and cut; the storytelling, barring a couple of unnecessary jitters, is entirely satisfactory and moves at a gratifyingly expeditious pace. All in all, far and away Balzacarâs finest contribution to the genre and one of the best Italian westerns to come out of Italy in 1965 in my humble estimation.
⊠e venne il tempo di uccidere
Ghidra again , this time supported by Jean Sobieski .
The baddies , Dick Palmer and Furio Meniconi , are hunted down by the deputy and the sheriff completed .
Tequila Joe is not his best character but good enough for 90 minutes fun .
https://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/E_venne_il_tempo_di_uccidere
Grinders no. 15:
I CINQUE DELLA VENDETTA
Cinque della vendetta, I - The Spaghetti Western Database (spaghetti-western.net)
I have watched this movie many, many times and have several versions in my collection (VHS, DVD, 35mm).
Reason to rewatch was that friends of me put together a new version based on a good quality but heavily cut version from (spanish ?) TV. It was filled with scenes from different version and result is runtime over 96 Minutes (PAL).
I really like Guy Madison and I think this is one of of his better works in Europe.
The first and the last third of this is really good and exciting stuff. Only the middle part is too longâŠnot really boring but not on the same level as the other sequences.
Nevertheless to me one of the better Spaghettis and the revenge story is credible made.
Hope, there will be a blu ray one day with negative scan that then should include all the scenes in good quality that currently need to be collected from different versions in so and so quality.
Film 11: I Crudeli
After taking a bit of a siesta from spaghettis, I returned with a double bill of two film I hadnÂŽt seen before: this one and another one I will write about tomorrow. The first one was The Hellbenders by Sergio Corbucci. Man, I loved this film. The story was grippling and intense, without anything too ridiculous happening to destroy the momentum. The music aided the beautiful shots of the scenery, and the acting was top notch. The raining night sequence is one of the most well shot sequences I have seen in a spaghetti. A solid 8/10. If I were to rank the Corbucci westerns that I have seen, the list would go something like this:
Il Grande Silenzio
Django
Il Mercenario
I Crudeli
Vamos a matar, Compañeros
Le Specialiste
Navajo Joe (which is a fun film, but terribly overrated)
Day 15: Sugar Colt (Rewatch)
Thoughts:
Always had a soft spot for this one. Jack Betts is channeling Dr. No Connery here, albeit with a much softer touch, to varying degrees of success, but when heâs in âSugar Coltâ mode heâs a perfectly ice cold killer. Helps make the more jarring tonal shifts most pallettable.
Day 16
Rimase uno solo e fu la morte per tutti! - The Spaghetti Western Database (spaghetti-western.net)
Poor Edoardo Mulargia. His entire career as a director is littered with movies that range from the bad to the just alright but he never seemed to achieve anything beyond that - at least in my opinion.
Tonight was another Tubi night so I selected Mulargiaâs Brother Outlaw, a film that I thought did achieve the just alright status.
Tony Kendall plays Sheriff Dakota Thompson who is framed for a stagecoach robbery and thrown into prison. His brother, Slim Thompson (portrayed by the virtually unknown James Rogers), arranges his release and the pair set out to bring the true criminals to justice. It is a simple enough tale that is easily followed and Mulargia weaves in enough gunplay to make it palatable.
I will have to say that spaghetti western regular Dino Strano surpasses the just alright though and is extremely entertaining as the bad man Alvarez.
Day 15 (film 12) - Any Gun Can Play (1967)
6/10
Can it really only be 1967? This parody of the âThe Good, the Bad and the Uglyâ foreshadows the end of the golden era of Euro westerns. The opening scene is the most original aspect of the film. Great character actors pepper the cast. And while it can be enjoyable, the slapstick sequences had me checking the run time. I think the 97 minute cut I had was truncated, but I think an 80 minute cut without the fisticuffs would be an improvement.
