Spagvember’s back! Easily my favorite time of the year, like I know it’s the case with many here. Instead of writing full reviews (which gets very tiring) I’ll just write down three highlights and one thing I didn’t like. Here goes;
1- the way close ups are used during emotional scenes instead of the typical Leone usage.
2- the little eye twitch Gemma does, suggesting some sort of war related trauma.
3- the valet who’s dressed like he’s serving royalty.
But the goofy side character who grows flowers became irritating after a while.
Just watched a movie from the pre-Leone era - I tre spietati. Average, but worth watching. There are a few elements that herald the arrival of the spaghetti era. A good example would be the opening scene - quite brutal. The whole thing has quite an American atmosphere. I thought the rodeo scene will never end…
Thoughts:
Watched the shorter US cut since that’s the version widely available. James Coburn and Bud Spencer with some disposable cardboard cutouts raid a fort Telly Savalas took over. I liked it. Very explosive climax.
My first try at Spagvemberfest. Starting with this one.
Not certain which gave me the bigger chuckle - Palance’s curly hairdo, or Palance’s bare ass about halfway thru.
My first watch for this Spaghvember is "Le specialiste" by Sergio Corbucci. This was a first time watch, and I went into it with somewhat low expectations. However, I REALLY liked this film, despite its obvious flaws. The somewhat standard story is told in a very unique way, the actors were very solid, the landscape (which is very unusual for a spaghetti) was gorgeous, and so on. This film kept me invested from start to finish. Of course, there are a few caveats. The story had a lot of loose ends and storylines that didn´t serve much of a purpose. And whatever were those hippies? It also had some wacky filming, which I suppose is a trademark of Corbucci. Still, the positives outweigh the negatives by A LOT, and the film, despite inferior to Corbucci´s four seminal movies, is much better than “Navajo Joe”.
Overall, I really enjoyed this film despite his flaws and hope it holds up on a rewatch. 8/10.
A little slow in one or two spots, but otherwise thoroughly entertaining, absorbing, and surprisingly compelling. Lee Van Cleef and John Philip Law made for a great duo, with Van Cleef giving us a good father figure type character - even if he has moral ambiguity, and Law as the youthful hot head who gains maturity as he hangs out with the old timer and realizes they have more in common than even they realized.
Wish John Philip Law had done more Westerns as he had the right look for it.
The Koch Media/Plaion Pictures Blu Ray is miles ahead of the Kino release.
Just picked at random from a selection on a hard drive full of spaghetti … the title itself seemed to suggest a good way to proceed with the fun endurance test
Seemed a little slow to begin … and Richard Harrison is as stiff as a board, however it picks up in the 2nd half and the lead actor relaxes into the role better.
No Masterpiece, but with a decent level of production and a strong supporting cast, this was fairly enjoyable. 6/10
I did I Want Him, Dead from the new Arrow Savage Guns set.
Clayton (Craig Hill) has been working for three years to earn money only to learn that money from the Confederacy is no longer worth anything. He comes back home and soon his sister Mercedes (Christina Businari) is assaulted and killed by two of Mallek’s (Andrea Bosic) thugs. Clayton can’t even go to the sheriff for help, because he killed that man’s brother in self-defense. Mallek also wants the Civil War to keep on warring, so he has a plan to kill off the generals who are in the middle of peace talks.
I haven’t seen many of Paolo Bianchini’s films before. He also made The Devil’s Man, Superargo and the Faceless Giants, God Made Them… I Kill Them, Gattling Gun and Hey Amigo! A Toast to Your Death. He’s still making movies. Il profumo delle Zagare was released in 2022.
The writer was Carlos Sarabia, who only wrote this movie, and everything looks great thanks to cinematographer Ricardo Andreu, who also filmed Beyond Terror, Assignment Terror, The Price of Power and Labios rojos.
I love that there’s someone on IMDB that points out that everyone uses Colt Single Action Army revolvers that didn’t come out until 13 years after this movie was set. There’s that and the fact that it’s set in a desert while the actual peace talks between Grant and Lee took place in Virginia.
But come on! We’re here for revenge, not a history class.
My plan is to rewatch my thirty favorite European Westerns during this SpagvemberFest. As a veteran of the 2016, 2018 and 2020 campaigns, I’m pretty sure about the outcome: I will fail.
Parisian actress Pascale Petit is sufficient reason to like this Western. Her character, Lisa Martin, angrily accuses her husband, Paul, played by Piero Lulli, “For this we left our quiet home. Your position at the university wasn’t enough. The clever young geologist had to show off.” – “For this” means being shot by bandits in a gravel pit. Who would disagree with Lisa?
Today: Dove si spara di più, directed by Gianni Puccini.
Spagvemberfest Day 2: Sabata (Parolini)
Better than I remembered it and certainly not yet as annoyingly slapsticky as its sequel that was more about funny tricks. The acting is stellar and so is the craftsmanship, the movie delivers on all fronts. I just find the story a bit confusing towards the end, but that’s fine. The Eureka BluRay is very good.
This is my favorite Spaghetti Western comedy, because mixed with the comedy is a very poignant plot about the end of the west, and Henry Fonda’s speech at the denouement of the film is genuinely moving. But as most here know, the real irony is that the plot also implies there was a passing of the torch from America to Italy and Europe as far as the great westerns are concerned. But since it nods to Sam Peckinpah, it might also be aware the shift back had started, and there wouldn’t be many more worthy European westerns, while filmmakers in America would slowly start to make some really good western movies again.
After beginning with Gianni Garko and Claudio Camaso yesterday, I decided to continue to ride along with them again today. To the best of my memory, I have only seen Vengeance is Mine on one other occasion so it was nice to visit it again as it is a highly enjoyable film that is in many ways superior to $10,000 Blood Money. And, once again, the Arrow release looks absolutely stellar, especially compared to the DVD I have of this film.
On a side note, after watching these two back to back, I thought about what a shame it is that Garko and Camaso didn’t make more westerns together. This then led me to wondering what Vengeance would have been like with Garko instead of Richard Harrison in the starring role. I decided that is a movie I would like to see.
Started yesterday with JIM IL PRIMO
Enjoy one of the first scenes,when Carl Möhner ride across the landscape like a minstrel.
The main character Jim is played by Cameron Mitchell in this early spag,which was shown six weeks after Fistful of dollars in italian cinemas.
The villain Livio Lorenzon works more funny than evil and there is no doubt that he draw the short straw at the end.
This early flic is slightly entertaining but nothing special. https://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Jim_il_primo
I have never liked Livio Lorenzo on these villain roles, I think he’s better playing drunk or something like that. That said, he had a pretty good role on Texas adios as a villain with sad past.
I really liked the baddie Lorenzon played in Cjamango, he was quite effective I thought. Piero Lulli playing both the co-villain and Lorenzon’s rival made it extra good.
This is really a weird and seldom Spaghetti Western. If you may call it a Spaghetti Western…
In the lead there is comedian Tom Bosley and veteran Guy Madison. And two sexy ladies with Sandra Milo and Dyanik Zurakowska.
The movie is like a mixture of Western, Fairytale, Science Fiction, Comedy and Knight Film.
Sounds weird, don`t it
A small town is terrorized by rich Guy Madison who lives in a castle with stones coming from old europe. He is after Sandra Milo and that`s the main reason he and his pistolero (Riccardo Garrone) make trouble in town.
One day there seems help in person of inventor Tom Bosley and his robot sheriff…
BANG BANG KID wasn`t shown in German cinema but in 1999 dubbed by a Pay TV channel. In 2004 I recorded it on VHS Tape and later made a DVD-R for my collection:
I think there still is no official release on DVD or BD.
It is an unusual movie for 1967 and I think most genre fans will hate it.
But to me those 78 Minutes (PAL) are not a complete waste of time because there are good actors, nice score (main title sounds like a mixture of the Everly Brothers and the Byrds ) and you may learn a lot about relationship between men and women
