Spagvemberfest 2023 - or the crows will drink our beers

[bandsaboutmovies (Sam Panico)]

Day 3: El Puro

El Puro (Robert Woods, Massacre Mania, Lucifera Demon Lover) was once a dangerous and much feared gunfighter. But today, well, he’s a drunk lying low in a nothing town, concerned that a killer trying to make his name by shooting him is behind every corner. He’s treated as a whipping boy by every man in the bar and only Rosie (Rosalba Neri!) — who knew his legend — treats him kindly. She’s been saving money so they can get away from all this.

Or they would, if it wasn’t for Gipsy (Marc Fiorini) and his gang, who are riding into town to collect the ten grand on El Puro’s bounty while also killing grandfathers and assaulting young women. Just as certain that El Puro will find redemption is the fact that Rosie won’t survive. That said, her death is beyond upsetting and sure, one hates when its only the death of a woman that galvanizes a man to action, but trust me, you’ll want him to get revenge.

Also known as The Reward’s Yours… The Man’s Mine; 10,000 Dollars for a Gunslinger and El Puro Sits, Waits and Shoots, this movie was directed by Edoardo Mulargia, who made the giallo Tropic of Cancer and Don’t Wait, Django…Shoot! He also directed two of the movies — Hotel Paradise and Escape from Hell — that were remixed for the Linda Blair movie Savage Island. He wrote the script for this movie along with Ignacio F. Iquino, Fabrizio Gianni (second unit director on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly) and Fabio Piccioni (the writer of Murder Syndrome and the director of The Erotic Adventures of Robinson Crusoe).

[LankyGringo (Brian)]

Day 4

Joe… cercati un posto per morire! - The Spaghetti Western Database (spaghetti-western.net)

The Blood Money box set is now completed. I know a lot of people don’t like this one but I have always found it fascinating. A cantina, out in the middle of nothing, full of outlaws and failures in life drinking what remains of their lives away. Just like old or wounded animals, they have all congregated there just waiting for their time to die. It is a fascinating premise that the movie just didn’t or couldn’t follow through on though it did manage to project that feeling of melancholy throughout the film.

I have always had a soft spot for Jeffery Hunter and regret the career he might have had. He was once destined to be the next big thing but he was just never able to hold onto that brass ring. I remember as a kid seeing The Searchers for the first time and being able to recognize even then just how good he was in that film.

Back to Find a Place to Die, though it is far from perfect it is a movie I always enjoy watching.

*Note - If this seems a bit nonsensical, I must apologize. The wife has gone to help her mother for the weekend, leaving me alone to enjoy a third glass of 12 year old Balvenie this evening.

[aldo]

@JohnnyCashFan66

The Kino Lorber Blu-ray I viewed tonight has an audio issue with Morricone’s soundtrack. The trumpet parts on the main theme drop out several times throughout the movie.

Yes, this bugged me also … I thought perhaps it was a stereo recording where the trumpet was on one extreme side of the mix, and got lost because the opposite channel was being used for the BD soundtrack - Like on ‘For a Few Dollars More’ (Main theme) the whistler is on one track and the jaw harp on the other - 1960’s extreme stereo panning.

[Gingerbread80 (Ginger)]

You’re absolutely correct! I looked up both films in a very handy guide I found, called the “Spaghetti Western Database.” And sure enough, whole parts of Trinity were lifted scenes from Black Killer.

[Companero_M (Martin)]

28: Un treno per Durango (1968), directed by Mario Caiano

Un treno per Durango is a lighthearted Zapata Western that demonstrates that Anthony Steffen’s acting range encompasses not only the field of tragedy, but also that of comedy, as long as the hat isn’t too big. Mark Damon plays an automobile driver, Enrico Maria Salerno travels by train, and Dominique Boschero drives everyone crazy.

The film’s director of photography was Enzo Barboni. Like all the other movies he shot, Un treno per Durango is visually very successful: dynamic, flowing camera movements, excellent compositions and framing and outstanding work with light and shadow. He made his last Western as direttore della fotografia in 1969, Un esercito di cinque uomini, and directed his first film the following year: “Ciakmull” (l’uomo della vendetta) wasn’t a success, but his next one was, Lo chiamavano Trinità …, surpassed by the 1971 sequel entitled … continuavano a chiamarlo Trinità, by far the most successful film in Austin Fisher’s list (pp. 219–222) of the “Highest Grossing Italian Westerns, 1962–1980 (Domestic Prima Visione Box-office Returns)”.

Next: Gian Rocco’s Giarrettiera Colt.

[Admin (Sebastian)]

Spagvemberfest Day 4: Vengeance is mine (Fago)
This is my only first foray into the Blood Money box set and it looks fabulous. It’s been ages since I had seen this one. A cunning mix of (very little) humor, violence and cain-vs-abel type plot that makes for some epic and sinister climax. More than solid spaghetti. I had forgotten that this actually takes place during the civil war. The BluRay is excellent.

[TheSwede (Pete)]

Film #4: Massacre Time aka The Brute and The Beast - Rewatch out of 5

https://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Tempo_di_massacro

Been several years since i watched this. Noticed that the voiceover actor that played Franco’s Django (66) was voicing George Hilton’s character. That was weird. My fave scenes were with that Chinese coffinmaker dropping the Confuscious quotes as Franco looked at him like: whats up with this dude? (LOL) and the whipping scene. The villain was so over the top. Its like the actor was trying to imitate Klaus Kinski or something.

[Admin (Sebastian)]

Also just another plug for @TheSwede and my chat about Sabata and Payment in Blood:

Sabata and Payment in Blood at the Lyric

[Mickey13]

E alla fine lo chiamarono Jerusalem l’implacabile - Director: Antonio Secchi - 2/10.

By 1972, the Italians were seemingly engaged in the questionable pursuit of churning out the most absurdly banal comedies at the highest rate possible and Secchi’s effort is an exemplification of that trend. The film’s biggest drawback undoubtedly dwells in its mind-numbing monotony and want of original ideas. Truth be told, the first fifteen minutes or so furnish the appealing introduction, ushering in its central characters in a predominantly decent fashion. The issue consists in that once our main heros are tasked with consigning the shipment of gold to a Confederate general and finally hit the road, the script utterly disintegrates and proceeds to plumb the depths of the bromidic cloaca all spaghetti western comedies of the era would grace their audiences with.

The narrative leisurely careens from one vignette to another, from one double-crossing to another, endlessly rehashing the same threadbare jokes over and over again whilst supplying nothing along the lines of a passable structure; the storyline lacks anything approximating a proper crisis section which in turn effects the aforesaid monotony and hazy focus. Even when contrasted with the rest of the field, the film has nothing going for it: neither is it particularly dignified nor is it especially vulgar. The flick exhibits a very tame, bland disposition which, alongside its sluggish pacing, comes to exacerbate the scripting issues. Long story short, this is one of those flicks you have to force yourself to stay focused on, otherwise your mind inevitably starts wandering so as to dull the pain of being exposed to it. Perhaps not quite the bottom of the barrel, but pretty darn close to it.

[aldo]

@Mickey13

Long story short, this is one of those flicks you have to force yourself to stay focused on, otherwise your mind inevitably starts wandering so as to dull the pain of being exposed to it. Perhaps not quite the bottom of the barrel, but pretty darn close to it.

Quite a pleasant theme song though ! … I made an English fandub of this some years ago, which meant that I was exposed to it more than is probably healthy - As far as I remember there were 2 reels mixed up in the Italian TV print, which actually made almost no difference to the outcome, or the viewer.

[Grinder]

Grinders no. 4

LA MIA COLT TI CERCA…4 CERI TI ASPETTANO

Mia Colt ti cerca… 4 ceri ti aspettano, La - The Spaghetti Western Database (spaghetti-western.net)

Rewatching this after about 12 years…I have remembered nothing …it was like watching the first time

OK…we are in 1971 and luckily this is not a comedy.
At least the movie is trying to be serious and it has a similair cast as many other Spanish Western from the early 70`s.
Budget in this movies mostly was ultra cheap and seldom there is atmosphere of “real” old Spaghetti Westerns.
In the lead there is Robert Woods with long hair as sheriff…a very aggressive sheriff always looking for a trouble or a fight.
Villian is beardless Cris Huerta.
There are also many welcome faces like Vidal Molina, Molino Rojo and some nice ladies.
Story is not worth telling and the whole thing is clear after 10-15 minutes…
Score is horrible with the exception of two or three tracks in the middle of the movie.
The end is very sudden, seems production was out of money
I recognized footage from other movies like OESTE NEVADA JOE, CUATRO DOLARES DE VENGANZA and maybe also LA DILIGENZIA DE LOS CONDENADOS (I am not 100% sure).

In total more or less boring but not a complete waste of time.

I have watched it from selfmade DVD-R. Seems to be a Spanish TV print with english language.

To my knowlege it was never released on DVD or even BD

[Gingerbread80 (Ginger)]

Days 3 & 4:
3. The Cold Killer (1967) D: Guido Celano. Starring Bruno Piergentili and Rita Ferrel. A portrait of a psychopath’s (Piergentili) rise to power over a small mining town. From a vengeful servant who kills the judge who sentenced his father to be executed to a deluded megalomaniac. Not the typical filone. Rating: 3/5.

4. Thunder Over El Paso (a.k.a. The Godless Ones) (1972) D: Roberto Bianchi Montero. Starring Antonio Sabato Sr and Jose Jaspe. A bounty hunter teams up with an outlaw (Sabato Sr) to go after the Mexican bandit Corbancho, who has control of El Paso, or so it seems. Corbancho and his banditos turn out to be part of a larger scheme than initially thought. Features psychedelic flashback scenes. Rating: 2/5.

[JohnnyCashFan66]

Day 4 - A Genius, Two Partners, and a Dupe (1975)
3/10

The German Blu-ray looks really good, mostly–as good as it can using the only surviving rough film.

Damiano Damiani and Sergio Leone teaming up with Terence Hill and (minimally) Klaus Kinski and a ridiculously large budget for a 1975 spaghetti. One wishes these big names and big budget just made a straight western. But this comedy doesn’t come close to My Name is Nobody.

Let me save you 2 hours by reciting the only line I enjoyed:

Robert Charlebois: I was in the army.
Terence Hill: What rank?
Robert Charlebois: Deserter.

Why did I rewatch this one? Because of Ennio Morricone soundtrack:

Cavalcata… Per Elisa

[TheyCallMeGoldMod]

Day 4: Comin’, at Ya!

Thoughts:
1981, everyone’s already left the late 1970s Hippie commune when this film walks in wearing red-and-blue shades. Mostly style over substance (even when compared to most other spaghetti westerns), Tony Anthony does his usual routine of arming himself with a overcompensatingly powerful shotgun to shoot a bunch of bad guys in embarrassing ways. Carlo Savina’s score is legitimately great however, I will give the film that.

[Hired_Peon (Kitosch)]

@Grinder

I have remembered nothing …it was like watching the first time

That’s Iquino’s specialty, isn’t it? In this genre, anyway. He made better films in other genres and at a younger age.

[Bill_san_Antonio]

4. Guerrieri: Johnny Yuma
   -Maybe I was too tired but I couldn’t really concentrate on this one today. Anyway, I browsed through the film’s topic and had a good laugh at SD’s ramblings. 6/10

[DrGonzo703 (David Gordon)]

Day 4. Boot Hill.
A series of extreme close-ups of nearly every face, foot, and gun - as well as a number of other body parts - and some of the zaniest circus footage since The Marx Brothers. Add in a score that was part Elmer Bernstein/ part Morricone first draft, and you’ve got this pretty entertaining picture.

[aldo]

Day 4:

… E per tetto un cielo di stelle (And for a Roof, a Sky Full of Stars) 1968)

I always liked this one a lot despite all the grumbling about how great the opening scene is, and then it goes downhill … blah, blah, blah.

It’s a light comedic romp with great chemistry between the two leads … fantastic snarling bad guys in beautifully filmed locations, Almeria and Italy … With one of Morricone’s best soundtracks … so, for pure fun escapism tinged with SW nastiness, I give it 8/10

[makesthemovie]

Spagvember Fest 2023 Day 4

Rewatch

All’Ultimo Sangue

https://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/All'ultimo_sangue

*** out of *****

This is my third time watching this film and I do still find it enjoyable. The stock footage is a little more obvious this time around, but they’re so well edited into the film’s structure that it doesn’t look cheap or an attempt to fill out the running time.

Craig Hill is very good in his role as Capt. Clive Norton, though Norton’s not on the level of Lanky Fellow and Clayton. Ettore Manni had quite an interesting role here as El Chalaco, an unscrupulous man who made the best of his shot at redemption, Ken Wood makes for a solid hulking villain in Billy Gunn, a man who’s bad to the bone. The rivalry between his and Manni’s characters is very well written.

The Koch, now Plaion Pictures, Blu Ray is top notch.

[bandsaboutmovies (Sam Panico)]

The Four of the Apocalypse (1975)

Salt Flats, Utah. 1873. Professional gambler Stubby Preston (Fabio Testi, Contraband) is arrested the moment he steps off the stagecoach, thwarting his plans to win money from the town’s casino. It turns out that he’s actually lucky, because the town has become a vigilante mob that burns that den of iniquity to the ground, leaving only Stubby and three other criminals alive: Bunny (Lynne Frederick, Phase IV), a pregnant prostitute, a black man named Bud and the alcoholic Clem (Michael J. Pollard, Bonnie and Clyde).

The four are given safe passage out of town by the sheriff, who gives them a wagon and horses for all of their remaining money and possessions. Soon, they are traveling with a Mexican gunman named Chaco (Tomas Milian, Don’t Torture a Duckling) who saves the group from lawmen, only to torture one of the remaining lawmen in front of the group.

Nevertheless, everyone agrees to take peyote together. The four wake up tied up as Chaco (Milian claims he based his performance on Manson) taunts and beats them, shooting Clem and raping Bunny in front of the entire group.

There have been rumors for decades that Frederick and Testi were having an affair during this film. Testi was dating Ursula Andress at the time, who was incredibly jealous. Some evidence is that even when Frederick’s scenes were all wrapped, the two actors improvised scenes that would include the two of them, including a love scene that has been lost. During the aforementioned rape scene, Milian was so into character and so rough that Testi’s reaction in that scene is real.

The four manage to get the gravely injured Clem onto a makeshift stretcher and follow Chaco and his gang as they kill everything in their path. Finally, they find a ghost town where Clem dies, Bud loses his mind and Stubby and Bunny admit that they love one another — just in time for her to die in childbirth and Stubby to leave her son to a town made up of only men.

Stubby hunts down Chaco, learning that the sheriff set up the events of the entire movie. Enraged, he murders every single person there, leaving Cacho alive so that he can torture him. When Chaco reminds him that he raped Bunny, Stubby shoots him without a word, as he walks into the sunset with only a stray dog as a companion.

Four of the Apocalypse… is influenced by Easy Rider and attempts to offer up a journey of redemption, but you have to understand that Fulci is at the helm. That means that as soon as you have a tender, feel-good moment, you’re going to be given moments of pure gore, like people skinned alive or used for food. Yet there’s also art to be found, thanks to Fulci’s first of ten collaborations with cinematographer Sergio Salvati. It’s also the first time Fulci would work with Fabio Frizzi on the soundtrack. The result is unlike anything you’ve heard in a spaghetti western.