The big guy’s first foray into the west albeit via Germany and Spain. and noticeably sans hat. You can expect me to be referring regularly to the hat choices in The Steffs western output as there are 2 clear phases of his sagebrush career; Little hat and Big Hat. But here is proof that to begin with he wasn’t ready to commit to either. To be fair, this was clearly due to the Winnetou and Shatterhand-esque nature of the film. All buckskin and braves. But hey, hats are important and I got the feeling throughout that he had just forgotten to put one on.
The Steff screen persona had clearly not been developed fully yet either. He is more facially animated than we came to expect but in truth he also has a lot less to do here as his character, although central, does not get nearly as much screen time as you might expect. Daniel martin as his noble Indian brother gets much more.
Anyway, we are kicked off. Let the Roll and shoots begin!
Great. My check list of Steffen’s roll-and-shoot acts include these films so far, so I’m intrigued to see if you can spot more of them.
Why go on Killing?
A Stranger in Paso Bravo
Killer Kid
Man who Cried for Revenge
No Room to Die
Django the Bastard
Tequila
W Django
Shango
Blood at Sundown
(2 Pistols and a Coward) -I think he rolled but didn’t shoot in this one
I will definitely be reporting on the roll and shoot count. why else watch a Steffen film?
The Last Tomahawk was, I think, before he had got his mojo sorted so no roll and shoots yet. And no slow lift of the head to reveal steely eyes under the hat brim. Well, no hat obviously. I am also looking forward to spotting this Steff-motif.
Started out with a double feature. Well, double and double. But as it is, watching the same film twice counts for two, this is authorized in high places (see post 442).
1. El Bandido Malpelo
Watched the 86 min Spanish TV Canal Somos version with English subs. Then
2. Il lungo giorno della violenza
the Italian version of the same film, in a 95 min version downloaded from YouTube. And even if the picture quality is shit, and some of the running time difference is due to speed up, I must say that the Spanish did a great job of butchering this film. Not only violence and nudity are censored. Also small cuts here and there for no other reason it seems than to reduce this to merely another action film. The Italian draft on the other hand is brilliant. I really, really like this one. And the more I see it the more I like it.
I’m starting with the very first S.Western that I saw back in the the day, so I have a special place in my heart for this film. Richard Harrison is very effective in this well made early Spagh with a good score by the master Ennio Morricone. Good stuff all the way through.
Dive and Shoot = 1
Roll and Shoot = 1
Slow Eye Reveal From Under Hat Brim = 1
I could talk for a while about this one but on looking back at the review I wrote 8 years ago I find I pretty much said it all back then and my opinions haven’t changed so might as well just link back to that and go put my feet up.
SPAGVEMBERFEST 2017 - THE KILLER CALIBRE 30: DAY 2
(sings) "If you see a man with downcast eyes and ragged clothes, Walking through your village, don’t shun him but go beside. I’m that man and now I beg you, help me, I need you. I need you."
Ragged? Downcast? Wandering shunned through random villages? Sounds exactly like every one of my Sunday mornings throughout the 00’s. The preceding Saturday evenings must’ve been quite something; wish I could remember any of them. Still, sod all that: My spag for today is of course The Return of Ringo (Tessari, 1965). It’s not my favourite Gemma picture - or my second, or third - but it might contain my favourite performance by the great man himself. One of my favourite theme tunes, too.
Corbucci: Shoot, Gringo, Shoot
-I didn’t remember much about this film apart from the desert scene which was quite short scene anyway. Good film with some unnecessary comedy (well, it’s a Bruno Corbucci film anyway) 7/10
I didn’t go with the Django theme after all. I think I’ll be watching mainly Koch media dvd’s and blu’s this month.
Have seen this once before. Nothing bad about it. I’ll edit that. Nothing really bad about it except for Pacifico’s costume. Not much to place it above the average either, except for the dark feel and the score, which I liked. Also kind of liked this Jack Betts guy. 5.7/10.
I am thinking to watch a couple of other Fidani films as part of the spagvemberfest. Suggestions?
Another good early Spagh with a likeable Guy Madison as Marshal Wyatt Earp in town to get rid of the baddies. Good simple story mixed in with decent action makes this an enjoyable one for me.
Haven’t seen this one in a while. It is in my alternative 20, and as I’m about to kick out a couple of films from it in December, I was anxious to see if it would stand its ground. And it did.
2… Martino: Arizona Colt Returns
-Film with possibly the most unfitting and stupid theme song in the genre. Otherwise I like this violent and action packed Steffen film with many sw regulars in the cast. 6/10
What shall I say? For most of the film I felt no pain at all. Watched it in Italian, of which I can understand only half words and sixteenths. Don’t know if it will gain from being watched in English, though. Left me with some questions, like, was Luciano Conti killed more than once? And if so, how many times? Hard to say with the low resolution of the copy I watched.
Dive and Shoot = 1 (kind of)
Roll and Shoot = 0
Slow Eye Reveal From Under Hat Rim = 0
Enjoyable Steff outing despite the glaring lack of roll and shoots. There is a sort of dive and shoot at the end but even that is a bit half-hearted. I really good example though of how the Italian view of the west differs from the traditional American one. Especially for 1965. The Steff’s character is out for revenge throughout and when he finally gets his man he drags out the execution. Why use only one bullet when you can stick one in each limb first and then finish him off while he’s hanging helplessly from the horse rail?
Nice to see Eduardo Fajado as a blonde wrong 'un and the theme song is one of those love 'em or hate 'em cheesy ones that I really like.
SPAGVEMBERFEST 2017 - THE KILLER CALIBRE 30: DAY 3
-“What’s the matter, hero? Change your mind?” -“Yeah… I’ve decided to kill you.”
Ooh, a big favourite today: it’s Death Rides a Horse (Petroni, 1967), in which a guilt-ridden Lee Van Cleef teaches a really angry plank of wood how to love once more, by assisting it on a Kill Bill-style vengeance murder rampage. Do planks of wood have many enemies upon whom they feel the need to take vengeance? Lumberjacks, I suppose. They certainly make an enemy or two when they scowl as ceaselessly as John Phillip Law, that’s for bloody sure. I contemplate throttling him whenever I’m watching the movie.
Joining the show, but taking my time. I had seen this movie before, once, years ago, in awful image quality. I watched the recently uploaded copy on You Tube, which was not a penny better than the one I had.
Anyway, the film is okay, without being particularly great
I had look at the review I wrote years ago and can still live with what I said back then. I changed a comma here and there, and removed a few words or remarks that seemed redundant to give the text more fluency
And I gave the page a new look:
I agree with your comment on poker tables in spags, although sometimes they serve a purpose (For a Few Dollars More and Death Sentence spring to mind). They are the more embarrassing as the hands delt are usually completely out of this world. It was a poker scene in the one I watched today (A Barrel full of Dollars) where they play five card stud poker, and a pair of queens is beaten by a small straight. That might at least happen some times.
