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The Ruthless Four
Release Date 9.2.1968
104 min version, mostly English dub, some scenes with German dub. One I’ve seen once before, did’nt remember anything from it.
My theme for this SpagvemberFest: 1968 releases.
3 Likes
Started off day one with Sartana’s Here, Trade Your Pistol for a Coffin, watched it while battling a bad cold.
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Today’s entertainment: Ocaso de un pistolero, Rafael Romero Marchent’s first directorial credit.
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This one’s on my list for much later in the month. 
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Spagvember#1. Lenzi: A Pistol for Hundred Coffins
-I thought I had not seen this for a very long time but apparently I watched it just 3 years ago. Film that is often said to have some good ideas that are undeveloped, PLL’s character is jehovah witness but that doesn’t really matter in the film except that he doesn’t drink alcohol. There could have been at least a training sequence, he just changes to sharpshooter while in previous scene he didn’t know how to use a gun. Then there’s the insane asylum patients (more like batshit crazy dimwits) which is nice idea bit just a unnecessary sideplot. There’s a nice supporting cast of sw regulars, Piero Lulli, Eduardo Fajardo, Raf Baldassarre, Victor Israel etc.
My rating: 5/10
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(sings)
"Getchya Cleef on, getchya Cleef on,
Getchya-getchya-getchya-getchya getchya Cleef on!"
DAY 2
Today, I’m getting me some Sabata (Parolini, 1969), the bounciest, most acrobatic of westerns. If the Cirque du Soleil made spags, this is the spag they’d make. Watching all those extras flip, flop, tumble and twist as they get shot almost makes me want to go on a kill-crazy rampage. Carnage never looked such fun!
Looking at my schedule for this Spagvember, I’ve become slightly concerned that I’ve front-loaded the month with all of the better quality titles, and the back end is going to become a mindbending test of endurance. Hmm. Try not to think about it.
2 Likes
DAY 1
Days of Violence (Brescia / 1967)
A standard revenge story with some nice touches, a great score and a whole bunch of regular welcome faces make this an enjoyable if not life changing ride. The opening shot of the boot on the stump with a knife thrown into it is a great start and all of the above make up for the essentially story by numbers approach to the rest of the film. And hey, we get Rosalba Neri (before she is polished off far too early as usual, Nello Pazzafini as the ultimately untrustworthy friend and Andrea Bosic as the embittered cripple father figure. Good enough for me.
PLL as the good boy who goes renegade in response to a family injustice becomes something of a trope for him as I recall. The type suits him well enough and overall a good start to this year’s Spagvemberfest for me.
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Day 2
The Man Who Shot Billy the Kid (Buchs / 1967)
And indeed here is PLL again playing the good boy turned renegade character although whereas in Days of Violence everything turned out peachy and he lives happily ever after with the squeeze this time it all goes Pete Tong and winds up eating dust.
Despite the text at the beginning of the film assuring us this told as it really happened it’s safe to say that the story wavers somewhat from the truth while sticking reasonably to the coarse of events as the history books would have them. An enjoyable piece nonetheless and Dyanik Zurakowska looks good while ensuring PLL isn’t the blondest person on screen. Zurakowska was Belgian apparently. Assumed she was Polish.
Also benefits from an enjoyably twangy score from Gianni Ferrio.
2 Likes
spagvember #2 Garrone: No Graves on Boot Hill
-Ok film which is rather boring when it tries to be serious and entertaining when it goes on action mode. Includes one of the craziest sw tricks -shooting at the gunbelt thrown in the air. 5/10
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Rafael Romero Marchent’s elder brother, Joaquín Luis, directed his first “real” Western, Tres hombres buenos, in the year 2 BL†, after having made two Zorro surrogates (El Coyote, La justicia del Coyote) and two Zorro non-surrogates (La venganza del Zorro, Cabalgando hacia la muerte [“riding towards death”]). But, as the saying goes, a coyote ain’t no fox, and a lemon ain’t no baby-orange: T. h. b. is as competently produced, directed and photographed as its American B-Western predecessors it succeeds in emulating to the last spur and rowel. Unfortunately, it’s also as predictable and tedious.
† The Leonean calendar’s date of reference is September 12, 1964. As the Julian and the Gregorian, the Leonean calendar omits a/the year zero. Accordingly, 1963 is the year 2 BL, 1964 1 BL, 1965 1 AL and so forth and so back (AL = anno Leonis, BL = before Leone).
The last hard men: Fernando Sancho, Claudio Undari
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Started day 2 with another Sartana movie that I’ve been needing to rewatch, If You Meet Sartana… Pray For Your Death.
The Arrow Video remaster really helped with my opinion of the movie this time. I could actually bear to look at the screen this time lol.
3 Likes
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Dos hombres van a morir
Release Date: 15.2.1968
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#3 Caiano: A Coffin for the Sheriff
-Here’s a one I hadn’t seen in a while. Solid Steffen film with Eduardo Fajardo looking weird with blond hair. Classic revenge western stuff without much originality apart from Steffen’s character who is called Shenandoah, where did they got that one? Nice music, good looking girl… ok film. The old geezer was just annoying and the last scene with him was just plain awful. 6/10
2 Likes
DAY 3
Making my first visit to the Sartana’s today with If You Meet Sartana, Pray For Your Death (Parolini, 1968). This’ll be my third viewing since Arrow hit us up with their beautiful blu-ray box-set but it’s a film I’m happy to see over and over. One of my favourites, this one. “I’m your pallbearer!” Alright Gianni, keep your hair on!
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Giurò… e li uccise ad uno ad uno
Release Date: 7.3.1968
I have for this month got together more or less twenty 1968 releases that I haven’t seen before. Three films I couldn’t find: Sapevano solo uccidere, Se incontri Sjango, cercati un posto per morire! and Passa Sartana… è l’ombra della tua morte. Three films I could’t find in an English friendly version: Giarrettiera Colt, The Long Day of the Massacre and Vendo cara la pelle. Suggestions are welcome.
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DAY 4
Back to the Djangos today, and it’s arguably the sequel the original deserved: Django, Prepare a Coffin (Baldi, 1968), starring Terence Hill as Franco Nero as Django, preparing a coffin (or two, or three). This movie is an experience I never especially look forward to, but I enjoy it just fine once it’s in front of me. Like beans on toast, or crossdressing. Giddy-up!
2 Likes
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The Belle Starr Story
Release Date: 15.3.1968
I didn’t expect much from this, but as it turned out, it’s one I’ll watch again soon. But I’ll need a better copy. Is the Wild East release good?
Alas, only five days into SpagvemberFest, I’ve already fallen behind schedule. May San Procrastinato, patron saint of delays and otiosity, help me.
1 Like