Having watched every important western of both types I canāt agree.
I think itās the other way round, the plot is not typical Spag, but the directing is.
Antoniniās similar The Tramplers is both, a simple US clone in style and story, and is the more coherent film. But also the less interesting one cause it has nothing to offer in both departments. I crudeli is more fun to watch for the Corbucci factor, but as I said as a whole also not really interesting for me. (Itās a āDean Frisbeeā film. )
The typical average western is that kind of film, and some great US westerns too (like the westerns s by De Mille or the ones with Eroll Flynn), but there are enough US westerns before the 60s which are neither simplistic nor basic. And even many more of the 60s, if we remember that the Hays code was still at work until 1967, if that is the year you are talking about.
Hays code did exist up until 67 but it was not enforced as much in the 60sā¦ regardless you can see a clear shift after it was removed with films like the wild bunch and dirty harryā¦ films that would not be allowed to exist under code/mccarthy era hollywood.
In the UK it went on general release in April 1969. It first aired on UK television on 31st August 1974 (ITV 19:25 - 21:00).
The supporting feature at the CLASSIC is āThe Hellbendersā starring Joseph Cotten and Norma Bengell. āThe Hellbendersā is a Western in the grand Hollywood manner, made with the intimate touch of the Mediterranean filmmakers. This unusual and newsmaking combination is the result of a fruitful collaboration between an enterprising American producer, Albert Band, and a noted Italian director, Sergio Corbucci. No effort was spared to make āThe Hellbendersā an authentic Western, but the Confederate Army stagecoach used in the picture is unique. Producer Band decided that a normal American stagecoach would be too banal for the central task of the coach in the film - that of transporting a coffin through the entire picture. So he decided to have one built by modern Spanish craftsman that would have an eerie quality. Dark and portentous in appearance, it inspires dread as it rattles across the desert and up and down mountains with its strange cargo. (South Copeland Evening Mail, 20th May, 1969)
Source below: (Manchester Evening News, 18th April, 1968)
Finally filled in my biggest spaghetti blind spot. Pretty good honestly! I had low expectations for this one but I thought it was an entertaining 90 or so minutes. A little bit light on the action for me but I enjoyed the drama between the family. The UK blu ray looks great too.
Like someone wrote early in the thread, this is perhaps not one of Corbucciās best films but still way better than most other SWs. And like Stanton says the story is not typical SW but the directing is. The film is competently handled by Corbucci.
The story is somewhat related to Django though, with a gang of southerners not long after the civil war ended. In Django it was Major Jackson and his men. Here it is Colonel Jonas and his sons.
I also like Norma Bengell in this film (someone else mentioned her in the thread as well). I always thought she was in Django too, but that is not correct. But I think the voice actress for Norma is also in the english dub for Django, for one of the saloon girls.
So Norma Bengell did two SWs, Hellbenders and Fedra West?
Edit:
The coffin in Hellbenders is of course also related to Django. Coffins are spaghetti-esque and are featured in many SWs, ever since Fistful (images of death are often present in SWs, and Joe even escapes in a coffin in Fistful).
Btw, JuliƔn Mateos is also in Hellbenders, he was in Three Silver Dollars (1968) as well, (in that film they also escaped in coffins).
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