I just watched “Four Dollars of Revenge”, starring Robert Wood. Anyone ever heard of this? There’s not even an entry in the DB for it (I’ll get one going). The Weisser book, not surprisingly, has the cast and crew correct but a completely wrong plot summary, oddly using the names of the characters in the movie. It’s as though he just watched the credits and then made up a story.
It was ok, nothing spectacular, but entertaining , nonetheless.
Are you sure about that?
http://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Cuatro_dólares_de_venganza
:
[quote=“lordradish, post:3881, topic:141”]I just watched “Four Dollars of Revenge”, starring Robert Wood. Anyone ever heard of this? There’s not even an entry in the DB for it (I’ll get one going). The Weisser book, not surprisingly, has the cast and crew correct but a completely wrong plot summary, oddly using the names of the characters in the movie. It’s as though he just watched the credits and then made up a story.
It was ok, nothing spectacular, but entertaining , nonetheless.[/quote]
I have the French DVD of it (actually, I have two copies*, it was also on a kind of ‘double bill’ with a PLL movie)
I was surprised to read on the (no longer existing) fatmandan site that Tom Betts thought this was one of the better Robert Woods westerns. I didn’t think it was great, it’s a bit long-winded, especially the first half of the movie, and I found the romantic triangle, involving Dana Ghia unconvinving. But it has some redeeming qualities, Infante (from Pistoleros) is an excellent slimy heavy and the finale, in Zorro style, is very nice. It also has a lovely thelme song, starting with a great whistle theme and evolving in a kind of fifties cavalry-movie song.
WAGON MASTER (1950, John Ford)
Two cowboys (or horseboys) are hired as wagon masters by Mormons on their way to the promised land
They are joined by a ‘doctor’ who is accompanied by two women (‘actresses’), who were driven out of a nearby town, just like the Mormons, and a family gang, wanted by the law
Not a very eventful movie, but the rather sudden action scene near the end is exciting
Beautifully made, poetic, fun to watch, but a bit slow, and a bit odd too: there are so many songs and dances you often have the idea you’re watching a musical.
Not really one of Ford’s very best. Not because it lacks a great actor (Ben Johnson and Harry Carey jr. are just fine), but because it lacks a great character: there’s simply no Owen Thursday, Ethan Edwards or a man who shot a legendary villain to give Ford’s enjoyable routines a dramatic and psychological boost.
I don’t like Ford’s primitive humor, I also dislike the singing, but I surely like his dancing scenes.
This one is amongst his best (together with the dancing in Fort Apache, My Darling Clementine and Young Mr. Lincoln). For unknown reasons it made my eyes moist with tears every of the 3 times I saw this film. Strange!
Still think it is one of Ford’s 4 best westerns.
Wagonmaster would be more famous with Wayne or another great actor in the lead.
But then it wouldn’t be any more an ensemble film, and this is Ford’s only one amongst his westerns.
The last one I watched (wink wink Bill San Antonio) was DEMOFILO FIDANIS’s His Name was Sam Wallbash…But They Called Him Amen. VERY average and I was expecting less. Robert Woods has a weird face. His cheek bones are freakishly high. Not a good spaghetti western face. Thought the slow mo saloon fight was over the top and thesaloon song was VERY cheasy. Ridiculous fobia of clapping doors. Dino Strano does look very doughy and squishy as pointed out. Doesn’t look Italian at all. Wha else can I say? It was very average but not completely ED Wood. Maybe the reversal of the normal case happened.Where expectations are too high, here, they were too low.
Dunno whether your expectations were too high or too low, but a lot of the things you mentioned are precisely why i like this film…especially the weird zooms, the slow motion and the phobia of banging doors. Quite liked the music, except for the song (unusual for me!)…and Yes, Robert Woods is an odd looking guy, but i think that makes him good for SW’s…there’s so many weird looking guys in them!
Well, I’ve actually seen Plan Nine From Outer Space and that makes this one look like Ben Hur. Well, maybe not but I suppose it was very poorly made. Impossible to follow sub plot. Strange aspects true but a lot of it is too normal. I remeber one hilarious line I think was unitnentionally hilarious. When one guy in the saloon says something about a bath or something like that, he says “I’ve gotta get off these callouses I’m sitting on.” How and the hell do you get callouses on your ass!?
Starblack
Average, could have been good with a better director
Watched Winnetou The Warrior (Winnetou 1/Apache Gold) after having watched the Treasure of Silver Lake the other day.
This was the second time I’d seen this one.
As with Silver Lake the action sequences and cinematography are great.
But, arrrrg, the doofus “comic relief” characters are just awful.
It is almost never appropriate to knock a “western” for not being historically accurate. But this is truly a fairy tale version of the west. But there’s a lot of death and dark stuff even in fairy tales. As far as characters, I could not give a shit about Shatterhand or Winnetou. Die, motherfuckers, die! (But kill Sam Hawkins first!)
There was this gorgeous saloon girl senorita that they killed off way too fast.
It was funny watching her get all wet lookin’ at Lex Barker (aka Sexy Lexy). She says: "Que Hombre!"
Ole!!
I’ve gotta watch this one again soon.
I agree with Silver though about Woods. I think his somewhat odd look works to his benefit in the Spaghetti world. Here’s a cool cover (for this film) available on-line, that emphasizes his weird face: http://spaghettiwesterns.1g.fi/kuvat/His+Name+Was+Sam+Wallash%2C+But+They+Call+Him+Amen.jpg
Yeah and old Dino does not look too Italian, I agree. But I love the way he wears his shirt unbuttoned (and doesn’t he wear some kind of necklace/medallion in this?) Heehee
Also, on the cover linked to above, notice the photo of Demofilo himself on the spine!
Viva Fidani! :
: :
[quote=“Reverend Danite, post:3832, topic:141”]Duel at Diablo (1966) was on the box late last night and kept me up just as I was about to slink off to the pit. From what I remember, I’m not a big fan of American made Cavalry/Indian films. As a kid/youth they seemed either too racially simplistic and patronising, or otherwise too laden down with allegory and apology (I didn’t like Soldier Blue).
However I did like this outer.
The balance was just about right. Both sides were shown as being less than perfect. Racism and brutality (and compassion) were realistically present, and presented, in both the whiteman and the redskins attitudes to each other, and to the hybridity of those (Garner and Andersson, and the baby) that crossed into the other’s domain. And it was a pretty damn brutal journey at times.
What was great was the interplay between the main characters. Garner, Poitier and Weaver didn’t fail to deliver - but there was good back-up as well from Bibi Andersson as the woman caught between 2 worlds (both of them pretty nasty) and from Hoyt as the resigned Indian chief, Chata. Bill Travers as the armyman nearly stole the show for me tho’. And in contrast to all the racist attitudes, which were never allowed to swamp the action, Poitier’s ‘blackness’ was never referred to, he was just another fellah reluctantly gettin’ on with it - which was both refreshing and interesting. It would have been too obvious to have drawn parallels and pushed a ‘point’ - so they didn’t. And that’s gotta be good! For this spaghetti-head it was a decent enough venture away from spaghetti-dom into its American made contempory - but I’ll be stickin’ with SWs for a while yet … or maybe A Man Called Sledge next ;)?[/quote]
Rev, have you seen Ulzana’s Raid?
For many of the reasons given above, I like Duel At Diablo as well.
But Ulzana’s Raid puts this one away.
Of the many, many reasons to see Ulzana, Burt Lancaster may be the best.
While lots of the violence in Spaghettis is of the comic-book variety, the violence in Ulzana is truly horrific.
I have (I think) an uncut version…if you have not seen it…and are interested…
[quote=“Romaine Fielding, post:3893, topic:141”]Rev, have you seen Ulzana’s Raid?
For many of the reasons given above, I like Duel At Diablo as well.
But Ulzana’s Raid puts this one away.
Of the many, many reasons to see Ulzana, Burt Lancaster may be the best.
While lots of the violence in Spaghettis is of the comic-book variety, the violence in Ulzana is truly horrific.
I have (I think) an uncut version…if you have not seen it…and are interested…[/quote]
There are actually 2 versions of Ulzana’s Raid. One for the americans by Aldrich, one for the europeans by Lancaster. Both have the same runtime but contain lots of different scenes.
A german TV station had put both versions together back in the 80s, and created thereby a non-director’s cut of about 112 min.
I know what you’re talking about ! We Germans loved those fairy tale westerns when we were kids… it’s a different matter now but I still like the Winnetou movies !
[quote=“Stanton, post:3894, topic:141”]There are actually 2 versions of Ulzana’s Raid. One for the americans by Aldrich, one for the europeans by Lancaster. Both have the same runtime but contain lots of different scenes.
A german TV station had put both versions together back in the 80s, and created thereby a non-director’s cut of about 112 min.[/quote]
Hey amigo, have you seen the chapter on Ulzana’s Raid in Howard Hughes’s book Stagecoach To Tombstone?
I read it when it first came out (about a year ago?). I can’t remember everything he said but he discussed the different versions (and run times I think).
I’ll have to check my copy to see runtime. I think the disc is from Thailand.
I have to admit I DO like them. Most parts anyway. I find them to be truly awesome looking. They are epic in scale and scope. The music is soaring and uplifting. I get genuinely excited during the action scenes. I love the way the “Yugoslavian west” looks.
I watched a couple of the Old Surehand films (with Stewart Granger) earlier this year and quickly tired of them.
I’ll probably watch Winnetou 2 in the next couple of days. Too bad the the DVD sets I own have only English for 2 of the the 3 discs in each. I bought one of the dutch releases (2 discs- 4 movies) but the box was mismarked and even though it said it had English options it did not.
It is really easy to see how these films would have been so popular with the younger crowd when they were made.
Hey, Bluntwolf, do you like the Edgar Wallace adaptations that were popular at the same time as the Winnetou films?
Well, watched most of California and…I liked it a lot better than the first time. I was still a very fresh fan and this isn’t one to start the genre with. You have to become an astablished fan to like it I guess. I still found the gunsht nises annoying and for some stupid reason, I held that against this film. Now I like the gunshot noises. A lot better than before . I’ll go into further detail in the films thread tomorrow.
Saw ‘I Am Sartana, Your Angel of Death’ again, its definitely my favourite Gianni Garko movie… also saw Price of Death which was great.
[quote=“Romaine Fielding, post:3896, topic:141”]Hey amigo, have you seen the chapter on Ulzana’s Raid in Howard Hughes’s book Stagecoach To Tombstone?
I read it when it first came out (about a year ago?). I can’t remember everything he said but he discussed the different versions (and run times I think).
I’ll have to check my copy to see runtime. I think the disc is from Thailand.[/quote]
He says not much about the differences between the US and the european version. Only that the eu misses the 1st scene with the apaches leaving the reservation.
Apparently the “uncut” german DVD is due to the same worldwide Universal release the US version, probably the reason why it got a new dub, which everyone hates.
You can find the different scenes somewhere in Youtube.
