Of course there are a few still beautiful girls with Nicoletta in front, but most look a bit dated due to the contemporary hairstyles and costumes, and a complete different idea how to cast and use them.
If I compare them to contemporary actresses, they have no great chance. Women have now better roles, they are more talented, and at least they are also generally more beautiful, simply because they correspond to the present taste.
I have just seen Vicky Christina Barcelona and the 3 female leads Scarlett Johanson, Rebecca Hall and Penelope Cruz top everything in every SW.
Except for Nicoletta maybe, but only for her looks. On the other hand Nicoletta probably got never a role which gave her really the chance to shine. Maybe in modern day films she would have become really great.
I didn’t really like this one at all. Outside of his torch & toga movies and select scenes from his two Shaw Brothers productions, Richard Harrison always seems tranquilized onscreen.
I agree with Stanton, AND GOD SAID TO CAIN is far better than this meandering movie. Maybe another viewing would change my opinion slightly. I tried to watch another Harrison western last year, EL ROJO, and shut it off after the laughably bad opening “Indian raid”. A MAN CALLED KING was another Harrison “wonder”. However, that film featured some crisply edited action scenes in its defense.
[quote=“Stanton, post:44, topic:302”]Apparently I like Harrison in westerns, but unfortunately he has failed to do an really interesting one. I prefer him to Anthony Steffen for example.
And El Rojo is not as bad as the indeed terrible first scene might suggest.[/quote]
I do plan to watch it, I just stopped it after the opening 5 or 10 minutes to pursue a better film. ;D
Not as good as I was expecting given the amount of post-time it gets here on the forum. I thought the acting was good, especially Claudio Camaso’s London After Midnight-esque ghost like character. You could tell the director’s early Horror influence using torches in the final scene ala Haunted Palace. The opening scene was the movies best & pretty brutal but after that, it falls a little short for me. Especially, the seige of the Sheriff’s office scene which was drawn out to long for me., which made the flow of this movie out of whack in several areas. With that being said, I would suggest it to others & view it again in time but for me, And God Said… is far more superior in every way (I had that ‘hell’s yeah’ smile on my face many times while viewing).
I finally caught up with the Image DVD of this one, and it was worth the wait. Some damn good stuff in this one.
You get an outstanding opening full of creepy faces and a mystery man.
You get an awesome death by spurs, which could only have been improved by a bit more blood.
This scene took me by surprise and had me wincing.
They play some hardcore drinking games.
I always love it when caves are used, but Claudio’s set up is the best. He’s got pit beef, a grandfather clock, a bed for wenches and stocks for his enemies. Not to mention that little cupid thingy and plenty of wicker furniture.
Richard Harrison is solid as Rokko, but it’s one of those times where your mind wanders a bit wondering who might’a been better. And his monotone voice over during the flashbacks was a low point for me. Claudio on the other hand was outstanding as Mendoza. The final scene in the caves was wonderful, but i still felt it could have been done just a bit better. Margheriti definitely did a better job of building tension and suspense in CAIN, but VENGEANCE still isn’t too far behind. And anyway, it’s tough to compete with a storm that manages to overshadow even Kinski. Recommended.
Fun Factor - 7.5/10
Well it’s my favorite Margheriti western. It has some very strong moments (e.g. the spur killing in the saloon) but what I really love in it is how lethal Harrison looks throughout the whole movie. Not to mention the opening scene which is 101% Spaghetti. 4/5 stars
