My slightly changed Top 20. These are for now (ever?) the most fascinating Spaghettis for me, that’s what all is about.
Once upon a Time in the West
The Good, the Bad, the Ugly
The Mercenary
The Great Silence
For a Few Dollars More
Cemetery without Crosses
My Name Is Nobody
A Fistful of Dollars
Companeros
Django
El puro
Quien sabe?
Blindman
Boot Hill
Giu la testa
Se sei vivo spara
The Big Gundown
Matalo!
Run, Man, Run
God Forgives, I Don’t
The Specialists
After seeing meanwhile about 250 SWs, amongst them all the classics, semi classics and would be classics, this could be a near definitive list. But I would have said that also, before I had got the chance to have a close look at the astonishingly good El puro… so, who knows, maybe there are more surprises in store. You’ll never know.
Sorry for the following ones who didn’t make it, but were very close:
Ace High; The Return of Ringo; And God Said to Cain; A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die; Face to Face; John the Bastard; Trinity Is Still My Name; Shoot Gringo Shoot; The Last Killer
and 30 more goodies.
After seeing meanwhile about 250 SWs, amongst them all the classics, semi classics and would be classics, this could be a near definitive list. But I would have said that also, before I had got the chance to have a close look at the astonishingly good El puro… so, who knows, maybe there are more surprises in store. You’ll never know.
A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die; … Kill Gringo Kill;[/quote]
I know what you mean about those surprises … El Puro was a breath of fresh air (altho’ probably the wrong metaphor … as it was pickled in whisky) … but some other gems must be out there to surprise. I havn’t seen as many as you, so I live in hope that some more gold will be found in the mine. Matalo! is one such film. I’ve got it, but am waiting for the right moment for a viewing and very much looking forward to it. AMTP,ASTD needs a second viewing. I remember it fondly (but not very well).
Without me hunting about - altho’ I will, no doubt … have you got another title for KGK? I’m thinking maybe ‘Shoot, Gringo … Shoot!/Rainbow’. Is this the same film? This also would be needing another viewing - partly forgotten but a good residual memory of it. Cheers for putting me in mind of some more films to get watched asap.
A fine list indeed, Stanton. But like mrchallenge, I’m surprised by your choice for Boot Hill as Colizzi’s best.
Apart from the outstanding opening scene, in which Terence is stalked outside the circus tent while the acrobats are doing their show inside, I thought the film was avarage at best.
But apparently I missed something …
[quote=“scherpschutter, post:484, topic:190”]A fine list indeed, Stanton. But like mrchallenge, I’m surprised by your choice for Boot Hill as Colizzi’s best.
Apart from the outstanding opening scene, in which Terence is stalked outside the circus tent while the acrobats are doing their show inside, I thought the film was avarage at best.
But apparently I missed something …[/quote]
I always wanted to write a few words about Colizzi and especially Boot Hill, but so far …
I’ll wait until I’ve seen an uncut version of Ace High, which is by the way the only important SW which I haven’t reseen in the past 3 years (more than 10 years for this one, to be honest).
In short I think that Colizzi was the most crafted/skilled director after the kings Leone and Corbucci. He had an fluid visual style and an eye for western typical cadrage, which you find even in american westerns not regularly. A scene like the funeral of Bill San Antonio e.g. is extremely beautiful shot.
Also he was the most “musical” of all SW directors, and here we come straight to Boot Hill, where he works mostly with an great jazz influenced soundtrack mixed with the thematically not surprising circus music.
I particularly like what is obviously dismissed by most of the others:all the dancing (the wonderful credit sequence) and singing (“Under your seat”) and the trumpet playing marching dwarfs and the whole circus atmosphere.
But make sure to see an uncut widescreen print.
I’m trying to write more in the film’s thread. Promised!
[quote=“Reverend Danite, post:483, topic:190”]I know what you mean about those surprises … El Puro was a breath of fresh air (altho’ probably the wrong metaphor … as it was pickled in whisky) … but some other gems must be out there to surprise. I havn’t seen as many as you, so I live in hope that some more gold will be found in the mine. Matalo! is one such film. I’ve got it, but am waiting for the right moment for a viewing and very much looking forward to it. AMTP,ASTD needs a second viewing. I remember it fondly (but not very well).
have you got another title for KGK? I’m thinking maybe ‘Shoot, Gringo … Shoot!/Rainbow’. Is this the same film? This also would be needing another viewing - partly forgotten but a good residual memory of it. Cheers for putting me in mind of some more films to get watched asap.[/quote]
Ha, ha of course! Spara is shoot, not kill. It sounded strange while I was writing it, but I forgot to check.
It’s repaired meanwhile.
A Minute to pray… , also a SW with many great scenes, one of the few films which I only know in a cut version, two cut versions to be accurate, with 94 min and 98 min instead of maybe 118! And both versions contain different scenes, so a longer original is no wishful thinking. Please, please, Koch Media!
Matalo!, El puro, Boot Hill, 3 SWs which get better with every viewing.
Hmmm… but that goes for most of my Top 21. Otherwise they weren’t as fascinating.
Bastards, yep. That’s what I also thought, when my sister had searched and found this DVD for me in Canada. And that’s why I hope that Koch and not MGM will release the DVD sometimes in the future. Well, and hopefully not to far in the future.
I knew that the MGM DVD had skipped the original end, but I thougt, it’s ok, I have it on my german version.
That’s the other sort of surprises.
[quote=“stanton, post:498, topic:190”]There are still many lists which only contain 12 or even less films.[/quote]How about using the old system:
“For those with incomplete or unorganized lists, 1 point was awarded for each entry.”
[quote=“Bill san Antonio, post:499, topic:190”]How about using the old system:
“For those with incomplete or unorganized lists, 1 point was awarded for each entry.”[/quote]
If someone hasn’t made a full list of 20 films and the list only has say 12 films, then those 12 films should just get points as if they where the 12 first films on a top 20 list.
In fact is does not matter much if a list contains either 50,20, 12, 10 or 5 films. The only thing that is really important is that maximum 20 films for each person is awarded points.
