The Spaghetti Western thread.

[MacBlayne]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Fistful of Dollars (1964)

The film that kicked off both the Spaghetti Western genre outside Italy and also the career of star Clint Eastwood.

Sergio Leoni's take on the Japanese Samurai classic Yojimbo (1961) is a thrilling, violent and seriously cool slice of cinema. So much so that it revitalised the then flagging American western genre as later traditional sixties American films such as Major Dundee (1965), The Professionals (1966), Bandolero (1968) and 69's The Wild Bunch among others certainly showed the influence of Leoni and his Dollars trilogy.

The Blu-ray i finally got round to buying is nicely stacked with extras often hosted by the excellent Sir Christopher Frayling who is pretty much the Kim Newman of Spaghetti Westerns. Oh how i envy Frayling's original poster collection.

I bought the BluRay set (again!) after seeing Jay and Rich Evans wax ebulliently about it. Already have a set in Ireland, but it was cheaper to import the set to Japan from Amazon. Go figure!

Glad to hear the Frayling commentary is great. I love his book, Spaghetti Westerns, and his commentary for The Innocents is very detailed.

[Demoncrat]

The gaps in their knowledge always surprise me (RLM)

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

I had the complete Sartana Arrow box set arrive at teatime. (Too late for my weekly new arrivals post si it'll have to wait until next weekend)

Thought i'd look at stills on Dvd Beaver.

Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on here?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death (1968)

An enjoyable Spaghetti western and first of the official Sartana films starring the charismatic Gianni Garko in the title role. The story involves betrayal and treachery in the pursuit of a shipment of gold as Sartana is pitted against the devious Lasky (An equally charismatic William Berger).

There are so many in's and out's, crosses and double crosses, that it's impossible to really go into the plot without writing the whole thing out. Sartana and Lasky are excellent when on screen together as their game of cat and mouse plays out, as is Klaus Kinski who leads the initial raid on the gold shipment.

The film whilst clearly influenced by Leoni's Dollars trilogy (A chiming pocket watch plays a major role in the filmfor a start) there's also a slight Gothic feel to the film. There's a lot of cobwebby coffins featured and Sartana is often seen shrouded by fog which gives him an almost vampiric look resplendent in his flowing black cloak with red lining. (Sartana looks nothing like the film's poster art seen below).

There are some well staged shoot outs and director Gianfranco Parolini let's the film play out at a steady pace.

As a first time viewing i enjoyed If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death and look forward to the other four films in Arrows Complete Sartana box set.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

I do find it bizarre that all the marketing for Fistful of Dollars calls it *A* Fistful of Dollars, (See poster above for example) yet the on screen title is clearly Fistful of Dollars.

I think beginning the sentence with the indefinite article is more grammatically correct and easier to say – it's also a little (pardon the pun) punchier than without the first word.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

I think beginning the sentence with the indefinite article is more grammatically correct and easier to say – it's also a little (pardon the pun) punchier than without the first word.

It's a bit like For a Few Dollars More.

How many people simply call it A Few Dollars More.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

It's a bit For a Few Dollars More.

How many people simply call it A Few Dollars More.

In that case, the title Per qualche dollaro in più translates as For a Few Dollars More, a phrase that is easy to say and makes grammatical sense.

I've never seen anyone call it A Few Dollars More.

Titles are peculiar things. Leone's other film from that era, Giù la testa, literally translates as Duck Your Head, but I prefer A Fistful of Dynamite. I've never taken to Duck, You Sucker! or Once Upon a Time ... the Revolution.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Just watched the boring Fulham v Wolves match on Sky Sports.

The best thing about it was hearing presenter and daughter of Sir Kenny Dalglish, the lovely Kelly Cates, mention Sergio Corbucci.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Roy Colt & Winchester Jack (1970)

I think you can probably say that Roy Colt and Winchester Jack is the least typical film Mario Bava ever made.

The tale of two outlaws, one clever native American prostitute and a fortune in gold, with numerous unscrupulous gunmen and weird and wacky oddballs thrown in for good measure.

Funny and not at all remotely serious this is practically a comedic partial reworking of Leone's The Good the Bad and The Ugly where slapstick violence and rousing gun play abound.

Brett Halsey (Colt) and Charles Southwood (Jack) give it their all in likable roles as the warring outlaws whilst Marilu Tolo finds herself in between them (often literally) as her love flits between which of them is nearest to claiming the gold.

Comic westerns really aren't my thing but this hits a sweet spot with it's often surreal situations, frantic action and brisk pace and three leads with appealing screen chemistry. Very enjoyable but hardly essential Bava.

[davcol]

The Moment to Kill
I love this film, the cast incudes George Hilton, Walter Barnes and Horst Frank (always a great villain). Ive had the old Wild East dvd for a decade and always appreciated their double bills.
The plot is about hidden gold that formerly belonged to the Confederates and various factions looking for said gold. Hilton and Barnes are a team consisting of a suave ladies man called Lord and a rough and ready brawler called Bull.
The twist ending is cold and cynical and excellent.