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The Dollars Trilogy, of course, are the most well-known of the spaghetti westerns. Really, the only well-known ones in the United States. But as a fan of the western genre, I've occasionally poked around the spaghetti-land. There's some really interesting stuff out there. And this last week Death Rides A Horse showed up in the mail. Hadn't checked the Netflix queue in quite a while, so it was a surprise.
The beginning of the print is rather terrible, early 1930s quality level. But it quickly improves to fair-to-good. What caught my eye about this film is the presence of Lee Van Cleef-- I wanted to see more of him, as I enjoyed him greatly in the last two Dollars films. And he did not disappoint. His smirk is unique, and fantastic! And he has this undefinable presense, like Eastwood. Not as intense, but it is there. John Phillip Law has a very intense presence too, though not much in the way of acting. But the latter seems less important in a lot of westerns. Law's character also seems to slip into a parody of western archetypes, but works nonetheless.
But what held the film together for me was cinematography reminiscent of Leone. Studies of faces and leisurely dialogue, cutting suddenly to horses thundering towards a desert pass accompanied by the soaring score of Morricone. The affect his music has on so many of his films cannot be understated. It was simply a pleasure to see and hear Death Rides A Horse, aside from the other details of the film. One could really mistake the film for a pre-Dollars Leone piece. And I recognized at least two minor actors from those films.
And the story was at least interesting, with a turn or two, if not entirely coherent as it went along. I enjoyed it much more than my last spaghetti foray, Django (which I still did enjoy).
Now it has me thinking of more spaghettis. Next up, I think: The Great Silence or The Big Gundown.
I'm a big fan of Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef westerns which those two did a few Spaghettis in their day My favorite is probably the top of everyone's list which was/is The Good, The Bad, And the Ugly. I also enjoyed Death Rides a Horse.
I'm a big fan of Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef westerns which those two did a few Spaghettis in their day My favorite is probably the top of everyone's list which was/is The Good, The Bad, And the Ugly. I also enjoyed Death Rides a Horse.
Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach was quite a trio in that film!
47 years later, and two of the three are still going strong. At age 81, Eastwood is not only directing but producing and composing music for films like J. Edgar, while Wallach will turn 96 in less than a month and was in two films as recently as last year.
While I love TGTB&TU, my favorite spaghetti western is Once Upon A Time In The West! (even though I always have trouble really thinking of it as such)
If you enjoy your spaghetti with whacky humor then check out the movies with Terence Hill and Bud Spencer. The ones that come to mind "They Call Me Trinity" or the one with Henry Fonda which is a much more serious role called "My Name is Nobody"
If you enjoy your spaghetti with whacky humor then check out the movies with Terence Hill and Bud Spencer. The ones that come to mind "They Call Me Trinity" or the one with Henry Fonda which is a much more serious role called "My Name is Nobody"
Trinity Gang -You beat me to it. I also like their non-comedy movies but I'm having trouble finding them in decent quality.
Trinity Gang -You beat me to it. I also like their non-comedy movies but I'm having trouble finding them in decent quality.
Check out this site. It is not too bad. I found the Hill's Trinity - 3 pack DVD set at Wally Mart a short while back which was a pleasant shocker. I found "My Name is Nobody" a few years back but where, cannot remember.
Yes, unfortunately, these newly produced copies are not digitally remastered and another thing they annoyed me is they are typically in full screen/frame version only. I don't think the American movie studios really care for those older European movies so your best bet is to find a copy from a European vendor.
I know it is not a Spaghetti Western but Sam Raimi's The Quick and The Dead is a pretty fun Western movie to watch, imho.
Check out this site. It is not too bad. I found the Hill's Trinity - 3 pack DVD set at Wally Mart a short while back which was a pleasant shocker. I found "My Name is Nobody" a few years back but where, cannot remember.
Yes, unfortunately, these newly produced copies are not digitally remastered and another thing they annoyed me is they are typically in full screen/frame version only. I don't think the American movie studios really care for those older European movies so your best bet is to find a copy from a European vendor.
I know it is not a Spaghetti Western but Sam Raimi's The Quick and The Dead is a pretty fun Western movie to watch, imho.
I've watched several of the Trinity movies on You Tube. They were fun to see after so many years. I still like them, guess I'm still a kid at heart.
The Dollars Trilogy, of course, are the most well-known of the spaghetti westerns. Really, the only well-known ones in the United States. But as a fan of the western genre, I've occasionally poked around the spaghetti-land. There's some really interesting stuff out there. And this last week Death Rides A Horse showed up in the mail. Hadn't checked the Netflix queue in quite a while, so it was a surprise.
The beginning of the print is rather terrible, early 1930s quality level. But it quickly improves to fair-to-good. What caught my eye about this film is the presence of Lee Van Cleef-- I wanted to see more of him, as I enjoyed him greatly in the last two Dollars films. And he did not disappoint. His smirk is unique, and fantastic! And he has this undefinable presense, like Eastwood. Not as intense, but it is there. John Phillip Law has a very intense presence too, though not much in the way of acting. But the latter seems less important in a lot of westerns. Law's character also seems to slip into a parody of western archetypes, but works nonetheless.
But what held the film together for me was cinematography reminiscent of Leone. Studies of faces and leisurely dialogue, cutting suddenly to horses thundering towards a desert pass accompanied by the soaring score of Morricone. The affect his music has on so many of his films cannot be understated. It was simply a pleasure to see and hear Death Rides A Horse, aside from the other details of the film. One could really mistake the film for a pre-Dollars Leone piece. And I recognized at least two minor actors from those films.
And the story was at least interesting, with a turn or two, if not entirely coherent as it went along. I enjoyed it much more than my last spaghetti foray, Django (which I still did enjoy).
Now it has me thinking of more spaghettis. Next up, I think: The Great Silence or The Big Gundown.
Who else loves the spaghettis?
For those who may not know, please explain what significants the word 'spaghetti' has in relations to 'Western' ....
I know...just want to see if you do...
In other words, define spaghetti westerns vs say a John Wayne flick...
For those who may not know, please explain what significants the word 'spaghetti' has in relations to 'Western' ....
I know...just want to see if you do...
In other words, define spaghetti westerns vs say a John Wayne flick...
I don't know, I thought it was because they were shot in Italy and directed by Italians. They seem to have a certain style (at least the Leone fims) that differentiates them from American westerns at the time - the long shots of the scenery, the close-ups of the characters' eyes, the unique musical scores.
Spaghetti westerns was/is simply shorthand for the small genre of Italian westerns, usually with a U.S. or European "name" actor in the lead role to sell the film outside of Italy.
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My favorite is probably the top of everyone's list which was/is The Good, The Bad, And the Ugly. I also enjoyed Death Rides a Horse.
