Sunday, September 30, 2012

RIP Edgar Külow



 Just a few days after his 87th birthday actor, comedian, writer and director Edgar Külow has died. A news release stated he fell at his home and suffered a hip fracture and had to be operated on but died of complications on September 29th in Berlin. A native of Westphalia, Külow was born on September 10, 1925 in Werdohl. Edgar took acting lessons in Leipzig, worked at the local radio station, then as a writer, director and sometimes manager of the cabaret "Pepper Mill". Later he worked for other cabarets and the satirical magazine "Eulenspiegel". He was, for a few years, a member of the cast of the satirical television series "Tele-BZ". He became a member of several TV casts, designed numerous, often quirky supporting roles, and was until recently still active as an actor. He also wrote several books, including "Koslowski in Weimar" and "Koslowski in parliament". Külow appeared in one Euro-western as O’Hara with Dean Reed in “Kit & Co.” (1974).

Happy 90th Birthday Michel Lemoine



 Michel Charles Lemoine was born on September 30, 1922 in Pantin, Seine-Saint-Denis, France. He made his film debut in late 1940. Michel appeared frequently in the films of Sacha Guitry and Julien Duvivier. His physique gave him the opportunity to appear in young romantic characters and also embody mysterious and disturbing characters. Throughout the 1960s, he appeared extensively in Italian films, in peplums, Spaghetti westerns: “The Road to Fort Alamo” (1964) and “Cemetery Without Crosses” (1968) and fantasy films. He also worked for Jess Franco and José Bénazéraf. In the 1970s, he was seen primarily in erotic films.

Michel later became a director in films where eroticism mingled with drama or comedy. His films did not receive positive criticism, but he nevertheless was recognized for technical qualities. He was misaligned for his first achievement, according to him, for strong autobiographical accents. He often appeared with Janine Reynaud [1930- ], his wife, alongside his favorite performers, Martine Azencot, Nathalie Zeiger and Marie-Hélène Règne.

In 1976, his film “Les Week-ends maléfiques du Comte Zaroff” was prohibited in theaters. He reluctantly turned towards the realization of making pornographic films and used most often the pseudonym Michel Leblanc, Olinka Hardiman and made a star of X (Marilyn, mon amour). He left the industry in the 1990s, with only sporadic appearances afterward.

Today we celebrate Michel Lemoine’s 90th birthday.

New DVD Release



 A Man Called Django / Django and Sartana Showdown in the West
(1971) (1970)

Director: Edward G. Muller (Edoardo Mulargia) / Demofilo Fidani
Starring: Anthony Steffen / Tony Kendall, George Ardisson

Label: Shout Factory / Timeless Media
Region: NTSC, Region 1
Sound: Dolby
Time: 173 minutes
Available: December 11, 2012

Spaghetti Western Locations




We continue with locations for “A Taste for Killing”. Sanchez and his other two henchmen stop for water but Fellows shoots a hole in Sancho’s canteen. Again he is out of sight and range for the bandits pistols. After firing a few futile shots Fellows approaches them from the rear. The three face him in a duel but lose. Hank picks up the stolen money they have with them and rides away. Here the location shifts to Rambla Lanujar or what is more commonly referred to as Black Canyon. You might recall this location was also used in “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” when Tuco calls out to the approaching gray clad soldiers only to find they are Union cavalry whose blue uniforms are covered with dust.

Rambla Lanujar in Tabernas can be located off a service road from the Autovia A 92. Opposite the N-340a cutoff. This service road is on the West side of the Autovia and goes through what is left of the set location for “Chino” and “Straight to Hell”. Continue on the dirt road until you come to a gate which is usually locked. You can park your car here and climb the short wall and walk back through the canyon bearing to your right. 


For a more detailed view of this site and other Spaghetti Western locations please visit my friend Captain Douglas’ excellent website: http://www.western-locations-spain.com/     


Saturday, September 29, 2012

ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST



Érase una vez en el Oeste – Argentinian title
Era uma vez no Oeste – Brazilain title
Hasta que llegó su hora – Columbian title
Vestens hårde hales – Danish title
Het gebeurde in het westen – Dutch title
Huuliharppukostaja – Finnish title
Harmonika - en hämnare – Finnish title
Il etait une fois dans l’Ouest – French title
Spiel mir das Lied vom Tod – German title
Kapote sti Dysi – Greek title
Volt egyszer egy vadnyugat – Hungarian title
C’era un a volta il west – Italian title
Uesutan – Japanese title
Erase una vez en el oeste – Mexican title
Ondt blod i Vesten – Norwegian title
Pewnego razu na Dzikim Zachodzie – Polish title
Aconteceu no Oeste – Portuguese title
Undeva, candva in Vest – Romanian title
Однажды на Диком Западе – Russian title
Hasta que llego su hora – Spanish title
Fins que li va arribar l'hora – Spanish title
Harmonica - En hämnare – Swedish title
Batida Kan Var – Turkish title
Bir Zamanlar Batida – Turkish title
Bilo jednom na divljem zapadu – Yugoslavian title
Play Me the Song of Death – English title
There Was Once the West – English title
Once Upon a Time in the West – English title

A 1968 Italian, U.S.A. co-production [Rafran Productions, San Marco Productions (Rome), Paramount (Hollywood)]
Producer: Fulvio Morsella
Director: Sergio Leone
Story: Dario Argento, Bernardo Bertolucci, Sergio Leone
Screenplay: Sergio Donati, Sergio Leone
English Dialogue: Mickey Knox (Abraham Knox)
Cinematography: Tonino Delli Colli (Antonio Delli Colli) [Technicolor, Techniscope]
Music: Ennio Morricone
Running time: 171 minutes

Cast:
Frank – Henry Fonda
Harmonica – Charles Bronson
Jill McBain – Claudia Cardinale
Manuel ‘Cheyenne’ Gutierrez – Jason Robards (Jason Robards, Jr.)
Mr. Morton – Gabriele Ferzetti (Pasquale Ferzetti)
Sam – Paolo Stoppa
Stony – Woody Strode (Woodrow Strode)
Snaky – Jack Elam (William Elam)
Knuckles – Al Mulock (Alfred Rogers)
Sheriff of Flagstone – Keenan Wynn (Francis Wynn)
Brett McBain – Frank Wolff (Frank Herman)
Maureen McBain – Simonetta Santaniello
Patrick McBain – Gaetano Santaniello
Timmy McBain – Enzo Santaniello
Wobbles – Marco Zuanelli
Barman – Lionel Stander
Flagstone Deputy sheriff – Luigi Ciavarro
Jim – John Frederick (Frederick Stiffler, Jr.)
Vecino – Conrado San Martin (Conrado Prieto)
Franks’ henchmen – Spartaco Conversi, Aldo Berti, Michael Harvey, Antonio Molino Rojo, Benito Stefanelli, Fabio Testi, Frank Braña (Francisco Pérez), Saturnino Cerra, Paolo Figlia
Cheyenne henchmen – Aldo Sambrell (Alfredo Brell), Salvo Basile (Salvatore Basile), Bruno Corazzari, Claudio Scarchilli
Harmonica’s brother – Claudio Mancini
Young Frank’s henchmen at arch – Don Galloway Enrico Morsella, Umberto Morsella
Cattle Crossing station master – Joseph Bradley
Indian squaw – Luana Strode (Luukialuana Kalaeloa)
Carpenter – Tulio Palmieri
1st auction bidder – Renato Pinciroli
Engineer – Ricardo Palacios
Railroad foreman – Bill Crawley (William Crawley)
Railroad worker – Robert Spafford
Girls at Flagstone station – Francesca Leone, Raffaella Leone
Posse member – John Landis
Women at McBain Funeral - Marilù Carteny, Sandra Salvatori
men at way station - Dino Zamboni, Federico Boido
With: Livio Andronico, Stefano Imparato, Frank Leslie, Luigi Magnani, Giovanni Ivan Scratuglia (Ivan Scratuglia), Alessandro Alessandroni, Robert Hossein


A trio of rough-and-tumble killers quietly awaits the arrival of a train at a dilapidated local station called Cattle Corner. The men, calmly standing in the noonday sun with the sweaty swagger and bloodthirsty eyes of desperados, One of the men's vain attempts to dissuade a fly from resting on his face, another collects water on his hat from under a dripping water tank while a third calmly cracks his knuckles while they wait for a train scheduled to arrive shortly. When the train finally arrives it seems the man they were sent to meet does not depart. As they three gunmen prepare to leave the twang of an eerie harmonica sounds and they turn to see a man on the opposite side of the departing train. When he asks, “And Frank?” They respond, “Frank sent us.” The man then replies, “Did you bring a horse for me?” One laughs and says, “We’re shy one horse”. The man states, “No you brought two too many.” With that hands flash down to holsters and gunfire erupts.

After disposing of Frank's goons at the station, Harmonica slowly finds himself drawn into a drama involving a feisty and jaw-dropping gorgeous widow, named Jill, of a slain local businessm and Cheyenne a scruffy outlaw, who's being framed for the murder of Mr. McBain and his three children. Frank has killed the McBains, but the motivation for their murder is slowly. Morton, the owner of a transcontinental railroad, dying of tuberculosis of the bones is pressing to reach the Pacific Ocean and won’t let anything or anyone get in his way.

Frank plants evidence to place the blame on the McBain massacre on Cheyenne’s men. Harmonica and Cheyenne join forces to help Jill settle her estate, save her ranch and McBains dream of a station on the railroad line. Harmonica also settles a long standing affair with Frank over the murder of his brother that has haunted him for many years. In the end Frank and Cheyenne die, Harmonic finds revenge and Jill starts a new life in a new west.