.Westerns...All'Italiana!: August 2017

RIP Egon Günther

Film director and writer Egon Günther has died at 90 years of age. He died on Thursday August 31, 2017 in Potsdam after a long, communicated by the family. Günther was born in Schneeberg On March 30, 1927 in the Erzgebirge and was known in the GDR with films like "Lotte in Weimar" or "Der Dritte". After discussions with the GDR leadership he worked in the west from the end of the seventies. In addition to his film work, Günther also worked as a writer. He filmed his last book "The Bride" with Veronica Ferres in the title role (1999). Once again the film about Johann Wolfgang Goethe - this time around the relationship of the poet prince with the simple flower girl Christiane Vulpius, once beloved and later wife of Goethe. Egon was a screenwriter on the 1967 DEFA western “Chingachgook: The Great Snake” starring Gojko Mitic and appeared on screen as an actor in 1979’s “Blue Hawk playing the part of Archie.

The End Days

By Toscano

The End of Days seem to have arrived, all too damn soon,

I'm looking for the sun, but there's only the moon.

Looking for warmth, but the freeze marches on,

where the hell did I stumble, and where did I go wrong?

It seems to me, that greed is the thing, the order of the day,

and an honest heart is no longer the way.

Back-stabbing bitches, and neighbourhood snitches,

these are the ones who grasp it all.

Meanwhile, the ones who believed in the ultimate good of men,

are the poor bastards who eventually take that long, hard fall.

Cheating, lying, betrayal, and wealth,

the trash of the world always approaches in stealth.

They scheme and they plot, a means to destroy,

while they play with emotions, like a spoilt child with a toy.

Two-faced and rotten, stinking right to the core,

the filth that manipulates and plays with others;

How I now hate that black-hearted slut, that mean-eyed whore,

and I revile my good-for-nothing brothers.

It isn't to hard to know how Christ must have felt on that night,

when Judas betrayed him, like a back-stabbing shite.

Darkness closes in, and everyone's gone away,

leaving a man all alone, to endure another day.

I think I'll open another beer, while I say "screw you!", to the fear,

does anyone care, or can anyone even hear?

The seconds move on, from dusk to dawn,

I'll greet my fate with two fingers, and probably a yawn.

Tears in the rain, nothing else to gain,

surely there's got to be an end, to this God-awful pain.

Wondering now, why we bother at all,

while all the time, we are waiting for the call.

One day, hopefully not far away,

the last hour will come, and at last the sun will hold sway.

It is time to find out, if the road leads anywhere good,

so I'll be on my way, as a man ultimately should.

Knowing my luck, there will be nothing there,

but, in the grand old scheme of things,

I don't much really care.

50th Anniversary of Death Rides a Horse

“Death Rides a Horse” premiered in Rome, Italy 50 years ago today. Regarded along with “The Big Gundown” as one of Lee Van Cleef’s best films it is also highly regarded as one of the best non-Leone westerns. Van Cleef reprises his roles as the father figure of a young man out for revenge against the men who killed his family 14-years before. Similar in style to “For a Few Dollars Before”, where Colonel Mortimer teams with Manco to track down Indio and his gang for the rewards on their heads. Law even resembles Eastwood and his costume. Here this is strictly revenge for both lead characters as Van Cleef as Ryan was set up as the scapegoat and spent a decade and a half in prison. Now he is out for revenge and payment from the gang leaders for their transgression but finds the young Bill Mecita dogging his trail in order to seek his own revenge. Eventually the two join forces when they find themselves trapped in a Mexican village in order to survive.

Da uomo a uomo – Italian title

Vita, morte e vendetta – Italian title

La muerte viaja a caballo – Argentinian title

De dood kwam op tijd – Belgium title

La mort était au rendez-vous – Belgium title

A morte anda a cavalo – Brazilian title

Смъртта язди на кон – Bulgarian title

Smurtta yazdi na kon – Bulgarian title

La muerte viaja a caballo – Chilean title

La muerte viaja a caballo – Colombian title

Døden til hest – Danish title

De dood kwam op tijd – Dutch title

De hombre a hombre – Spanish title

Kosto odottaa – Finnish title

La mort était au rendez-vous – French title

D’homme à home – French title

Von Mann zu Mann – German title

Die Rechnung wird mit Blei bezahit – German title

Οι 5 σημαδεμένοι του Ελ Βιεντο – Greek title

Oi 5 simademenoi tou El Viento – Greek title

Férfi a férfihoz – Hungarian title

Marg bar khaenin mitazad – Iranian title

Shin yûhi no ganman/Fukushû no tabi – Japanese title

La muerte viaja a caballo – Mexican title

Døden rider hest – Norwegian title

Śmierć jeździ konno – Polish title

A morte vem a cavalo Portuguese title

Moartea călăreşte un cal – Romanian title

Смерть скачет на коне – Russian title

Smert' skachet na kone – Russian title

Sastanak sa smrću – Serbian title

Hamndens timme – Swedish title

Öldürmeye yeminliyim – Turkish title

La muerte viaja a caballo – Venezuelan title

Sestanek s smrtjo – Yugoslavian title

Viva Django, Man to Man – English title

Two Deadliest Guns Alive – English title

Death Rides a Horse – English title

A 1967 Italian production [P.E.C. (Rome)]

Producer: Al Sansone (Alfonso Sansone), Henry Chorscicki (Henryk Chorscicki)

Director: Giulio Petroni

Story: Luciano Vincenzoni

Screenplay: Luciano Vincenzoni, Giulio Petroni

Cinematography: Carlo Carlini [Technicolor, Techniscope]

Music: Ennio Morricone

Song: “Death Rides a Horse” sung by Raoul (Ettore Lo Vecchio)

Running time: 120 minutes

Story: Having witnessed the brutal murder of his entire family by bandits at the age of 5, Bill Meceita has spent 15 years planning his vengeance. Finding a kindred spirit in Ryan, an experienced gunslinger seeking his own revenge on those who framed him, the two team up to find and kill Walcott, a fearsome bandit on the loose. But Bill soon discovers that Ryan may know more about his tragic past than he has let on.

Cast:

Ryan - Lee Van Cleef (Clarence Van Cleef Jr.)

Bill Meceita - John Phillip Law

Walcott - Luigi Pistilli

Manina/Bert ‘4 Aces’ Cavanaugh - Anthony Dawson

Pedro - José Torres

Betsy - Carla Cassola

Negro soldier - Archie Savage

One-Eye - Mario Brega

Manuel - Guglielmo Spoletini

Paco - Angelo Susani

Sheriff - Giuseppe Castellano