By ANTHONY LUSARDI
Honorable
Mentions:
Though very
notable spaghetti westerns have been reviewed, there are still so many others
worthy for enthusiasts. So before we get to the final spaghetti western, here
are a few honorable mentions.
Texas, Adios
(1966), dir. Ferdinando Baldi
Released around the beginning of the
spaghetti western wave, this flick plays more like a traditional American
western. Its violence is not the focus, and Sheriff Burt Sullivan (played by
Franco Nero) is the Italian Wyatt Earp: always willing to uphold
the law. Together with his younger, reckless brother Jim, Sullivan crosses the
Mexican border to bring the crime lord who murdered their father to justice.
Known for its majestic settings, explosive action, and its theme music, Texas,
Adios is one spaghetti western that remains underrated.
Django Kill...
If You Live, Shoot! (1967), dir. Giulio Questi
Despite its title, this movie has
nothing to do with Django. Merely marketed as a spin-off to capitalize
on the character's popularity, the main protagonist (played by Tomas Milian)
doesn't have a name at all. What we have instead is a revenge tale quickly
turning into a battle for gold. Today, it has become a cult film, known for its
savage, surrealistic violence and psychedelic editing by Franco
"Kim" Arcalli. This
is as if Alejandro Jodorowsky (El Topo) and Herschell Gordon Lewis (Blood
Feast) teamed up for a spaghetti western; acid-style.
Cemetery
Without Crosses (1968), dir. Robert Hossein
While most spaghetti westerns were
Italian, some productions included companies from other countries like Spain,
the United States, and West Germany. This particular spaghetti western is a
French co-production, starring lead French actor Robert Hossein, who in a
rarity among the subgenre, also co-wrote and directed the film. Italian horror
master Dario Argento was a co-writer, and Sergio Leone is thought to have
directed one scene, while making a cameo appearance. Also known as The Rope
and the Colt, the movie is noted for its arthouse style, minimal dialogue,
reliance on visuals, and music (composed by Hossein's father) to tell its
Shakespearean tale of revenge.
The Price of
Power (1969), dir. Tonino Valerii
This spaghetti western features
Giuliano Gemma as a man uncovering a conspiracy to assassinate U.S. President
James Garfield. The story offers an entirely fictionalized account of the
historical events and portrays President Garfield as a benevolent, avid fighter
for civil rights, following the aftermath of the Civil War. Some say this
spaghetti western glamorizes the death of Garfield so much, it is in fact a
commentary on the J.F.K. assassination. The movie's assassination scene even
appears to imitate footage of the Zapruder film.
The Grand Duel
(1972), dir. Giancarlo Santi
If there’s a spaghetti western where it's hard to tell
the good from the bad (or the ugly), it's this one. With recurring flashbacks
changing your opinion every time, and more memorable music of Luis
Bacalov that found its way into the soundtrack
of Tarantino's Kill Bill, The Grand Duel shows the subgenre
wasn’t losing its mojo towards its inevitable demise.
ANTHONY LUSARDI
Lives in Rockaway Borough
He's a 2013 graduate of Centenary College (now Centenary
University) in Hackettstown, NJ
He currently work as a freelance reporter
Anthony is an avid movie fan, reader, and lover of arts
and entertainment. I've attended and covered music concerts, art exhibits,
festivals, parades, book readings, library lectures, and even a movie premiere
in Parsippany and a movie shooting in Roxbury.
[Editor's Note:
The next and last section of this column shall time next week.]
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