Italo-Westerns, The Giallo, Michael Winner and Charles Bronson, Trailers, Staying Gold

Recently been watching a lot of these old Italo-westerns, the latest one is Requiem for a Gringo a.k.a. Duel in the Eclipse. It's about a guy who uses various atmospheric elements to defeat a group of outlaws, in the end he uses an eclipse, hence the alternative title. I've also ordered a film called Mannaja: A Man Called Blade, the opening sequence on Youtube looks really incredible, like a western with elements of a horror film. It was directed by Sergio Martino, who is more famous for making these sinister Italian style 'Giallo' thrillers like Torso. The Giallo is another great Italian invention. It's basically like a murder mystery with an emphasis on violence and esthetics, for example the murderers often wear black gloves, shiny raincoats, use a mask or have their face hidden. These films are also characterised by the use of the subjective (point of view) shot, usually to represent the murderer who's identity isn't revealed until the very end. Although Bava really started them I guess Dario Argento perfected this style. In Italy in the early 70's, after Argento made The Bird With the Crystal Plumage, there was a surge of Giallo thrillers, nearly all of them with an animal in the title. Most Italian directors made at least one. The Italian film industry used to be huge in th 60's and 70's, some studio directors like Fulci or Bava where releasing two of three films a year, thats amazing compared to your average hollywood director making about one film every two years, if that. If you watch a film like Keoma by Castellari the cinematography is so far beyond anything being made in America at the time.




Keoma is pretty epic, it's like an opera. Franco Nero is also amazing in this film, just physically. He even sang on the song in this clip.















Aside from Italo-westerns, this film is also really great:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9QekeOkSi8


Its one of the films Charles Bronson made with Michael Winner a few years before they hit the big time with Death Wish. It's much better than Death Wish though. Michael Winner is obviously best known in this country for those amazing Esure adverts where he always tells people to calm down.





















Wanna get this film called Samurai Reincarnation, think its basically a samurai film with zombies and sorcery.

It's by the director of Battle Royale, Kinji Fukasaku. He's one of the most prolific and respected Japanese directors but, similar to someone like Lucio Fulci, I think he's made a lot of 'trash' as well.
















Finally saw The Serpent and the Rainbow. Easily Wes Cravens best film.














Richard Stanley made a film with the same actor, called Dust Devil. It was only his second film but after he made it he stopped making features, apparently he had a lot of problems getting it distributed properly or getting his cut released or something. His first film Hardware is also a classic.
































Also finally saw this film, Beastmaster.

It's writen and directed by Don Coscarelli, who I think is the only true genius auter working in American cinema now. He also wrote and directed the Phantasm movies and a film called Bubba Ho-tep. All are a must see.
















Watched The Outsiders recently, it's Coppola's companion piece to Rumble Fish based on another book by S. E. Hinton. It deals with similar subjects as Rumble Fish and it's basically a really good sort of chick flick with aesthetic references to Gone With The Wind. R.I.P. Patrick Swayze. Stay gold.

Spaghetti-Westerns, Franco Nero, Antichrist, The Room

Kill Them All and Come Back Alone. It's the name of a film. I want to try and make this blog just about films, we'll see. Here is the trailer to prove I'm not lying:



This film was directed by Enzo G. Castellari who made Inglorious Bastards and the truly amazing spaghetti western film: Keoma. I'd say Keoma is probably the greatest italo-western I've ever seen so check it out if you can. I would describe it as A Fistfull of Dollars meets The Bible meets Mad Max.

Franco Nero is also famous for being the original Django in the iconic italo-western of the same name. If you were wondering what Jimmy Cliff is watching in the cinema sequence of The Harder They Come, well: it's Django. The film was made around the same time as FistfullofDollars but is a bit more violent and surreal. Apparently it set a trend in spaghetti westerns for featuring a machine gun and a coffin or box filled with gold as a major element of the plot. These became re-ocuring motifs in most italo-westerns including the hundreds of Django sequels. It was directed by Sergio Corbucci, who I gather was a close friend of Sergio Leone (who made Fistfull.. etc), and I'd say his films are made with a similar style. Corbucci also made a film called Navajo Joe starring Burt Reynolds which I haven't seen, and The Mercenary also starring Franco Nero. Needless to say Nero was pretty huge in europe in the seventies and eighties. I guess no one really knows who he is in Britain and North America.


By the way most of these 'facts' are off the top of my head and probably wrong.

Another incredible italo/spaghetti western that I've recently discovered is Django Kill a.k.a. If You Live, Shoot. I think it was marketed as a Django 'sequel' in the hope of making more money, but it has nothing to do with the former film. I'd say it's even more violent and disturbing than its namesake and infinately more entertaining/funny. The plot revolves around an unnamed "half breed" played by the amazing Tomas Milian, who seeks revenge on the outlaw gang that betrayed him and left him for dead. After he is revived by two indians (played by two clearly italian character actors) they give him some golden bullets and tell him they will help him take his revenge if he leads them to "happy hunting ground". They track his former accomplace's to a town the indians call The Unhappy Place, and from there the rather complexed and violent story unfolds, featuring another gang of basically gay mexican outlaws called Los Muchachos. This film is totally hilarious and beautifully directed (although the guys name escapes me), and you can buy it in HMV.


My other favourite spaghetti western is Blind Man featuring Ringo Starr. The Italian trailer has been on my facebook page for ages. Here is an American version:



I can't wait to watch Antichrist even though it's directed by Lars von Trier who made such unwatchable dross as The Idiots and the even worse by far Dogville starring Nicole Kidman who is the worst actress in the world probably. Antichrist actually looks really good though! Apparently it features a talking fox and Charlotte Gainsbourg castrating herself, nice. I guess you've probably seen the trailer but here it is anyway:


I also kind of want to watch The Room.