The Spaghetti Western thread

[Sundance Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Sundance]

Suitable materials for the uncut version yes. But Eureka had made a scan of the cut English version and it wouldn't surprise me if Kino is using that?

Eureka was going to release that cut version on Blu-Ray and nothing else. I'm not entirely sure if they even knew at that point that the version was cut. They probably did but didn't know there is a complete English soundtrack for the film available and so once they learned of that they tried to release the uncut version on Blu-Ray. But it turned out there wasn't good enough material available (I think it was simply an issue of money... nobody wanted to pay whatever was required for a new scan of the original negatives... but I'm just speculating) so they canceled the Blu-Ray. And then they found out the English audio they had access to wasn't in that great shape either so they decided to release only a DVD with Italian audio and English subs. I would have added the audio anyways and so would have some other companies but oh well...

Seems to me Kino either doesn't know or is pretending the cut version is the one and only English language version of the film. ;)


As for A Reason To Live A Reason To Die, there are two versions of the film in English... the shorter one (20 minutes or something maybe?) features Coburn's own voice, the longer one (like on Wild East DVD) doesn't. No idea about Kino's plans.

[Paul L Scholar of Sleaze Find all posts View Profile Close Paul L]

Suitable materials for the uncut version yes. But Eureka had made a scan of the cut English version and it wouldn't surprise me if Kino is using that?

Eureka was going to release that cut version on Blu-Ray and nothing else. I'm not entirely sure if they even knew at that point that the version was cut. They probably did but didn't know there is a complete English soundtrack for the film available and so once they learned of that they tried to release the uncut version on Blu-Ray. But it turned out there wasn't good enough material available (I think it was simply an issue of money... nobody wanted to pay whatever was required for a new scan of the original negatives... but I'm just speculating) so they canceled the Blu-Ray. And then they found out the English audio they had access to wasn't in that great shape either so they decided to release only a DVD with Italian audio and English subs. I would have added the audio anyways and so would have some other companies but oh well...

Seems to me Kino either doesn't know or is pretending the cut version is the one and only English language version of the film. ;)

Your memory trumps mine :) I'd forgotten the precise circumstances surrounding the Eureka disc. (Blimey, that was five years ago!) An HD presentation of the 93 minute cut is pretty much useless (imo), for the reasons you say. I vividly remember buying the Aktiv VHS release in the 1990s, after having watched the film (for the first time) on Moviedrome, and being perplexed at the differences (as I recall, the Aktiv tape contained the shorter US version and the Moviedrome broadcast was of the longer UK cut). I quite like the English dub for this one, to be honest; but another SD release of the longer cut in Italian with English subs would be utterly redundant in my collection. Marrying the English dub to the longer cut, even if it's only presented in SD, might make me part with my Japanese DVD release.

I always found the dubbing of Coburn (an actor with such a distinctive voice) in the longer cut of A REASON TO LIVE... terribly distracting and a big barrier to my enjoyment of the film.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Now in stock at Diabolik.



Wild & The Dirty/ Bastards Go And Kill Chaco? DVD (Wild East) (NTSC All Region) Director: Enzo G. Castellari (Enzo Girolami)
Story: A hardened ex-Civil War soldier returns home to find his father dead, his mother re-married to his despised uncle. With the help of Horace he finds the truth about his father a rumored dead outlaw and a stolen gold shipment.

Fully restored to the original uncut English version.

Bastards Go And Kill Chaco!
Director: Gino Mangini (Luigi Mangini)

Extras
Picture Gallery
Interview with Enzo Castellari

[Jason C Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jason C]

^^ OOh. I have yet to see a SW with George Eastman in the lead. I recently saw him in HANDS OF STEEL and THE NEW BARBARIANS. He's a fascinating character.

[Jason C Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jason C]

RETURN OF RINGO definitely deserves all of the praise it receives from SW fans. It is easily one the best non-Leone westerns. It's well worth the price of importing the Koch release even though its on a decent budget box set. Morricone's theme will be playing in my head for quite some time.



I appreciate you turning me on to BLACK JACK Paul. It is damn good and your composite is well done. Thank you for sharing your hard work. I saw you mention somewhere that you thought it should be adjusted to 1:66. I was thinking the same thing as I watched it. If there isn't an official release by the time I'm ready for a re-watch I'll give that a try. I might be tempted to cut that dopey "I saw the Indian" crap from the ending. That could have been handled a little better. But it didn't ruin what was a fun ride.

[Paul L Scholar of Sleaze Find all posts View Profile Close Paul L]

^^ OOh. I have yet to see a SW with George Eastman in the lead. I recently saw him in HANDS OF STEEL and THE NEW BARBARIANS. He's a fascinating character.

Baldi's HATE THY NEIGHBOR, which has Eastman/Montefiore in the role of the antagonist, is pretty good. I like that film a lot.

Thanks for the kind words on the BLACK JACK composite, Jason. Try watching it at 1.66:1, if you get the chance - the compositions work perfectly at that ratio (imo).

[Jason C Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jason C]

THE STRANGER RETURNS (A MAN, A HORSE, A GUN (1967)) is damn good. First off, I usually hate the comedy bits in Italian Westerns but its so subtle and well done here that its adds quite a bit to the film. Tony Anthony rolling his own cigarettes only to have them fall apart actually had me laughing. Even with the parody bits there is still a dark edge to the film which I liked. It helps that Dan Vandis plays an excellent heavy and keeps the film from getting to silly. The story is interesting and keeps a good pace as well. Ultimately I don't have one bad thing to say about THE STRANGER RETURNS. I can see it getting re-visited often at my house as my son enjoyed it as well.

The NSM Records double feature DVD gives both STRANGER films a top-notch presentation. Well worth seeking out.

[Tim R-T-C Member Find all posts View Profile Close Tim R-T-C]

Just WOW! Day of Anger, one of the very best Spaghetti Westerns gets one of the very best Spaghetti Western home video releases. A stunning HD print with full Italian and English audio tracks (with English subs), the shorter International print and over an hour of interviews. Released today by Arrow in the US and UK on identical discs, also including the same features and prints on a pair of DVDs.



Day of Anger review - with full HD screencaps.

[Nabonga Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Nabonga]

Why can't someone do the Leone Dollar-films equal PQ/AQ justice?

I bought For A Few Dollars More on Blu a year or two ago and it looked like complete ass so I had to sell it straight away. Since then I haven't dared to buy another release of it yet.

[Damin J. Toell Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Damin J. Toell]

The German BDs of A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS and FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE are reportedly better, especially the latter (which is supposed to be uncut). I own them (there's a 2-pack for 15 euros), but I haven't actually spun them yet.

[Nabonga Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Nabonga]

Huh... Then I shall check those out. 2 of my all time favorite films. The release I had looked very bad. In my own very uneducated guess it must've had some kind of scanner noise going on. It was literally unwatchable. Ejected the disc after 15 minutes.

[Sundance Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Sundance]

The image of the German For a Few Dollars More is identical to all the MGM discs except it has more print damage. I assume it is the MGM transfer but before any scratch removal and such was done for it (or they just did less than MGM). But yeah, it is finally uncut (they added the missing pieces from the Italian disc). Don't know about the noise... to me it looked like it has been sharpened way too much. So perhaps the grain just looks like noise now?
The Italian disc uses a completely different transfer than any other discs and personally I prefer it but it does have it's problems. And no English options...


The German A Fistful of Dollars disc is superior to the MGM discs though. It uses the same transfer the Italian disc from 2008 does.
MGM vs German (mouse-over): http://caps-a-holic.com/hd_vergleich...ess=#vergleich

[Paul L Scholar of Sleaze Find all posts View Profile Close Paul L]

The image of the German For a Few Dollars More is identical to all the MGM discs except it has more print damage. I assume it is the MGM transfer but before any scratch removal and such was done for it (or they just did less than MGM). But yeah, it is finally uncut (they added the missing pieces from the Italian disc). Don't know about the noise... to me it looked like it has been sharpened way too much. So perhaps the grain just looks like noise now?
The Italian disc uses a completely different transfer than any other discs and personally I prefer it but it does have it's problems. And no English options...


The German A Fistful of Dollars disc is superior to the MGM discs though. It uses the same transfer the Italian disc from 2008 does.
MGM vs German (mouse-over): http://caps-a-holic.com/hd_vergleich...ess=#vergleich

I've got the RHV Italian release of the first film and the German Universum disc of the second. I'm happy with both but I've always liked the look of the Italian Mondo release of FOR A FEW... and would love to see that transfer used for an English-friendly release.

[Jason C Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jason C]

!!!!GREAT SILENCE SPOILERS!!!!


I am having a difficult time wrapping my head around how I feel about THE GREAT SILENCE. I recognize that its one of the better Italian Westerns. The snowy mountain backdrop gives it a unique look and feel that is well captured. There are some excellent performances and many standout scenes. Kinski is at his best and Vonetta McGee has many great moments as well. My struggles obviously come from the bitter ending. I am capable of enjoying films with nihilistic endings because they remind me that the hero doesn't always win. Without them there can't be legitimate tension in films where the good guy ultimately does triumph. That said, I would have preferred for THE GREAT SILENCE to have had more of a FISTFUL OF DOLLARS type ending. I can't get it out of my head that the way Kinski took out the sheriff was convenient to the point that it wasn't believable. Nor do I understand why Silence even showed up for the final confrontation. He didn't have a clever plan and he knew he was no match for Kinski. He had already fulfilled his revenge when he killed Pollicut and had found a woman that loved him and that he could care for in Pauline. It made no sense for him to needlessly sacrifice himself. I'm probably just bummed that the lone Spaghetti Western with that amazing snowy backdrop isn't a delicious popcorn flick like FISTFTUL OF DOLLARS. I would have loved for this to have been a film that I'd revisit every 18 to 24 months but with that bummer ending there's no way.

[Nabonga Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Nabonga]

Holy fucking shitballs!!! Arrow's putting out Cemetery Without Crosses on Blu!