The Spaghetti Western thread

[Ian Jane]

[Mark Tolch]

If they reconstruct (if...) the Italian theatrical cut on The Good, the Bad and the Ugly that's an absolute deal breaker. Can't stand that old man dubbing they did on the missing scenes, it sticks out like a limp dick on a porno set. It needs the Italian audio. Still, I already have two blus and two UHDs (Kino and 4Kult - which is the extended but still not the Italian cut) of this film, so maybe not getting a third UHD is a good thing. Looks like the 4th disc might be the Sad Hill Unearthed documentary which is fucking awesome, inspirational and a testament to the power of movie fans.

Loved the documentary for sure, the excitement of the fans and filmmakers is contagious while viewing.

I love these films, but after the 40th time buying them lol, I think that I'm quite alright with the Kino 4Ks that came out. They were a respectable price, and despite the lack of contrast compensation, I thought they looked stellar and very film-like.

[fatboyslim142]

If they reconstruct (if...) the Italian theatrical cut on The Good, the Bad and the Ugly that's an absolute deal breaker. Can't stand that old man dubbing they did on the missing scenes, it sticks out like a limp dick on a porno set. It needs the Italian audio. Still, I already have two blus and two UHDs (Kino and 4Kult - which is the extended but still not the Italian cut) of this film, so maybe not getting a third UHD is a good thing. Looks like the 4th disc might be the Sad Hill Unearthed documentary which is fucking awesome, inspirational and a testament to the power of movie fans.

The full specs etc are announced at some point this month according to the Arrow site.

[agent999]

If they reconstruct (if...) the Italian theatrical cut on The Good, the Bad and the Ugly that's an absolute deal breaker. Can't stand that old man dubbing they did on the missing scenes, it sticks out like a limp dick on a porno set. It needs the Italian audio. Still, I already have two blus and two UHDs (Kino and 4Kult - which is the extended but still not the Italian cut) of this film, so maybe not getting a third UHD is a good thing. Looks like the 4th disc might be the Sad Hill Unearthed documentary which is fucking awesome, inspirational and a testament to the power of movie fans.

[BW Haggar]

In some ways that's not the end of the world, as I generally always prefer to watch these films with the English tracks, but still - why in the hell would they sabotage what is clearly an attempt to produce 'definitive' editions of these movies by cutting corners / fucking up on something so basic? I mean, surely there are no rights / elements issue here...?

[fatboyslim142]

Coming in April from Arrow in the UK.

A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS

A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS LIMITED EDITION 4K UHD

4K ULTRA-HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella
Perfect bound collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Henry Blyth, Bilge Ebiri, Pasquale Iannone and Eloise Ross
Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella

DISC 1 - FEATURE (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)

New 4K restoration from the original 2-perf Techniscope negative
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original English and Italian front and end titles
Newly restored original lossless English and Italian mono audio
Optional newly remixed lossless English and Italian DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
Optional English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
Audio commentary by film historian and Leone biographer Sir Christopher Frayling
Audio commentary by film historian and critic Tim Lucas
Trailers, TV spots and radio spots

DISC 2 - EXTRAS (BLU-RAY)

When It All Started, a newly filmed interview with film historian and critic Fabio Melelli
Four Fingers Four Picks, a newly filmed interview with guitarist Bruno Battisti D’Amario
Wind & Fire, a newly filmed interview with Morricone biographer Alessandro de Rosa
A Night at the Movies, a newly filmed interview with filmmaker Paolo Bianchini
A Fistful of Outtakes, highlights from the original rushes
The Day the Soundtrack Changed, a new visual essay by musician and disc collector Lovely Jon exploring the film’s iconic score
Marisol: Leone’s Madonna of the West, an archival interview with co-star Marianne Koch
The Frayling Archives and A New Kind of Hero, two archival interviews with Sir Christopher Frayling

A Few Weeks in Spain, an archival interview with Clint Eastwood
Tre Voci, an archival featurette with Leone collaborators Mickey Knox, Sergio Donati and Alberto Grimaldi
Opening scene with Harry Dean Stanton filmed for the film's US TV debut in 1975, plus an archival interview with the prologue's director Monte Hellman
Restoration Italian Style, an archival featurette on the film's remastering for DVD
Location Comparisons 1964-2004, an archival featurette
Alternate credits sequences
Three comprehensive image galleries: A Fistful of Pictures, On the Set and Promoting 'A Fistful of Dollars'

FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE

Specs and extras to be announced soon.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

Specs and extras to be announced soon.

From The Spaghetti Western Database on facebook:

Very bad news: Arrow has unfortunately confirmed that A Fistful of Dollars will be the only of the three that will contain an Italian audio track. Don't shoot the messenger.

[Ian Jane]

Coming in April from Arrow in the UK.

A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS

A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS LIMITED EDITION 4K UHD

4K ULTRA-HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella
Perfect bound collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Henry Blyth, Bilge Ebiri, Pasquale Iannone and Eloise Ross
Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella

DISC 1 - FEATURE (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)

New 4K restoration from the original 2-perf Techniscope negative
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original English and Italian front and end titles
Newly restored original lossless English and Italian mono audio
Optional newly remixed lossless English and Italian DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
Optional English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
Audio commentary by film historian and Leone biographer Sir Christopher Frayling
Audio commentary by film historian and critic Tim Lucas
Trailers, TV spots and radio spots

DISC 2 - EXTRAS (BLU-RAY)

When It All Started, a newly filmed interview with film historian and critic Fabio Melelli
Four Fingers Four Picks, a newly filmed interview with guitarist Bruno Battisti D’Amario
Wind & Fire, a newly filmed interview with Morricone biographer Alessandro de Rosa
A Night at the Movies, a newly filmed interview with filmmaker Paolo Bianchini
A Fistful of Outtakes, highlights from the original rushes
The Day the Soundtrack Changed, a new visual essay by musician and disc collector Lovely Jon exploring the film’s iconic score
Marisol: Leone’s Madonna of the West, an archival interview with co-star Marianne Koch
The Frayling Archives and A New Kind of Hero, two archival interviews with Sir Christopher Frayling

A Few Weeks in Spain, an archival interview with Clint Eastwood
Tre Voci, an archival featurette with Leone collaborators Mickey Knox, Sergio Donati and Alberto Grimaldi
Opening scene with Harry Dean Stanton filmed for the film's US TV debut in 1975, plus an archival interview with the prologue's director Monte Hellman
Restoration Italian Style, an archival featurette on the film's remastering for DVD
Location Comparisons 1964-2004, an archival featurette
Alternate credits sequences
Three comprehensive image galleries: A Fistful of Pictures, On the Set and Promoting 'A Fistful of Dollars'

FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE

Specs and extras to be announced soon.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

Specs and extras to be announced soon.

[Ian Jane]

Coming 2/4/25 from Kino.

SPAGHETTI WESTERN CLASSICS - KILL THEM ALL AND COME BACK ALONE (1968) / THE HELLBENDERS (1967) 4K UHD

DISC 1 (4KUHD):

• 2020 KILL THEM ALL AND COME BACK ALONE UHD SDR Masters by StudioCanal
• Includes Both the English and Italian Cuts
• Audio Commentary by Filmmaker Alex Cox, Author of 10,000 Ways to Die: A Director’s Take on the Italian Western
• Triple-Layered UHD100 Disc
• Optional English Subtitles

DISC 2 (4KUHD):

• 2020 THE HELLBENDERS UHD SDR Master by StudioCanal
• Audio Commentary by Filmmaker Alex Cox, Author of 10,000 Ways to Die: A Director’s Take on the Italian Western
• Trailer for KILL THEM ALL AND COME BACK ALONE and THE HELLBENDERS
• Dual-Layered UHD66 Disc
• Optional English Subtitles

[Dark Horse 77]

Reissue coming via Kino on 8/13/24.

For anyone who's gotten the reissue of Navajo Joe: is the Alex Cox commentary better than the original one? I forget who did the first one but am on the fence about buying this one as much as I love Corbucci.

[FunktionJCB]

German label Plaion (formerly Koch) has a series of "deluxe" Spaghetti Western releases, in pretty packaging, featuring the films both on Blu-Ray and DVD, plus a few extras like a bonus booklet and poster.
These releases are English friendly (half has English audio and subtitles, the others have English audio), and are only sold directly on their website.

The 7 titles released so far are:

-I Crudeli (The Hellbenders)
-California
-Da uomo a uomo (Death Rides a Horse)
-Cimitero senza croci (Cemetery Without Crosses)
-Uomo avvisato mezzo ammazzato... Parola di Spirito Santo (His Name Was Holy Ghost)
-Django spara per primo (Django Shoots First)
-Gli uomini dal passo pesante (The Tramplers)

You can find more details at the The Spaghetti Western Database website, since they have a page dedicated to this series, with specs, reviews, unboxing videos, and more:

https://www.spaghetti-western.net/in...l%27Arrabbiata


---

Anyway, I'm mentioning all this because today only, they have these titles at 50% off:
https://shop.plaionpictures.com/film...-westernreihe/

On top of this, a facebook post on their page hints that the existing releases will stop being sold individually soon, so if anyone is interested in these titles/editions, this might be a good chance to get them.
Here's the facebook post, for reference (where they also mention the next title will release in the Autumn):

https://www.facebook.com/PLAION.PICT...GP6pbuW3k3SwVl

[Ian Jane]

Reissue coming via Kino on 8/13/24.

[Ian Jane]

VCI Entertainment Announces
A Bullet for Sandoval on Blu-Ray & DVD

On November 7th, VCI Entertainment releases the brutal western A Bullet for Sandoval for the first time on Blu-ray and Collector's Edition DVD, produced from new 4K scans of the 35mm negatives.

Civil War Corporal John Warner (George Hilton) deserts the Army to be with the woman he loves and raise the child they’re expecting. A series of tragedies unfold, and Warner turns to vengeance against his lover’s father, Don Pedro Sandoval (Ernest Borgnine), who blames Warner for the loss of his daughter.

Spanish director Julio Buchs brings this raw Spaghetti Western, in the vein of A Fistful of Dollars, to vivid life with a truly sinister performance by the legendary Borgnine.

The special features include a commentary by actor/director/writer Alex Cox (Repo Man, Sid and Nancy), an expert on Spaghetti Western films, and the original US theatrical trailer.

The Blu-ray is available for pre-order here:
https://bit.ly/oldies-3rquqCw

The Collector's Edition DVD is available for pre-order here:
https://www.oldies.com/product-view/08233Y.html

[Jason C]

I'm just happy to be getting spaghetti westerns in a nice package with better than decent transfers. I don't mind them putting random sets together that contain titles I already own but add a few I've never heard of. Arrow has even put some special features on these discs.

I wish Arrow do more of the same with Eurocrime and Pinky Violence.

[Darcy Parker]

I don't think you can be too cynical about Arrow's motives. They clearly are boxing up lesser know/desirable titles with one they know people want.

They got bamboozled into buying a package they didn’t really want, so they pass the bamboozle on to the customer!

[Derrick King]

I don't think you can be too cynical about Arrow's motives. They clearly are boxing up lesser know/desirable titles with one they know people want.