The Battle of El Alamein

Talk about major conflicts in World War II and any number of battles come to mind from D-Day to the Battle of the Bulge, Guadalcanal to Iwo Jima. Some of WWII's earliest fighting is usually left almost completely by the wayside, the fighting in North Africa as Axis and Allied powers battled for control of the Suez Canal, Egypt and the Nile. The battle of Tobruk has gotten its fair share of attention, but how about the battle of El Alamein? It gets some attention via the appropriately titled 1969 film, The Battle of El Alamein.

It's late in 1942, and German forces under General Erwin Rommel (Robert Hossein) has pushed the Allies almost to a breaking point, the lines stretched thin in hopes of holding back the advance. Leading the Allies is a new commander, General Bernard Montgomery (Michael Rennie), hellbent on turning the tide of battle and stubborn to boot. Among the Italian soldiers fighting with the Germans are an inexperienced officer, Lt. Giorgio Borri (Frederick Stafford), who would like nothing more than a little personal glory in the form of a medal or two. The battle and fighting are up in the air and very much up for grabs, supplies, gasoline and fuel all pushing both sides to make decisions they wouldn't normally have to, much less should have to make that decision. It's early in the war, but this battle could be a huge turning point in the fighting.

As I discovered the depths of the spaghetti western genre, I stumbled across a site called Sgt. Slaughter Goes to War (check it out HERE), a really good, really well-written review site that covers a lot of ground with Euro-war movies, but a fair share of American war movies too. That's how I originally found out about this movie, reading his review, a pretty glowing review that built it up nicely. How many years later, I caught up with it via MGM-HD on TV, watching a ridiculously nice print relative to the crappy ones I've seen. Did I like it as much as Sgt. Slaughter? No, but I did enjoy it. There's some low-budget charm to it with a good cast of recognizable European actors, but it's far from a classic flick. It tries to accomplish a lot in a relatively short running time (I saw a 96-minute version, there's supposedly one that's 105 minutes), covering a lot of ground in portraying the Allied and Axis point of view.

Sgt. Slaughter's review makes a good point in that most Italian war movies were pure fun, pure entertainment, not really meant to be taken seriously. This war movie from director Giorgio Ferroni? It takes a far more serious tone, trying to show the horrors and hell of war rather than the fun of it all. It should be taken seriously. We see the German High Command, Hossein doing a good job as the sympathetic and very capable Rommel, Gerard Herter, Giuseppe Addobbati, and Tom Felleghy playing some of his generals. Rennie seems an odd, very American choice to play the very British General Montgomery, and is also badly dubbed in painfully obvious fashion. It's not that Rennie delivers a bad performance, he gets the Monty personality down, it's that we don't get to see enough of him. In small doses, it's almost stereotypical. Where so many American war movies had a 2-plus hour running time to get a message across (and a budget to boot), 'Alamein' simply tries to do too much in less than two hours.

As is often the case with war movies, the best aspect of 'Alamein' is the focus on the foot soldiers, the infantry, the men fighting on the front lines. Stafford does a very good job as Giorgio, the glory-hunting officer who quickly learns that war isn't as simple and straightforward and heroic as he thought coming in. He goes from inexperienced, cocky officer to tired, capable and looking out for his men. He helps learn some of the horrors through his brother, Sgt. Major Claudio Borri (Enrico Maria Salerno), a far-more experienced soldier who finds himself in command of a platoon when their commanding officer is killed early in the battle. The personal dynamic following the Italian infantry, as well as the Allied perspective from a British major, Graham (George Hilton), resonated more with me than the commanding generals. As for Stafford's Giorgio, his men include Salvatore Borghese, Riccardo Pizzuti, Massimo Righi and Nello Pazzafini as a quick-learning sergeant.

The same way the personal aspect works, so do the battle scenes. This is not a war movie with an immense budget that can be spent on an army of extras. Still, the action scenes are done with the backing of the Italian army so there are tanks, trucks and jeeps on display to add to the sense of realism. The smaller scale works, putting more of a personal spin on the battle as the Borri brothers and their men try to hold back wave after wave of Allied attacks. The finale is the best, the desperate Italians using anything at their disposal to hold back an Allied tank attack. Moving end for a decent Euro-war movie that takes a little while to get going.

The Battle of El Alamein (1969): ** 1/2 /****

Fistful of Lead

My only connection to the Sartana movies is not a good one, the "comedic" Trinity and Sartana, a cheap, poorly made spin-off. Sartana was one of many successful spaghetti western characters who spawned official and unofficial movies, but that one? Take a pass. It didn't take long to find a winner in the unofficial series, starting with 1970's Fistful of Lead or as it's more commonly (and much cooler) known 'I Am Sartana, Trade Your Guns for a Coffin.' 

A bounty hunter and gunfighter, Sartana (George Hilton) witnesses the robbery of a gold shipment, the attack led by a bandit named Mantas (Nello Pazzafini) and his gang. Looking for information, he rides into a nearby town and finds it. A local businessman/bank owner, Spencer (Pierro Lulli), runs the area and basically controls what gold gets out and what stays. An enormous shipment is set to depart under heavy guard soon, and Sartana sees the chance for a huge payday. The only problem? Spencer is expecting some sort of trick, and Mantas' gang is waiting to strike for their own chance. Double crosses, backstabbing, betrayals, twists and turns await, and no one is guaranteed to make it out alive.

The charm of so many spaghetti westerns comes from the weirdness factor, that low budget quality that allows you to enjoy it even knowing you're watching a bad movie. That's what this movie is. 'Lead' is more of a goofy spaghetti than the dark ones favored by Sergio Leone or Sergio Corbucci. Lots of gunplay, trick shots, general goofiness, and all the while it treads that fine line between fun and just plain stupid. Director Giuliano Carnimeo keeps it light and always entertaining, the score from Francesco De Masi unique and memorable without ripping off Ennio Morricone. The story is ridiculously convoluted, and the ending is beyond dumb but where others crashed and burned, 'Lead' manages to stay on the straight and narrow path. Dumb, even stupid, yes, but fun all the way.

Putting his own spin on the character first played by Gianni Garko, Hilton (real name Jorge Hill Acosta y Lara) certainly has some fun playing Sartana, a gunfighter who hasn't run into a shot he can't make. He throws one-liners whenever he's not gunning down bandits and in general is a quirky, eccentric fellow. Hilton's Sartana is constantly setting up little picnics for himself, eating a loaf of bread and one boiled egg. Style-wise, he's duded up to look like a younger Sabata in an all-black suit, and it even appears he's wearing some eye-liner! Hilton doesn't have to say much, but his spin on a familiar character keeps the story relatively focused (as needed) as Sartana navigates his way through killers and murderers all around him.

The fun in these movies can be the opposition though, the bad guys, and 'Lead' pulls out all the stops. Lulli is the most mainstream of the villains as Spencer, the polished businessman who's always pulling a fast one. He's smiling though as he betrays you so you'd never think it was him (Carlo Gaddi plays his main henchman). Pazzafini hams it up as Mantas, the ridiculously over the top bandit always ready with a maniacal laugh and a gang of disposable gun fodder for Sartana. The best though is Sabbath (Charles Southwood), the primmest and most proper gunman I've ever seen. A gay caballero? Maybe, clues pointing to yes with his parasol, immaculate white suit, and ever-constant book of poetry he quotes. His intentions though are less obvious because it's never clear what he's up to. Even Trixie (Erika Blanc), the saloon girl has some tricks up her sleeve. Some very worthy opponents for Sartana, and he gets a chance to face them all.

This isn't a hugely well-known spaghetti western, but considering the schlocky, truly bad entries to the genre that are out there, it's always nice to see ones like this. It isn't a classic on par with For a Few Dollars More or The Mercenary, but 'Lead' resists that temptation in making a mind-numbingly stupid comedic spaghetti western. How many movies will you see where a character -- Sartana -- throws a canteen into the air and shoots it over a fuse to extinguish said fuse? Or how about shooting a knife mid-throw and redirecting it? Yeah, not many. Just enjoy this one. I most definitely did.

Fistful of Lead <---full movie Youtube (1970): ***/**** 

Massacre Time

Just about anyone that knows me knows that I can find something positive in even the worst movie out there. I'm a pretty cheap date when it comes to movies overall. All I'm looking for is to be remotely entertained. And since starting the blog, I've written about a fair share of spaghetti westerns which I love mostly because they are B-movies that don't try to be something they're not. I guess the movie gods decided I've been too lucky when it comes to spaghettis lately because I finally got a lemon, 1966's Massacre Time.

It's been years since Tom Corbett (Franco Nero) has been home when his mother died. One day Tom receives a message that he must return home or else his brother Jeffrey (George Hilton) might be in danger. He returns home to find that Jeffrey sold the family ranch and land to the designated rich landowner in the area, Scott, and his sadistic son, Junior (Nino Castelnuovo). So starts a conflict as Tom tries to figure out what's happened.

One thing that I've taken for granted with spaghetti westerns is the quality of the dubbing. The casts in these movies were predominantly Italian actors so American voice actors had to dub in the dialogue afterward for U.S. audiences. Some are hardly noticeable like Sergio Leone's Dollars trilogy and other higher-end spaghettis from directors like Sergio Corbucci, Sergio Sollima and others. Others aren't so lucky where the actor's mouth and the words sound and look like a bad Godzilla movie, Massacre Time being one of those. In many of his movies, Nero recorded voice tracks in English and Italian, but here he's dubbed a man with a deep voice that doesn't fit at all, especially since many fans are familiar with his own voice. The rest of the dubbing here ranges from average to some of the worst I've seen.

Judging the casting then can be made a lot harder by the quality of the dubbing. I picked this movie on Netflix because I thought any spaghetti with Nero and Hilton in the two leads, and as brothers looking for revenge, would be quality stuff. You can probably tell by now I was wrong, but the over-the-top, sometimes downright ridiculous dubbing makes it hard to analyze the characters. Nero gets the straight role as the pissed off, sneering, glaring anti-hero while Hilton gets the broader part as the drunken brother who shoots better when wasted. And because it's a spaghetti western and eccentric villains are almost a requirement, Castelnuovo looks like a gay caballero with his immaculate white suit and ruffled shirt. He also dispatches opponents with a whip, an odd little touch.

When you look at the success of spaghetti westerns, there's usually one thing you can count on...lots and lots of gunplay. Director Lucio Fulci apparently didn't get that memo. At just 92 minutes, this is not a long movie, but it takes well over an hour for some actual gunfighting. And let's face it, that first hour doesn't exactly move at the speed of light. Heavy on dialogue and introducing weird background characters, especially a Chinese undertaker who constantly quotes Confuscius. That's original and not stereotypical in any way, right? By the time the action does come I was already fast forwarding. Tom and Jeff attack the Scott hacienda and single-handedly gun down what seems like hundreds of hired hands. It goes over the top with all kinds of squibs, jumping and tumbling, but I was beyond bored by then.

As for the DVD, it isn't the best print of the movie. It could have been transferred from a VHS tape, or at least it looked like it to me. The presentation is widescreen, but there's a good amount of scratches throughout onscreen. The colors seem muted and in general the print never comes to life. The one positive was the score from Coriolano Gori which is pretty catchy, including the theme song played over the credits, 'One Man Alone.' Check out this trailer for a good sample of the song which qualifies as so bad it's good. Even then, I defy you not to hum along. Other than the theme, Massacre Time is definitely a pass. Run away from this one.

Massacre Time (1966): */****

Any Gun Can Play

Most moviegoers will agree, Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is the most well-known, and depending on how you ask, best spaghetti western around. With its huge success came a flurry of westerns with similar storylines, including one, 1967's Any Gun Can Play, that is almost an exact duplicate except played more for laughs. Lack of originality aside, director Enzo Castellari's action-heavy western is a good one.

A heavily guarded train carrying $300,000 is attacked by a group of bandits led by the infamous Monetero (Gilbert Roland). But in the aftermath of the robbery, one of Monetero's men doublecrosses him and makes off with all the money. He's tracked down, but before he is shot and killed, the bandit gives a clue to Monetero, a medallion with the location of the gold hidden somewhere in its meaning. Joining the hunt for the gold coins is Clayton (Edd Byrnes), a representative from the bank hoping to get his money back, and a mysterious bounty hunter, known simply as the Stranger (George Hilton). What follows is a series of uneasy alliances with more double-crosses than I could keep track of.

Director Castellari adds some nice touches to his take on GBU without any epic touches that Leone's classic had. For one, the opening is great, check it out here. Three gunslingers dressed as the Man With No Name, Django, and Col. Mortimer ride into a town, passing an undertaker moving three coffins with a lone man, the Stranger, walking behind. They stop to ask who died, the man answering by reading off 3 names, their names. He guns them down in a flash and collects the bounty. Call it a myth/legend, but Leone supposedly wanted to film the opening to Once Upon a Time in the West with Bronson gunning down Eastwood, Wallach, and Van Cleef, similar to the opening here. It's a nice touch by Castellari and sets the tone immediately for the rest of the movie.

Throughout his career, Castellari was the master of action, especially over-the-top action like in the original Inglorious Bastards or Franco Nero movies Street Law and Keoma. This movie never goes too long without a fistfight or a gun battle which keeps the pace going at a breakneck speed. This was also one of the first spaghettis to have acrobatic fights, like Sabata, with stunt men jumping from heights, hitting a trampoline and flipping across a street. Is it ridiculous and completely unnecessary to the movie? Of course, but it's fun to watch.

Three scenes jump out, one the finale in a rundown mission where our three anti-heroes have traced the gold to with the former members of Monetero's gang also showing up, and two and three, extended fistfights between Clayton, the Stranger, and a group of nameless henchmen there to get beaten up. Both fights almost outstay their welcome, but with the right mix of acrobatics, punches, and henchmen flying through the air, they hit the right note.

While the cast may not have the name recognition of GBU, the three leads are perfect for the jokey, over-the-top feel of the movie. With Byrnes as Clayton, you just know the character isn't exactly what he's letting on to be because, well, it's Edd Byrnes and every character he ever played seemed to have some ulterior motives. George Hilton adds a bit of a humorous edge to the Stranger, a mix of any number of Eastwood and Nero characters. When it comes down to it though, the Stranger can shoot with the best of them. And late in his career when he made a handful of spaghettis, 62-year old Gilbert Roland has the Tuco-role except with a little more extravagance. The three find a good mix and stick with it.

There's a fair share of recognizable faces in the supporting cast, including Ignazio Spalla as Pajondo, Monetero's double-crossing gangmember who was in all three Sabata movies, and Gerard Herter as Blackman, the insurance investigator trying to figure everything out as everyone tries to get their hands on $300,000 in gold. Not as polished as some of the better spaghettis, but definitely worth a watch for fans of the genre. If you're just getting into spaghetti westerns, I'd recommend starting with the Leone Dollars trilogy first.

The VCI Entertainment DVD has some issues, but nothing that should stop you from purchasing it if interested. The movie is shown in widescreen, but it seems at times to be a pan-n-scan version pushed down for the widescreen bars. It's also a grainy feature, but compared to a lot of the low-budget, cheapie DVDs released of spaghetti westerns, it's a godsend. The picture's good but not great, and the sound comes through clear at all times. Special features include a trailer, and a trailer for A Bullet for Sandoval, which I reviewed in April.

Any Gun Can Play (1967): ***/****

Netflix review #14: A Bullet for Sandoval

Ever since I first saw Clint Eastwood in Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, I was hooked to the spaghetti western. I love everything about them, the over the top, operatic shootouts, the great music scores, the filming locations in Almeria, and even something as detail-oriented as the distinctive sound of gunshots used in the movies. The problem with the spaghettis is that once you get past the more mainstream movies, like Leone's Dollars trilogy, the pickings are few and far between.

My latest Netflix movie, 1969's A Bullet for Sandoval, is one of hundreds of Italian westerns that is not hugely well known. It's a shame that the DVD has been cut from the original version of the movie by about 10 minutes. You can even see bits of the cut scenes in the trailer, link provided later. What makes it worse overall? The movie is pretty good in its cut form at 89 minutes, not 105 as Amazon says, so another 10 minutes or so could really flesh things out.

Anyhow, now to the actual movie. John Warner (George Hilton) is a Confederate soldier who on the eve of battle receives news that the mother of his son is dying. He deserts his post, only to be caught by Confederate cavalry. Because a firing squad would be too easy and quick a punishment, Warner is posted to a burial detail. Pushed to far, he escapes and heads home to hopefully see the woman he loves before she dies. He's too late though, and her father, Don Pedro Sandoval (Ernest Borgnine), a rich Mexican landowner, holds Warner responsible for killing his daughter and tearing the family apart.

Warner is sent on his way with his infant son in tow. But on the trail, no one will help them because they're coming from a town suffering through a cholera outbreak. The boy dies, and Warner has one thing on his mind; revenge on Sandoval. Picking up a gang of cutthroats and murderers along the way, Warner attacks all over the countryside hoping to bring Sandoval out to fight once and for all.

Compared to many other spaghettis, 'Bullet' doesn't stand out as doing anything particularly new. The revenge storyline had been used repeatedly and would be used many more times, but the hatred between Warner and Sandoval brings this one to life. The shootouts are strong, especially the finale as Warner and three of his gang find themselves cornered in a bullring. Gianni Ferrio's score doesn't have that memorable tune like many of Morricone's scores, but it fits well and I enjoyed it. And of course, it'd be hard to ruin this part, the filming locations in Almeria look great.

Hilton made a handful of spaghetti westerns in his career, but this was the first one I'd come across. His part as Warner is well done as a man who completes the transformation from a man trying to save his family to a hardened killer who seeks one thing and one thing only...REVENGE! Like many American actors that went to Europe for movies, Borgnine looks to be having a great time as Sandoval, a rich landowner trying to hold his family together amidst the Civil War. The supporting cast is dominated by the members of Warner's gang, led by Lucky (Alberto de Mendoza), a grave-robbing soldier who's quick with a gun, Father (Leo Anchoriz), a former monk who's good with gun or knife, Guadalupano (Gustavo Rojo), the pretty boy always looking for women and tequila, One-Eye (Jose Manuel Martin), the treacherous, convicted rapist, and Sam (Antonio Pica), an old friend of Warner's and fellow deserter. When I read a movie review and hear anything about a 'gang of cutthroats' or a 'misfit crew of specialists,' count me in.

So while nothing really sets 'Bullet' apart from other Italian westerns, I really enjoyed it even with the cuts. It's a pretty dark revenge tale that doesn't go for the typical happy ending. The DVD is a good buy at under $10 with a widescreen presentation that looks relatively clean, the trailer with cut scenes still there, and a trailer for another spaghetti, Any Gun Can Play. An unknown and underappreciated spaghetti western, give A Bullet for Sandoval a try!

A Bullet for Sandoval (1969): ***/****