•
Rating: Among the plethora of spaghetti westerns that flooded cinemas in the blessed 60s and 70s, there emerged small gems that ennobled a genre based mostly on the intensive exploitation of blood and guns in the Almeria scenarios, in the richest cases, or of Sardinia and Lazio.
This gothic western by the great craftsman Antonio Margheriti (1930-2002) certainly belongs to this elite of works, interesting and seminal for many films to come. A particular figure in our genre cinema, Margheriti was above all an expert in special effects. I want to remember his science fiction films which might make us smile today but among whose titles we find "Space Men" (1960), which so impressed Kubrick that he sought technical consultancy from the Roman director for "2001", whether it came to fruition or not remains unknown. (IMDB cites it, uncredited).
I also recall his collaboration with Leone in "Duck, You Sucker!"; all the explosions in the film are his. Margheriti was also an interesting author of horror films (see "Danse Macabre", 1964) and the western I discuss here (written by the director in collaboration with Giovanni Addessi) has strong horror connotations to the point of almost seeming like a remake of the aforementioned film.
Kinski is Gary Hamilton, an ex-Union soldier who, after years of forced labor sentenced for a robbery he was innocent of, receives a pardon. With a small bundle, he reaches a stagecoach to return to the village where Acombar lives, the one who falsely accused him and who is now the richest and most authoritative landowner. In the stagecoach, Acombar's son (Antonio Cantafora) is traveling as well; Gary tells him he knows his father and asks him to convey his regards. A message for revenge: approaching the village, Gary buys a horse and a rifle from an old man and prepares to exact his retribution. In the distance, from the sky, signals of a storm…
The most noticeable characteristic of this very personal western is, as said before, that it resembles a horror film. The story unfolds at night, amidst tempest, with windows suddenly flung open, as per Italian gothic tradition.
Heralded by a metaphorical typhoon, Gary (in a red vest, large hat, and a scientific desire for revenge in his body) is immortal and one by one eliminates all the obstacles Acombar puts in his way, never faltering. The idea is impressive and it works without the doubt of implausibility. Gary's invincibility is a necessary component for the character's development; he embodies Revenge in its pure state with all the ferocious energy it contains. Framing this is the unity of space and time: except for the prologue, the settling of scores happens all in one night, at Acombar's ranch, between wind and rain. Acombar's henchmen fall before a cat with many lives, who slips into the darkness and hideouts with feline agility, indeed.
In contrast, we witness scenes in Acombar's house, with the patriarch hearing his nemesis drawing near with every step; we witness the awakening of Acombar's son, unaware of all the events, and the silence of his wife (Marcella Michelangeli) who knows everything about Acombar's secrets and the criminal path followed to achieve his fortunes. Kinski is extraordinary, as often happened in these films: a mask of ice, he traverses time and distance with the clarity and certainty of winning that his hatred grants him. Carnstern, despite the actor's overly German features, effectively portrays his character, fragile despite the hardness, as if knowing deep down that all his fortunes would collapse in a few hours.
The rest of the cast includes many faces played a bit offhandedly (among them the character of the butler, portrayed by our invaluable Giacomo Furia); the décor always maintains a somewhat grand guignol flair of the Italian western (yet purposely worthy of a horror), but this does not mar the film's overall result, which is ultimately based on a triangle: Gary Hamilton/Acombar/son.
Despite its qualities, this little gem of Italian western cinema is too seldom remembered; it is also difficult to retrieve unless caught during a rare late-night airing on Mediaset channels, in 4/3 with very grainy colors, or by acquiring the German DVD. Otherwise, there's the mule…
Loading comments slowly
