Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Duccio Tessari and his films


Duccio Tessari is another of the prolific Italian directors, whose movies, sadly, I still have to explore a lot more. There are some I saw multiple times. But not all those I would like to watch.


My Son, the Hero (1962)
A peplum movie and I think the first movie to star Giuliano Gemma.

Secret of the Sphinx (1964)
An eurospy movie. I just found out about its existence.

A Pistol for Ringo (1965)
A classic spaghetti western with Gemma and Tessari's to be wife Lorella de Luca. But not my favorite. Too long, too clean shaven characters and too clean environment.

The Return of Ringo (1965)
The second Ringo is, on the other hand, the negative of the first and maybe therefore my favourite Tessari. This is an amazing spag with basically the same cast an crew of the first movie, but this time they are all much better.

Kiss Kiss - Bang Bang (1966)
And almost all of them returned for this spy movie, but I have never seen it. I used to think that Gemma's most frequent lady partner was Evelyn Stewart, but it's apparent that actually it was Nieves Navarro.

The Bastard (1968)
An Italian attempt to do a film noir probably, starring Gemma again with Rita Hayworth, Margaret Lee and Klaus Kinski. I have yet to see it.

Alive or Preferably Dead (1969)
On the other hand I almost pity I saw this. A really unfunny attempt to make a spaghetti western comedy. The movie looks like a TV movie, which really doesn't help.

Death Occured Last Night (1970)
And Giuliano Gemma is gone for a while. The first of Tessari's gialli, of which, unfortunately, I haven't seen anything. Frank Wolff stars. It's based on a book which I have, but still, I haven't read it.

The Bloodstained Butterfly (1971)
Another giallo that is now on Netflix, so I will probably watch it soon... Starring Helmut Berger.

Long Live Your Death (1971)
A spaghetti western that tries to be a sequel of The Mercenary and Companeros, and a remake of The Good The Bad and the Ugly at the same time. But it lacks basically everything that makes those movies great. Only Nero, Wallach and Fajardo stand out.

Forza G (1972)
A plane racing movie probably. Maybe the only film with both Anita Strindberg and Barbara Bouchet.
Tony Arzenta (1973)
Tessari's first poliziottesco and his first working with Alain Delon. A good movie, but I haven't seen it for a very long time. I guess the only thing I remember is Richard Conte.

The Heroes (1973)
I found out about this film only as I started writing this article. A war movie with Rod Taylor and Rod Steiger should be quite interesting. Also starring Gianni Garko, Claude Brasseur and Terry-Thomas.

Tough Guys (1974)
A really bizzare film. Blaxploitation made by Italians, co-starring Lino Ventura! The only available copy is unwatchable though.

Puzzle (1974)
Another giallo, this time with Luc Merenda and Senta Berger. Anita Strindberg appears for a while.

Zorro (1975)
Another of the zillion Zorro adaptations. This one was quite popular since the hero is played by Alain Delon.

Safari Express (1976)
Giuliano Gemma is back! But not in a western, but in an adventure movie, co-starring an ape, Ursula Andress and Jack Palance. The same year there was a similar movie called Africa Express, directed by Michele Lupo and starring the same cast...

Tex and the Lord of the Deep (1985)
And finally, Giuliano Gemma again in a western, this time an adaptation of a comic book The only Gemma and also only Tessari western I haven't seen.


Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Heroes of the West - part 18

 And to add to the other picture series, our western hero for today is James Stewart.

Queens of the Italian Cinema

 I didn't add anything to the series (and the western heroes) in quite a time... So, today it's Rosalba Neri.


Friday, January 1, 2021

Films I Watched from September to December 2020

* = first time watched

A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe (1975)
Králové videa (2020)*
Ator the Fighting Eagle (1982)*
Emanuelle in Bangkok (1976)*
12 Angry Men (1957)
Apache Gold (1963)
Carambola (1974)
Run, Man, Run (1968)
The Masque of the Red Death (1964)*
Last of the Renegades (1964)
The Desperado Trail (1965)
Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death (1968)
Flaming Frontier (1965)
The Brides of Dracula (1960)*
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)*
Death Line (1972)*
The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians (1981)
From Beyond the Grave (1974)*
U pokladny stál (1939)
The Whip and the Body (1963)*
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
Sabata the Killer (1970)*
The Stranger Returns (1967)
Day of Anger (1967)
Beyond the Law (1968)
For a Few Dollars More (1965)
Death Rides a Horse (1967)
Death Sentence (1968)
Seven Guns for the MacGregors (1966)*
God Forgives, I Don't (1967)
The Great Silence (1968)
The Return of Ringo (1965)
Dead Men Ride (1971)
The Road to Fort Alamo (1964)*
God in Heaven, Arizona on Earth (1972)*
Django Kill! If You Live, Shoot! (1967)
Pistoleros (1967)*
Boot Hill (1969)
Django the Bastard (1969)
It Can Be Done, Amigo (1972)
Five Man Army (1969)
Mannaja (1977)
Born to Kill (1967)*
The Valachi Papers (1972)
The Hateful Eight (2015)
Světáci (1969)
Marečku, podejte mi pero! (1976)
Bomber (1982)
Byl jednou jeden král (1954)
Tři veteráni (1983)
Šíleně smutná princezna (1968)
Hot Shots Part Deux (1993)
The Irishman (2019)*
Watch Out, We're Mad! (1974)

Top 5 of the new ones:
The Masque of the Red Death
The Irishman
The Whip and the Body
Death Line
The Brides of Dracula

Top 5 of them all
Once Upon a Time in the West
For a Few Dollars More
The Great Silence
The Hateful Eight
The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians

Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Films I Watched From May to August 2020

* = first time watched

Crime Busters (1977)
Paranoia (1969)*
So Sweet, So Perverse (1969)*
A Quiet Place to Kill (1970)*
Oasis of Fear (1971)*
Seven Samurai (1954)*
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Django Unchained (2012)
Return of Godzilla (1984)*
Kill (1968)*
The Magnificent Dare Devil (1973)*
Alive or Preferably Dead (1969)*
Django (1966)
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (1988)
Go For It (1983)
Ace High (1968)
Flatfoot in Hong Kong (1975)
The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (1991)
Who Finds a Friend, Finds a Treasure (1981)
The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1993)
Trinity Is Still My Name (1971)
All the Colors of the Dark (1972)
Deep Red (1975)
The Bird With the Crystal Plumage (1970)
And Now For Something Completely Different (1971)
Let the Corpses Tan (2017)*
The Hidden Fortress (1958)*
The Mercenary (1968)
Death Race 2000 (1975)*
Red Lion (1969)*
Outlaw of Red River (1965)*
Execution (1968)*
Dinner for Adele (1977)
A Dragonfly for Each Corpse (1975)*
The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry (2010)*
Frankenstein and the Wolfman (1943)*
Frankenstein's Bloody Terror (1968)*
Horror Rises from the Tomb (1973)*
Samurai Cop (1991)
Dirty Harry (1971)
Magnum Force (1973)
Partie krásného dragouna (1970)
Pěnička a Paraplíčko (1970)
The Death of Black King (1971)
Vražda v hotelu Excelsior (1971)
Gunfight at High Noon (1963)*
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

 
Top 5 of the new ones:
Seven Samurai
Kill 
Red Lion
Horror Rises from the Tomb
So Sweet So Perverse

Top 5 of all of them:
Inglourious Basterds
Dirty Harry
Reservoir Dogs
Dinner for Adele
Ace High