SEPTEMBER 18: TONIGHT AT 8 PM ON THE WESTERN CHANNEL
ADIOS SABATA (1971) - Encore Western channel is showing this film starring Yul Brenner as Sabata in this sequel of sorts. Lee Van Cleef was the original Sabata, but some how Yul Brenner is in this Speghetti Western. It's on in one hours. I'll be back after the movie to let you know how it goes. If you miss it then try to catch it a few hours later on Encore (West) Western Channel. This should be a good one !
This has to be Yul Brenners worst film. The film has a few elements that do however make it a bearable Speghetti Western. Yul Brenner plays a rediculous looking gunman with a wacky type of weapon. It was a sawed-off shotgun with somekind of weird chamber. The photography, outfits(except Brenners), and music brings it to an average Speghetti Western.
A few other films were on tonight, but ADIOS SABATA was my pick for the night.
SAND PEBBLES (good film with Steve McQueen)
DEAD MAN (great Johnny Depp film)
RETURN OF SABATA (rather comical speghetti western starring Lee Van Cleef)
I remember being pretty unimpressed by this one years ago when I saw it on TV, but for Brenner's worst film I'd offer the Italian mob flick "Death Rage". I didn't know the name when I saw it years ago on the Movie Greats Network, a syndicated package of flicks that aired on my local low-rent independent TV station. The caliber of movies they showed was so bad, that if they had one with a big name actor (or sometimes just one that the average viewer might recognize) in it they made a huge deal about it, no matter how awful the flick. "Death Rage" was that bad.
I would suggest "Futureworld" as a runner up for his worst flick, but he's only in it for less than five minutes during a dream sequence to help justify calling the movie a sequel to "Westworld" and to sucker people in who saw the poster.
The Sabata flicks are "Fun Food". Spegetti with a rich, red sauce.
Oh, yeah.
I'm hoping to catch A MINUTE TO DIE, A SECOND TO DIE that is another speghetti western playing on Encore Western Channel this month. I hope it's alittle better than A REASON TO LIVE, A REASON TO DIE starring James Coburn. It wasn't bad, but it could have been better.
Oppps I mean a MINUTE TO PRAY, A SECOND TO DIE is playing this month.
You know in alot of these Italian Westerns they have gold spilling everywhere like at the end of ADIOS SABATA and it is an interesting thing to film as it creates a bit of anxiety for the viewer. It seems to be a hidden element in these films. Ever notice? You think to yourself how are they going to find or collect all that gold spilt or far flung gold. Wouldn't you miss alot of it. Wasting gold type feeling. How perilous.