The Hills Run Red (1966)

The Hills Run Red (1966)

aka Un Fiume di dollari

Directed by Carlo Lizzani (using the pseudonym Lee W. Beaver for U.S. release) this Euro-Western revenge story stars Thomas Hunter as the lead with established American actors Henry Silva and Dan Duryea featured in prominent roles.

the trailer

the feature

Death Rides a Horse (1967)

Directed by Giulio Petroni, Death Rides a Horse (aka Da uomo a uomo) begins with a pummeling rain storm replete with copious thunder and lightning. A young boy watches as a gang rides in and murders his father and brutally assault his mother and sister. Most gang members have distinct characteristics, such as a specific tattoo, and he even sees the face of one. As fifteen years pass, the boy grows into a sharp shooter (John Phillip Law), now hell bent on avenging his slain family. In pursuit of the gang, he meets up with a crusty gunsman (Lee Van Cleef) who just served fifteen years in jail after being framed by the same gang of outlaws. Ennio Morricone supplies standout music to the proceedings. A recommended Euro-Western!

the trailer

the feature

Massacre Time (1966) aka Le colt cantarono la morte e fu... tempo di massacro

Massacre Time (1966) 

aka The Brute and the Beast

aka Le colt cantarono la morte e fu... tempo di massacro

An interesting and violent
Euro-Western 

directed by Lucio Fulci.

Starring Franco Nero
and George Hilton.

the trailer

the feature

Cut-Throats Nine (1972)

This grim and somewhat obscure Euro-Western from 1972 provided patrons with a terror mask upon admission to a showing, in case the on screen carnage proved too much to handle they could avert their gaze. Filmed entirely in Spain by director Joaquin Romero Marchent, Cut-Throats Nine shifts the action to the snowy mountain sides instead of the dusty desert local so often used as the backdrop for standard spaghetti westerns.

The story centers on Sgt. Brown, a tough hombre who has to transport seven severely nasty criminals from an active mine to Fort Green for sentencing/jail time. Also along for this ride is his daughter, Cathy, so the seven bad dudes (who are chained together for the voyage) plus the Sargent and his daughter make up the nine referenced in the films title. Further complicating matters, the Sargent eventually reveals to his daughter that he believes one of these seven reprobates was responsible for the rape and murder of her Mom, his wife. Shortly after the group leaves the mine, a gang of robbers over take the wagon in search of any gold being transported away from it's source. This violent confrontation leaves the wagon drive dead, the horses gone, and one of the group now sports a broken leg. Things go from very bad to worse quite quickly and the film has a few tricks up it's sleeve as well.


Extremely violent and gory for it's time, Cut-Throats Nine offers a tale of man versus man coupled with man versus nature that brings to mind the existential struggle of many a Werner Herzog film. Not easy to find, the film is presented below.

the trailer

the feature

Cut-Throats Nine 1972 full movie by ursula-strauss

The Hellbenders (1967)

Director Sergio Corbucci's The Hellbenders (1967)
is a favorite Euro-Western of mine. 

Joesph Cotten stars as ex-Confederate Colonel Jonas, a ruthless and still fanatical man. The plot revolves around a stolen shipment of U.S. Government banknotes stashed in a coffin that everyone from the United States Cavalry to a group of bandidos is actively pursuing.

The Hellbenders by crazedigitalmovies

Man of the East (1972)

Man of the East (1972)

aka E poi lo chiamarono il magnifico

Written and directed by Enzo Barboni, Man of the East is a thoroughly entertaining comedic Euro-western. Much location filming was completed in Plitvice, Yugoslavia.

Terence Hill stars as an East Coast dandy lad who moves to his father's Wild West homestead at the request of his will. This fish out of water has three of his deceased Papa's rough and tumble pals to help navigate around spots such as the saloon and the wilderness. Although the story and characters have no connection, this film is sometimes described as a third in the Trinity series, but only shares a director/writer and a leading man.

Terence Hill - Man of the East

Uploaded by by TheSniper1961

Navajo Joe (1966)

I've been a committed fan of spaghetti westerns ever since attending a 3-D, theatrical showing of late entry Comin' at Ya! (1981) during it's initial run. Among the many genre films I've viewed since then, the Euro-westerns from Sergio Corbucci stand out and Navajo Joe (1966) is no exception.

The film provided Burt Reynolds with an early motion picture role as the title character. He alone survives after his people are massacred by a violent and sadistic group of bandits, lead by Duncan, and he seeks to extract an equally bloody revenge on the killers. There's more to the plot involving a train robbery and treachery among Duncan and his uneasy partner, the duplicitous Dr. Chester Lynne.

Adding to the film's qualities is a typically excellent soundtrack by Ennio Morricone. Also notable is the sultry Nicoletta Machiavelli's first appearance in a spaghetti western.

Both the trailer and feature are included below.

the trailer

Uploaded by moulinvsnavaro

the feature

Uploaded by TheSniper1961

Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) trailer and more...

Recently re-watched this favorite. All of Sergio Leone's westerns are superb cinematic experiences and Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) is no exception.

The screenplay was written by Sergio Leone and Sergio Donati (a prolific and still active screenwriter; his other writing credits include The Big Gundown (1966), Duck, You Sucker aka A Fistful of Dynamite (1971) and Cry, Onion! aka Spaghetti Western from 1976) and story credit was given to Dario Argento, Bernardo Bertolucci and Sergio Leone.

A great deal of talent was also displayed on the screen. Henry Fonda played against his good guy screen image as the very nasty Frank. Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards, Charles Bronson, Woody Strode, Keenan Wynn and the always appreciated Jack Elam also bring top notch performances and textured characterizations to the film. Rumor has it that Sergio Leone had initially intended for Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach to reunite and play the three gunman at the film's begining; but scheduling all three actors for the shooting proved to be too difficult and the idea was abandoned.

remastered trailer



clip from BBC documentary
SOMETHING TO DO WITH DEATH
SERGIO LEONE'S "ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST"
with film historian and author Christopher Frayling



Henry Fonda Talks about his casting in Once Upon A Time in the West

They Call Me Trinity (1970)

They Call Me Trinity (1970) is the first of three comic spaghetti westerns directed by E.B. Clucher (Enzo Barboni) and starring Terence Hill (Mario Girotti). The others are: 1971s Trinity Is Still My Name! and 1972s Man of the East. All among my favorite Euro-Westerns.

They Call Me Trinity also stars the hulking Bud Spencer (Carlo Pedersoli) as the "brother" of Terrence Hill's Trinity. The two brothers meet up as Bud Spencer's character is impersonating a town's new sheriff under nefarious circumstances. It's from here the movie unfolds. A top notch midnight movie.

My Name Is Nobody (1973) – Mio nome è Nessuno, Il

People seem to be split on their feelings towards this film, either very much a fan or absolutely hating it. For my tastes, I find it to be one of the better "spaghetti" westerns ever filmed. An easy brickbat often hurled at the movie is that Sergio Leone only produced and that one of his assistants handled primary directorial duties. While it is true Mr. Leone served chiefly as producer and perhaps director of a few scenes, the director Tonino Valerii is established on his own merits. He directed several films including A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die (1972) as well as one of my all time favorite movies Day of Anger (1967) – a standout Euro western.

The basic premise of the film is that Jack Beauregard (Henry Fonda) is a gunslinger of high renowned and skill who feels age catching up with him and wants nothing more than to venture to Europe and retire. The only obstacle facing Jack is young buck of a gunslinger named "Nobody" (Terence Hill) who thinks Jack should cement his reputation with a final last stand/shoot out with the 150 strong "Wild Bunch" of rough riding tough guys. Needless to say, Jack is less than enthused by the proposition.

A number of elements combine to create an incredible movie. Seamlessly meshing a western and comedic score, the Ennio Morricone soundtrack works well at conveying the shifts in tone and scene. The direction is taught and economical, perfectly befitting the action/comedy. Locations are a huge plus in this film. Unlike many other Euro westerns, a great deal of shooting was completed in the United States. Beautiful outdoor locations in New Mexico and Colorado; as well as city locations in New Orleans, Louisiana were all used with colorful results. Filming was also conducted in La Calahorra, Granada, Andalucía, Spain and Italy.

China 9, Liberty 37 (1978)

Blindman (1971)