Subgeniusguy

I'm sure Navajo Joe will be widescreen. I love the cover too. I am shocked it took this long to get it. I have a PD FS copy but cannot bear to watch it like that. Excellent spaghetti.

If anybody is interested, WildEast.net has "For a Few Previews More" for 9.95. It's rare to see them mark down a disc like that and quantities are always limited of course.

Mondo Kane

Looks like MGM (Or is it now Fox?) has grown accustomed to having their spaghetti westerns with these white backgrounds.

Takeshi357

Not just MGM either. Over here, Pat Garret & Billy the Kid and The Wild Bunch also had white background cover art.

LoPan5705

I hope this is better than Reynolds other western, Sam Whiskey. Just wasn't a fan of that movie.

Mondo Kane

Widescreen confirmed:
http://www.dvddrive-in.com/reviews/n-s/navajojoe66.htm

The review says Reynolds' real voice appears on the english track I've never heard this version before!

But I sure hope that audio problem I mentioned on the previous page is corrected.

Mondo Kane

My copy finally arrived.

The review is wrong stating that Reynolds voice appears in the track...Unless Burt's speech was completely different back then.

And the audio problem at the beginning is not corrected. But the rest of the movie is fine...Just as fine as Nicoletta Machiavelli.

Tuan Jim

Well I'm adding Navajo Joe to my "buy" list.

Any other good suggestions?

I've got:
Django
Sergio Leone's stuff - including related flicks (My name is Nobody/Nobody is the Greatest)
Johnny Hamlet
A Bullet for the General
They Call me Trinity / Trinity is still my Name

visitor Q

I'm going back to reread the entire thread, but these are some of my favorites outside of what you mentioned ...

Run Man, Run (The Big Gundown 2) - Tomas Millian at his best.
Companeros - Millian and Nero star in this Zapata western.
The Great Silence - Dead serious SW with the great Klaus Kiniski.
Four for the Apocalypse - A different type of SW where Millian again plays the ruthless Chaco. Unfortunately, it's an under-utilized character.

Subgeniusguy

The Big Gundown is one of the best non-Leone spaghettis but unfortunately not available in this country except by bootleg. Death Rides a Horse is a great film but you have to get the R2 widescreen version. Avoid the R1 PD releases. I like Day of Anger, Sartana, Mannaja - Man Called Blade and you might consider the Sabata trilogy as well. All the films visitor Q recommended are good.

SethDLH

Chaco was awesome, but as you said, is completely under used.

visitor Q

Yeah, I actually own that but didn't want to mention since it's impossible to acquire in region 1 land, and I'm unfamiliar with its import status. The Big Gundown is very good ..and all around very clever film. The "black widow" concept was awesome!! ..as was the three bullet opening sequence.

I have the Franco Van Cleef Reconstruction copy (unofficial release) and as much distraction as it there was to get through (constant dub switching from English to Italian) it was well worth it.

texasgator

To anyone looking for more ideas, there's a great list of Quentin Tarantino's favorite spaghetti westerns on the spaghetti western database right now. (I do not know how many of them are available on dvd in the US, however).

QT's List

visitor Q

I'm actually happy you brought that list up gator. It reminded me that I still need to pick up Tepepa while it's still in stock at a certain excellent US based import site that's clearing its house ( )

Tuan Jim

Thanks for the replies. Region is no issue (almost all the discs I listed - barring the Leone originals and Django - are European releases). I was giving it some more thought after glancing over a site-in-the-process-of-closing and seeing that they still had stock left and were continuing to operate.

visitor Q

Ha ha ... yeah, do a search by "Franco Cleef" on that site-in-the-process-of-closing [hint]Xploited[/hint] and see if they have The Big Gundown still in stock. It's a must buy ....

Tuan Jim

I only see an Italian disc with no subs or english audio. I see a link to a DVD-R with optional English subs - but no original versions.

visitor Q

Every time I posted here I was at work which blocks Xploited for whatever reason - so I wasn't able to check the stock. It's this one: THE BIG GUNDOWN (FRANCO CLEEF RECONSTRUCTION DVD-R)

If there's any interest you might want to email Tony and see if he knows where (if at all) the distributors of the Franco Cleef releases moved to. I believe he was their primary source of sales, but I could be wrong on that.

Also, I've heard that particular release is the most comprehensive available. It was a patchwork production taken from various sources to ensure any previous edits were once again available on one piece of media. It shows, but again .. I feel that it was definitely worth it.

laserdogg

If you click on it and look at the product details for The Big Gundown:

This is a DVD-R that has been painstakingly reconstructed by avid Spaghetti Western fan Franco Cleef. This version is uncut and represents the most complete English language version of the movie on DVD.


OUT OF STOCK - WE ARE NO LONGER CARRYING THIS DVD. IN ORDER TO PURCHASE THIS DVD PLEASE EMAIL RIEK GLADYS AT [email protected]

Tuan Jim

I can see that I just assumed that there was a "non-DVD-r" edition available with english subs/audio somewhere. If that's really the only one out there, then I'll check it out.

update...pre-posting, went out on a limb and looked up dvdcompare.net. It says the koch media release has subs: http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=7105

although the amazon.de page doesn't seem to list them - http://www.amazon.de/Gehetzte-Sierra...2068982&sr=8-4 - I don't think it'd be the first time a Koch media dvd didn't list the correct audio/subs (don't think my Johnny Hamlet dvd lists English subs either).

I like their releases (and it might be worth it to pick up a few at the same time), but if these ones don't actually contain subs at all - there's no point.

edit - thanks to the above link - I can confirm that it does have subtitles: http://www.spaghetti-western.net/ind...onti%2C_La/DVD Looks like this is the one I'll pick up. Now just to find a couple other koch exclusives to get at the same time.

dablueguy

It does have subs. I have both this one and the Franco Cleef version. I think the Cleef version is the way to go for the actual Van Cleef dubbing. It's weird watching him speak and it be someone else talking for him..

SethDLH

I'm about to order The Great Silence and Keoma in just a bit. Should be great additions to my Spaghetti Western collection

Ky-Fi

Can't beat the theme song for The Big Gundown:

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nzDsvoqD0oI&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nzDsvoqD0oI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

I have the Franco Cleef version, and I'm very happy with that---great movie!

Others that I have and would recommend:

Run Man Run
The Hellbenders
Texas Adios
Taste of Killing
Forgotten Pistolero/Unholy Four (a double set---Forgotten Pistolero is really great, Unholy Four is solid)

Subgeniusguy

Issue 13 of Cinema Retro features an interview with Franco Cleef regarding his Big Gundown restoration. Careful with that link if you are at work because they have a nude photo of Madonna on the top of the page. Cinema Retro is a quarterly magazine devoted to films of the 60's and 70's. It is a pretty expensive magazine but one of the few I read cover to cover. They also sell the magazine on Ebay. They have featured articles in the past typically on Leone spaghettis. The interview is pretty brief although it encompasses 4 pages, a lot of pictures. I like the magazine a lot and have bought every issue. They have articles regarding big Hollywood films but also cover quite a few rare or cult films. I think the last issue had a big article about Vanishing Point. They also discuss DVD's and not just those available in R1. Other films they have featured just off the top of my head are Witchfinder General, Race with the Devil, and Danger! Diabolik.

visitor Q

I love the blogger's comment on Madonna's photo auction, "By the way, given Madonna's penchant for exhibitionism, wouldn't a fully clothed photo of her be considered rarer? - Lee Pfeiffer". Oh the times have changed though ... look at the pits and ... umm, yeah ....

Anyway, thanks for posting the find on the Franco Cleef article. I don't read cinema mags so I probably would have never come across it - and I'm sure the technical process would be an interesting read. I think I'll shoot over to B&N tomorrow and see if they have any.

Subgeniusguy

It has a $12 cover price. Just thought I'd save you the shock. Good magazine though.