Savage Guns – 4 Classic Westerns Vol 3: I Want Him Dead, El Puro, The Wrath of the Wind & Four of the Apocalypse

Director: Paolo Bianchini, Edoardo Mulargia, Mario Camus, Lucio Fulci
Screenplay:
Starring: Craig Hill, Lea Massari, José Manuel Martín, Terence Hill, Robert Woods, Fernando Rey
Country: Italy, Spain
Running Time: 82/90/102/105 minutes
Year: 1968/1969/1970/1975
BBFC Certificate: 18

We’re onto the third volume of Arrow Video’s Savage Guns series and the barrels continue to be loaded, not scraped. Perhaps not as “savage” as you might expect though. There’s even a sentimental streak running through at least one of them.

The first film, Paolo Bianchini’s I Want Him Dead lives up to its comic book title with an exciting, standard Spaghetti Western. It surely can’t last; ferocious opening (three dead before the titles), sombre theme and pop-art titles. It lacks the discipline of Leone or Corbucci, but in between some clumsy setups, the style is extraordinary. While it’s suitably violent, it isn’t that bloody. So savage-wise, this one’s a ringer. Great watchable fun though, with a story not unlike one of the Dollars trilogy. US actor Craig Hill is cut from a similar mould to Eastwood’s drifter.

It’s a beautiful looking film with an excellent, sympathetic transfer. The detail and colour balance are astonishingly good.

The barnstorming standard couldn’t quite be followed though. El Puro is a lumpen oddity, tough for the sake of being tough. A darker tone, but messier. It’s hard to like. Another good transfer though, despite some blooming. A superior 108-minute cut has been assembled from the original negative and an archival print.

The least Western of these Westerns, there’s a political and economic angle to the narrative in Wrath of the Wind. Despite starring Spaghetti regular Terence Hill and stalwart Fernando Ray, it takes a while to get into. Worth the effort though and it’s a fine production with an excellent transfer. A discernible step-up in quality all round. And again in the generous collection, there are two versions of the film with a 106-minute Spanish language extended edition.

Four of the Apocalypse really caught me unawares. When I saw there was a Fulci in the mix, I was expecting something just short of zombie cowboys from the Godfather of Gore. Ok, I was hoping for zombie cowboys from the Godfather of Gore. The brief synopsis certainly sounds promising: “a quartet of misfits go from sharing the same jail cell to embarking on a savage odyssey that will lead to torture, rape and cannibalism. Preyed upon by a ruthless bandit, the foursome fight for their lives – until the time comes for revenge”.

I don’t mind being surprised though, because Four of the Apocalypse is something special. It’s a transcendent piece that deserves far more attention and, I might be speaking heresy, but I think it’s at least the equal of Corbucci’s The Great Silence. There’s at least an undercurrent of Gothic horror, romance cut with pessimism, and it has a poetic heart. We’re in safe hands with Lucio Fulci.

The transfer is fabulous and rich, but it’s responding to a very classy production anyway. Fulci had a hitherto underappreciated depth and ability to match Bava; well, I think it’s safe to say many of us were taking him for granted. This is why collections like this box-set from Arrow are important. As Kat Ellinger explains in her lively commentary, Fulci’s reputation comes from his Giallo and zombie films which got around the world faster than this.

EXTRA FEATURES

Each disc in this set is generously supported by a host of extra features, some new, some archival, but all contribute to a valuable assessment of the Spaghetti Western genre.

I Want Him Dead:
• Italian/English version
• Commentary by Adrian J. Smith and David Flint
• Dead or Alive – introduction by Fabio Melelli
• The Man Who Hated Violence – interview with dir. Paolo Bianchini
• Cut and Shot – interview with editor Eugenio Alabiso
• Nico Unchained – archive interview with composer Nico Fidenco
• Trailers/Image Gallery

El Puro

• 108/98 minute versions in both Italian and English
• Commentary by Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson
• A Zen Western – introduction by Fabio Melelli
• A Real Italian – interview with actor Robert Woods
• More Than Just A Western – in-depth appreciation of the soundtrack and it’s composer, Alessandro Alessandroni, by musician and disc collector Lovely Jon

Wrath of the Wind

• Italian/English/Extended Spanish
• Commentary by Howard Hughes
• Campesinos: Al Poder! Introduction by Fabio Melelli
• The Days of Wrath – interview with camera operator Roberto D’Ettorre Piazzoli
• They Call It… Red Cemetery – short film by Francisco Lacerda
• Alternate “Revenge of Trinity” opening (restored into three versions)

Four of the Apocalypse

• Italian/English version
• Commentary by Kat Ellinger
• Apocalypse Now – Introduction by Fabio Melelli
• It Takes Four – previously unreleased interview with production manager Roberto Sbargia
• Do You See How Lucio Shoots? New in-depth appreciation by author, critic and Lucio Fulci scholar Stephen Thrower
• The Rhythm Devils Play – new in-depth appreciation of the soundtrack and its composers by Lovely Jon
• Trailer/image gallery