Ein Halleluja für Camposanto

Before I review the film, I want to say a bit about the DVD that has both this film and another so-called 'spaghetti Western' ("Il Prezzo del Potere"). The picture quality is very poor and the DVD has no captions--just really bad quality dubbing. While in some films in the genre the dubbing was excellent (such as in the Clint Eastwood films), this one is not particularly good. As for the picture, it's scratchy and dark--so dark in one important scene that you have no idea what is happening. It is obviously a second-rate (or possibly third-rate) packaging of the film. You can't blame the film makers for this. In its original form it must have been a much better film.

The film begins with two brothers coming to the West to see their father. Apparently, they have been educated back East and have no idea of the life on the range. To call them ignorant is charitable--they are idiots. When they stand up to a representative of a group of extortionists who are threatening their father's ranch, they beat him (the extortionist--not the father) up...and have no idea that the gang will naturally come looking for them. They also naively assume the law will simply arrest the gang and can take care of the problem non-violently. Can anyone be THAT stupid in a film of this genre??!! Fortunately, a man in black ('Cemetery') stumbles upon them and takes pity on them--teaching them how to use a gun and not be a couple ignorant rubes! In many ways, this man in black is similar to characters played by men such as Lee Van Cleef in Westerns--a decent and inexplicable guy and also someone you don't want to irritate! In addition, he has an acquaintance who is also equally bad whose loyalty to his boss seems a bit suspect at times--leading to an interesting showdown between the two master gunfighters near the end.

While there were approximately 68 bazillion Italian Westerns made during this era (give or take three), what sets this one apart a bit is that it doesn't take itself so seriously. Sure, it has all the requisite killing, the bad guys and the scary bad hero, but it manages to make you laugh occasionally (such as the swimming scene as well as when one guy's mustache ended up looking like Charlie Chaplin's--thanks to some fancy shooting). While certainly not in the same league as the Sergio Leone films, this is very good and worth seeing--plus I doubt it was intended to be in the same league. Still, this one is more a very good time-passer with a bit more to offer--even if some of the humor is a bit broad (such as the fight scene with the ranchers).

Overall, the film loses a couple points for the dubbing and print quality and earns an overall score of 6. In its original form, no doubt it would be a bit higher.

Seriously, where did Spaghetti Western Comedies go? The literal translation (best I could do) is "The Smoking Colt ... Call Him Cemetery" and don't worry about the fact it doesn't translate well, every other portion of the movie does.

There is an amazing theme song, good humor, plenty of gun fights, just in general a real positive energy throughout the entire film. The quality of the print was pretty awful, so I hope someone picks this up and restores it. The man called cemetery is a grizzled veteran of Westerns All'Italiana who appeared as the anti-hero several times and knows how to stare down a bad guy and can not-be-bothered-while-people-are-shooting-at- him with the best of em. Take the time out to watch this forgotten gem.

Rating: 30/40

This exciting picture displays Western noisy action , gun-play , fun situations and bits of humor. The film gets the comic remarks from Western parody united the features of typical Spaghetti . ¨Camposanto¨ is an entertaining SW with lots of mayhem , crossfire and funny incidents and fun ; however , being slightly mediocre . This time the new hero is named Camposanto o Cemetery (John Garco) who looks exactly like Sartana , he is a tidy and rapid gunfighter . Camposanto protects a young pair of brothers , sons of a baron land whom is blackmailing some hoodlums (Ivano Staccioli) . Cemetery join forces with Duke (Austrian actor resident in Italy named William Berger who played several Westerns and unforgettable co-starring in ¨Sabata¨ as the banjo man) , another blond and long-haired gunslinger against nasties who are suborning cattlemen . The dark , elegant hero , a freelance gunman , named Camposanto (Gianni Garco or John Garco) appears to chase the nasty gunfighter and discovers the rackets and killings . The confrontation will be inevitable between the town's despots , a cruel murderous , and , of course , Sartana .

This first movie on Camposanto character starred by Gianni Garco is plenty of action , shootouts , tongue in cheek , double-crosses, twists and loads of violence . This bewildering picture gets the humorous remarks from Western parody combined to features of Spaghetti . Camposanto is another hero of second class in the S.W. genre as Sabata (Lee Van Cleef) , Sartana (Gianni Garco) or Cuchillo (Tomas Milian) . Cemetery character bears remarkable resemblance to Sartana . ¨Cemetery¨ or ¨Camposanto¨ is a two-fisted and tough gunfighter with technical weaponry (like a Western James Bond) and a lot of tricks similarly to previous Sabata . Giuliano Carmineo , alias Anthony Ascott, directed various Sartana with George Hilton who replaces Gianni Garco , as Hilton played more natural and roguish than Garco who was cold and peculiar . This entertaining picture gets the humorous remarks from Western parody combined to features of Spaghetti . The movie gets the usual Italian Western issues , such as : greedy antiheroes , violent facing off , quick zooms , exaggerated baddies , among them . It appears secondary actors who are habitual in Italian Western and Peplum genre , such as : Nello Pazzafini , Ivano Staccioli and Rick Boyd . Special mention to androgynous Franco Ressel , Spaghetti's customary as a powerful tyrant . Enjoyable musical score by Bruno Nicolai , Ennio Morricone's usual collaborator , full of guttural sounds and whistles . Average cinematography by habitual Stelvio Massi and atmospheric set decoration by Carlo Leva .

The picture was regularly directed by Giuliano Carmineo or Anthony Scott , subsequently he directed another Spaghetti-hero named Sabata with Gianni Garco in the title role . Giuliano Carmineo realized several Spaghettis , most of them featuring mainly the same cast again , such as "Di Tresette Ce N'è Uno, Tutti Gli Altri son Nessuno" ,"Lo Chiamavano Tresette... Giocava Sempre Col Morto" that actually was the last time George Hilton/Chris Huerta and Carnimeo worked on such a western comedy together , ¨The moment to kill¨, ¨Find a place to die¨ , ¨Uomo Avvisato Mezzo Ammazzato... Parola Di Spirito Santo¨ (original title) or "His Name Was Holy Ghost" , ¨They call me Hallaluya¨ , and the Sartana movies : "Have a Good Funeral, My Friend, Sartana Will Pay" , ¨Sartana the gravedigger'(69) ,"Sartana's Coming, Get Your Coffins Ready" , ¨Light the fuse Sartana is coming¨(1971) , among others . Giuliano also directed other kinds of genres , as Sci-Fi : ¨Exterminators of the year 3000¨, ¨Computron¨, Giallo : ¨The case of the bloody iris¨ , Crime thriller : ¨Secrets of a Call Girl¨ , Buddy movie films : ¨Convoy Buddies" or "Kid Stuff" , "The Diamond Peddlers" . This "They call him Cemetery¨ is clearly inferior to his entries in Sartana series . Rating : 5.5/10 . Acceptable and passable .

The curse of following a formula is that you will necessarily be compared to the best examples of that formula. And the best of this pocket of movies is the Leone stuff. We've actually, I think, adjusted our definitions of camp and happy excess to suit those, because of a couple elements that appeal: the musical riffs, the Eastwood grin.

This one has a stylized west, absolutely no females in any frame. Good, bad and samurai. As with the Leone/samurai model, all the plot devices revolve around the noble rules of "the guild" of gunfighters for hire. All the humor is based on coolness associated with lethality. For those of us that like this sort of thing, the ultimate trip starts with Kurosawa, runs through Leone's copy and ends with Walter Hill's "Last Man Standing.

So this is a sort of waste of time, is less of everything that is defined elsewhere. But if you stumble on this, pay attention to the rule of twos. Its a simple way for writers to create superficial folds after the manner of Tolstoy.

Here you have two gunslingers, two bad guys, two factions in the good guys (the breeders), two comic sons, two more comic Mexican servants of the sons. If there were real writing going on, you'd see reflections from one pair to the other, tensions between pairs reflected in certain pairs and so on.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

A Bullet for a Stranger( or 'They call him Cementary') is a film thats howcases the best of spaghetti westerns. It's got humour, it's got awesome shootouts, and it has a great score.

The Characters are great,especially 'the guardian angel'. He is very similar to Blondie in the good the bad and the ugly. He is looking out for the two brothers, who are somewhat annoying, but eventually turn out to be admirable heroes.

The DVDs restoration is terrible quality, and should really be restored. But even with the sloppy DVD quality, the film stills holds through as epic and highly entertaining,

A bullet for a stranger is a great film and should be held up as one of the best Spagehtti westerns made.