Buffalo Bill

When the sword and sandal films in the Roman Cinecitta were threatening to go out of fashion, genre star Gordon SCOTT (1927-2007), who had been married to the Hitchcock star Vera MILES in Hollywood, switched to the emerging wave of Westerns .

His performance as Buffalo Bill is based on his life story, but is overall too convoluted and lengthy.

The only interesting thing is that: with Ingeborg SCHÖNER (*1935), Jan HENDRIKS (1928-1991) and Hans von BORSODY (1929-2013) there are also three film stars from the German-speaking film industry of those years.

You can take a look, but you don't have to!

Although "Buffalo Bill, Hero Of The West" is a western made by European filmmakers, it isn't quite like what you usually associate with spaghetti westerns. The movie plays out like it was made by American filmmakers, from the standard western plot right down to the musical score. That doesn't mean that spaghetti western fans won't find anything to enjoy here. For starters, this movie clearly had a budget; there are dozens of extras, as well as a complete replica of an army fort built. Also, the action sequences, from hand-to-hand combat to gun battles, are pretty well done. However, the story, despite the presence of the colorful wild west figure Buffalo Bill, is often kind of flat and predictable. Still, if you are a spaghetti western fan, the movie has enough interesting elements to make it worth a look. However, if you do decide to watch it, seek out a copy that presents the movie in its true widescreen format - the pan and scan editions frequently cut off speaking characters photographed to the far left and right.

BUFFALO BILL, HERO OF THE FAR WEST is a typical western that has more in common with the Winnetou films coming out of West Germany than the new-fanged spaghetti westerns that followed in the wake of A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS. It stars former Tarzan and peplum actor Gordon Scott as the upstanding titular hero, who must tackle a sinister plot that involves renegade cowboys and ruthless Indians, and offers plenty of bang for your buck.

This is a film which is neither particularly good nor particularly bad. It just sort of exists, and remains watchable thanks to an emphasis on action. The requisite shoot-outs are present and correct, but there's a greater focus on drawn-out and dragged-out slug-fests between Scott and the villains. Mario Brega makes for a great hulking brute and Scott's endless fist fight with him is a highlight, as is the climactic battle. Elsewhere there's time for a little romance and time for a little plotting, alongside the usual trappings of gorgeous scenery and bad dubbing (including that of Scott himself).

Light as well as colorful mini-biopic about the mythical hero taking on Indians and Cheyenne chief Yellow Hand . This ¨Buffalo Bill¨ by Mario Costa boasts a nice Italian/German cast with Hans Von Borsody , Roldano Lupi , Mario Brega , Ingeborg Schöner , Mirko Ellis as Yellow Hand and Gordon Scott as Buffalo Bill . This is an entertaining chronicle of the noted frontier explorer , nowadays as an Army high officer . A simple story of William "Buffalo Bill" F. Cody (Gordon Scott) , legendary westerner , whose adventures made him a hero , this is a fictionalized account of the life and career from his days as an army Major . Buffalo confronts renegade Indians , and smugglers (Mario Brega) who are selling weapons . Bill must battle hostile Indians and some outlaws intent on gunrunning . As Buffalo Bill is sent to stop the arms trading and avert an Indian war led by Chief White Fox (Fiodor Chaliapin) . Along the way Bill delivers justice by confronting nasties and brawls at the Gold Dust saloon , whose owner is the suspicious Monroe (Jan Hendriks) . Later on on , there occurs his famous fight against ¨Yellow Hand¨ (Mirko Ellis).

Average Pasta Western plenty of shots , go riding , assaults , up and downs pace , thrills and passable direction . However , it results to be a very mediocre Spaghetti-Schnizel Western mostly produced by Italy and German secondary participation ; it doesn't follow the Sergio Leone wake and being proceeded in American style . Being emotionally right on the mark and there's precious action . The film packs shootouts , noisy action , high body-count and overwhelming Indian attacks . It's a thrilling western with spectacular outdoors and breathtaking confrontation among badly-dressed Indians and soldiers . Acceptable action sequences with rousing Indian attacks against a Yankee fort and little realistic shootouts . The picture has a decent Mise-En-scene with bustling battles , so-so production design , spectacular outdoors and moving score by Carlo Rustichelli . Lousy cinematography filmed by Massimo Dallamano who also directed Westerns , being necessary a right remastering ; filmed on locations in Colmenar Viejo , La Pedriza, Manzanares el Real (Madrid) , as usual , and El Lacio , Rome , Italy . The motion picture was middlingly directed by Mario Costa , under pseudonym , J. W. Fordson . He was a craftsman who directed several adventure movies "Cavalier in Devil's Castle" , "Conqueror of Corinth" , ¨The son of the sheikh ¨, ¨The black pirate¨ ,"Gladiator of Rome" , "Karim, the Sheikh's Son" , "The Queen of the Pirates" , ¨The kings of France¨ and Westerns as ¨La Belba¨ and "Buffalo Bill, Hero of the West" ; many of them starred by Gordon Scott .

Other films about ¨Buffalo Bill¨ are the followings : ¨Battling with Buffalo Bill¨ (1931) by Ray Taylor with Tom Tyler , ¨The Plainsman¨ (1936) by Cecil B. De Mille with Gary Cooper , James Ellison , Jean Arthur , and the best ¨Buffalo Bill¨ by William A. Wellman with Joel McCrea , Thomas Mitchell , Mauren O'Hara and Anthony Quinn as Yellow Hand . Furthermore , ¨Buffalo Bill in Tomahawk Territory¨ by Bernard Ray with Clayton Moore , Chief Thundercloud ; ¨Buffalo Bill rides again ¨ (1947) by Bernard Ray with Richard Arlen , "Seven Hours of Gunfire" (65) by Joaquin Romero Marchent with Rik Van Nutter as Buffalo Bill Cody , Adrian Hoven as Wild Bill Hickok and Gloria Milland as Calamity Jane and the historical pastiche as well as perennial underrated ¨Buffalo Bill and the Indians¨ (76) by Robert Altman with Paul Newman who appears as a charlatan and shameless exemplar of encroaching imperialism .

Buffalo Bill Cody (Gordon Scott) fights Indians, led by rival Yellow Hand and spends time looking for the unscrupulous white men who are selling them rifles and whiskey.

Just plain bad, bad acting combines with bad dubbing, bad costumes and a generally kooky atmosphere to make this one of the silliest spaghetti westerns ever made. Seriously, this is as sophisticated as watching eight-year-olds playing cowboys and Indians in the backyard, trying hard and failing to turn Buffalo Bill into a beefcake action hero, via former TV-Tarzan Scott. The highlight of the film is a knock-down, drag-out fight between Scott and plus-size spaghetti western superstar Mario Brega.

Directed by J.W. Fordson (wow, John Ford's son?!), this has the nerve to directly steal one of it's sub-plots from Fort Apache. If only they really were related, Ford Sr. could have and should have taken him to the woodshed for that one!

One's enjoyment of this one depends solely on his or her desire to see really bad movies or their tolerance of mindless action. I really can't recommend this.