The Belle Star Story

I created so many expectations, a strong female character in the western, a true cowgirl, but no, in the final minutes she surrenders to a troglodyte and still accepts to be beaten by this, aff... When she is not with the "scrotum male" she gains strength and then yes empowerment, the development is good, it is dignified and faithful, determined and strong ... Excellent production, directed and scripted by a woman, in the 60s, fantastic...

Bit of a strange one and something of a curate's egg although on balance I liked it. The only spaghetti western directed by a woman and, I believe the only one starring a woman, also. Elsa Martinelli was in her 30s when she made this and altogether made over 60 films, including, funnily enough, Vadim's Blood and Roses that I only watched the other day. I think it is probably poor dubbing but she does not have the assurance she needs here and tends to come over a little hysterically at times. Fortunately the very solid George Eastman is here to save the day. Bit sexy and some particularly strong violence towards the end, this wavers a bit and is not helped by the oft repeated love song and its lilting romanticism.

"The Belle Starr Story" (1968) is, to my knowledge, the only Spaghetti Western ever directed by a woman, Lina Wertmüller (who was the first female to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Direction, for "Seven Beauties" [1976]). This fact somewhat overshadows this frankly bizarre movie that should probably be seen by fans so they can say at least "I've seen it!".

The screenplay by Piero Cristofani is merely passable: Belle Starr (Elsa Martinelli) meets Larry Blackie (a fine George Eastman) during a card game, commencing a love/hate relationship coming to a head when both try and steal a diamond shipment from right underneath the noses of the Pinkertons.

The middle of the film is taken up by long flashbacks to Belle Starr's past (which feature the ever reliable Robert Woods. He was originally going to have more screen time than he does, but he fell out with Wertmüller and thus his role was shortened); these are good scenes, but they rather unbalance the film and put the pacing off. The acting is mostly good, with Bruno Corazzari doing wonders in his small role. The direction is, like the cinematography and editing, solid but not inspired. Over all, an interesting oddity in the harsh desert of Spaghetti Westerns that aficionado's will want to watch.

The Story of Belle Starr with Elsa Martinelli and George Eastman

This spaghetti western was directed by the recently deceased honorary ACADEMY AWARD winner (she received it in Los Angeles in 2019) Lina Wertmüller (1928-2021). When the film was released in West German cinemas in October 1968, Lina Wertmüller, who was the first woman to be nominated for a directing Oscar in 1977 (for "Seven Beauties"), was still hiding behind a male pseudonym. Fortunately, those times are over.

It tells the story of the gunslinger Belle Starr (Elsa Martinelli), who, after starting out as the good officer's daughter Mirabell Shelley - spurred on by injustice towards women - develops into a cunning master marksman. The focus is on the checkered relationship between the heroine and a rancid gunfighter named Blacky (George Eastman). In flashbacks you see a lot about the protagonist's past life and also learn how she was influenced by her father (Vladimir Medar), her childhood friend Cole Harvey (Robert Woods, *1936) and the housemaid Jessica (Francesca Righini).

Typical elements of a spaghetti western include hearty fights and wild shootings. But all from the perspective of a woman who is absolutely at the center of the plot! The enchanting Elsa Martinelli (1935-2017) credibly gives this character her star power, which she has steeled in Hollywood (see "Hatari"). Martinelli also performs the song "No Time for Love".

The German dubbing is smarmy and snarky (the German title of the film also fits this) as always, which is also true for the love and verbal battles between Belle Starr and her tall lover (Luigi Montefiori (George Eastman), who was born in Genoa in 1942). Fits. In Italian or English, however, the plot comes across a bit more serious, which is probably more in line with the director's intention. At least 188,000 tickets were sold at the box office in West Germany (distributed by Neue Constantin) (source: InsideKino).

Good spaghetti western that is particularly interesting from a film perspective, as Lina Wertmüller remained the only female director in the spaghetti western genre. And the phenomenal Cinecitta diva Elsa Martinelli is always worth a look because she can convince in every role.

This is the legend of outlaw Belle Starr and how she became the West's most wanted - and desired woman . The career of Wild West outlaw Belle Star is chronicled in this strange , offbeat Spaghetti Pastiche about lawlessness and violence . Belle Star (Elsa Martinelli) is a female bandit with an itch to ride with other Western legends . She makes her way around the Old West , usually wearing male garb . This Southern belle joins forces with a drifter named Larry Blackie (George Eastman) commencing a long and troubled relation . She refuses his advances but eventually falls for him after a poker game . In the intervining period of the movie is taken up by long flashbacks to Belle Starr's past , his family life , as she is an orphan adopted by her nasty uncle (Vladimir Medar) , as well as her particular relation with another sympathetic desperado named Cole Harvey (Robert Woods) . Bandit Queen & Desperadoes Who Killed For Her!. Her Name Was A Proud, Fierce Challenge Flung Defiantly At The West! Into the Cimarron Badlands came a new west queen!

This film dubbed in English concerns this known heroine and her love/hate relationships with two friends/lovers : George Eastman as Blackie and Robert Woods as Cole . This is a highly romanticized retelling with thrills , adventures , shootouts , violence with sexual agression and little connection with history . Here Belle Star is decently played by Elsa Martinelli as a vulnerable and embittered woman who is on the receiving end of society's injustices and his evil uncle who wants to marry her to an aging , ugly man . Here there is a peculiar relation in ups and downs between Elsa Martinelli/Belle with George Eastman/Blackie and another similar , on-again, off-again , between Elsa and Robert Woods/Cole . Trio starring : Elsa Martinelli , George Eastman , Robert Woods give acceptable interpretations , being well accompanied by regular Westerns secondaries as Bruno Corazzari , Bruno Piergentili or Dan Harrison , Vladimir Medar and Remo De Angelis.

There are various adaptations based on this historical character : ¨Belle Star¨1941 by Irving Cummings with Gene Tierney , Randolph Scott , Dana Andrews ; this is the best rendition in which the setting is the Civil War and its aftermath , Belle's family has lost their land to Yankees, then she marries Confederate guerilla leader Sam Starr and they continue activities against exploiters until she is shot riding to alert Sam to a trap and she unites a Confederate guerrilla leader to raid Union towns . ¨Belle Starr's Daughter¨ (1948) by Lesley Selander with George Montgomery , Rod Cameron , Ruth Roman . ¨Belle Starr¨ (1980 TV Movie) by John A. Alonzo with Elizabeth Montgomery , Cliff Potts as Cole Younger , Michael Cavanaugh . And this ¨Belle Star¨ 1968 , the only Spaghetti Western ever shot by a woman, Lina Wertmüller , who directed competently this oater and under pseudonym, Nathan Wich .

The film is freely based on Belle Star , the actual events are the following ones : Myra Maybelle Shirley Reed Starr (February 5, 1848- February 3, 1889), better known as Belle Starr, was an American outlaw who gained national notoriety after her violent death. She was a known bandit who joined other outlaw legends, the James gang, the Youngers and the Dalton boys . She associated with the James-Younger Gang and other outlaws. She was convicted of horse theft in 1883. She was fatally shot in 1889 in a case that is still officially unsolved. Her story was popularized by Richard K. Fox - editor and publisher of the National Police Gazette - and she later became a popular character in television and films. Allegedly, Belle was briefly married for three weeks to Charles Younger, uncle of Cole Younger in 1878, but this is not substantiated by any evidence. There are numerous claims that Belle's daughter Pearl Reed was actually Pearl Younger, but in Cole Younger's autobiography (quoted in Glen Shirley's "Belle Starr and her times"), he discounted that as rubbish and stated what he knew truly of Belle.In 1880, she married a Cherokee man named Sam Starr and settled with the Starr family in the Indian Territory. There, she learned ways of organizing, planning and fencing for the rustlers, horse thieves and bootleggers, as well as harboring them from the law. Belle's illegal enterprises proved lucrative enough for her to employ bribery to free her colleagues from the law whenever they were caught .On February 3, 1889, two days before her 41st birthday, she was killed. She was riding home from a neighbor's house in Eufaula, Oklahoma when she was ambushed. After she fell off her horse, she was shot again to make sure she was dead. Her death resulted from shotgun wounds to the back and neck and in the shoulder and face. Legend says she was shot with her own double barrel shotgun, tohugh murder goes on unsolved. Although an obscure figure outside Texas throughout most of her life, Belle's story was picked up by the dime novel and National Police Gazette publisher Richard K. Fox, who made her name famous with his novel Bella Starr, the Bandit Queen, or the Female Jesse James, published in 1889 . This novel still is cited as a historical reference. It was the first of many popular stories that used her name.