In a Colt's Shadow

Two professional gunfighters separate after they complete a job in a small Mexican town where they rid it of the Ramirez gang. Steve married Duke's daughter and tries to settle down to a peaceful life on a ranch outside a town controlled by Jackson and Burns.

In a Colt's Shadow straddles comfortably between the traditional American western and the Spaghetti, and ticks all the boxes to make a good western - location, action, story and music is very good. Loved the Mexican flavour. Helga Line is hot. She's Duke's gal but fancies Steve and creates problems. The naughty minx. Franco Ressel as the villain Jackson is at his slimy best. The plot is smooth, the gunplay just as slick. Only one gripe Stephen Forsythe is stiff as a board and charismatic as a water trough.

Western town decorations like in "A Fistful of Dollars" and "For a Few Dollars More", very beautiful horses and Nico Fidenco's very beautiful music, in the spirit of Ennio Morricone but different, original. But the story is a bit stupid, two men, good friends, come into conflict because one of them loves the other's daughter and they almost kill themselves for it. Many villains around, as in most spaghetti westerns, hungry for money and fertile land, killing people until they are killed in turn by the two male friends, but who are separated by the daughter conflict. My opinion is that the three authors of the script, Giovanni Grimaldi (as Gianni Grimaldi, who is also the director of the film), Aldo Barni and Aldo Luxardo found inspiration in "A Fistful of Dollars" made a year before, there are too many similar things. The actor José Calvo, Silvanito from "A Fistful of Dollars" is here in "In a Colt's Shadow" the sheriff. Steve (the character played by Stephen Forsyth), has a white horse that is the greatest asset of the whole movie, a beautiful, smart, very well trained horse.

This 1965 Italian western has many familiar faces among the cast; all do a good job, particularly Conrado Sanmartin as the elder pistolero, Duke, who forbids his friend Steve Blane from courting his daughter. Complications ensue, and eventually Duke and Steve are face to face on the main street of Providence (the same town Clint Eastwood cleaned up in A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS). Most of the fun in this one is picking out the locations and identifying stock performers like Franco Ressel and Jose Calvo. Aldo Sanbrell shows up early as a bandido, and Tito Garcia is cast as the barkeep with a full head of hair for a change. The action is good, with the stuntmen earning their keep by crashing off of roofs and through remadas, and Blane's horse gives probably the best performance in the history of equine acting. Nico Fidenco's score is outstanding, although the vocal over the titles are a bit off-putting. The titles themselves are particularly flamboyant for a spaghetti, luridly painted cartoons that flirt with a fine art look. Overall I liked this one, I think seeing it in a nice widescreen print helped a lot.

I knew nothing about this spaghetti western before putting the disc into my DVD player, but that's how I often like my mind to be before watching entries in this genre - I hope to be pleasantly surprised. While I didn't find this movie to be a forgotten classic, it did deliver enough to satisfy me. Certainly, the movie has its share of flaws. The plot unfolds in a fairly slow fashion, even though the running time is only seventy eight minutes long. The central figure is kind of dumb at times, enough to make him unsympathetic at times. And the movie is so low key at times that you will wish that there was more excitement in the middle section. However, the low key direction does build some genuine atmosphere here and there. The atmosphere is also aided by a sometimes eerie musical score. And while the movie could have used more action, it compensates by a really great and lengthy action sequence in the last part. I think there's enough here to satisfy fans of Euro westerns. Oh, and for fun, see if you can spot the time in the movie where you can see the shadows of the camera and the film crew jutting into the frame :-)

'All'Ombra Di colt (65)' by Gianni Grimaldi starred Conrado San Martin and Stephen Forsyth is an acceptable Spaghetti full of fury , action, and portentous duels . It deals with two gunfighters partners , as an elder Pistolero named Duke (Conrado San Martin) , forbids his disciple Steve Blane (Stephen Forsyth) from courting his daughter . But the notorious young gunfighter flees along with the daughter and rides into town , Providence . He hasn't come looking for trouble , but trouble finds him around every corner . The reformed Gunfighter is on his way to a sleepy town in the hope of peace but problems ensue . Meanwhile , the angry father along with his girlfriend (Helga Line) are on his trail and the town's hothead gunmen are scheming to see just how fast Steve is . But as always Steve's reputation has already cast its shadow , this time in the form of vengeful father hot on his trail and two local corrupt owners Jackson (Franco Ressel) and Burn . At the end the aging gunslinger, rides into the strange town and eventually he and Steve face off on the central square .

The film displays psychological characters-in deep , shootouts , action Western and being enough entertaining . The movie contains typical particularities Spaghetti , as is full of fury , sadism , bloodbath s, and portentous close-ups of grime-encrusted faces . Spectacular final takes place on the downtown when protagonists contend face to face and surrounded by nasties . Stephen Forsyth is passable as an unfortunate young seeking forgiveness and forgetfulness , and Conrado San Martin is cool as a veteran gunslinger . As secondaries appear Jose Calvo (Silvanito in ' A fistful of dollars') as a sheriff and usual of Spaghetti as Tito Garcia , Rafael Albaicin , Xan Das Bolas , Hugo Blanco , a brief acting of Aldo Sambrell and Sancho Gracia still acting and recently played 800 bullets . The picture is plenty of nice sound by Nino Fidenco who composes one of his best soundtracks , including an evocative leitmotif . Atmospheric cinematography correctly photographed by Julio Ortas , though is necessary a right remastering . Filmed on location in Colmenar Viejo , Manzanares Del Real and La Pedriza (Madrid) with good production design from Teddy Villalva and Carlo Leva . The motion picture was well written and directed by Giovanni Grimaldi . Giovanni managed to make a fluid ,witty and agreeable SW . He proved his experience in Western such as ¨Starblack¨ , ¨ Il Bello, Il Brutto, Il Cretino' and as screenwriter ¨Four dollars for vengeance¨ , among others .

Other films dealing with the gunslinger/disciple theme and developing a paternal-filial among them are the following : 'Bandits (1967)' by Massimo Dallamano with Enrico Maria Salerno and Venantino Venantini and 'Beyond the Law(68)' by Giorgio Stegani with Lee Van Cleef and Alfonso Sabato ¨. And the best are ¨Día de Ira¨ or I Giorni Dell'Ira (original title) with Lee Van Cleef and Giuliano Gemma , this Spaghetti Western along with 'Da Uomo a Uomo¨ by Giulio Petroni with Lee Van Cleef-John Philip Law led to recovery in the popularity of 'horse opera' after Leone hits , both of them are masterpieces about relationship .