The Belle Star Story

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.

If you buy the "Wild East" DVD for the fine film, "Black Jack", you can skip this second feature, "The Belle Star Story", altogether. It is a real mishmash of poker games, flashbacks, sexual tom foolery, outrageously inappropriate makeup, sexual teasing, forgettable gunplay, and the like. The fact that it was directed by a woman, shows how the west might have looked through female eyes, but the audience is men, and they will be bored beyond belief with "The Belle Star Story." Believe me this is a real snooze fest, and the story is not only not believable, but beyond boring. I feel sorry for George Eastman and Robert Woods being dragged through this loser of a "Spaghetti Western." Not recommended. MERK.

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...

"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.