And God Said to Cain...

"And God Said to Cain..." (1969), a Saghetti Western directed by Antonio Margheriti, stars Klaus Kinski, Peter Carsten and Marcella Michelangeli and is the recipient of a startling, innovative script by Antonio Margheriti and Giovanni Addessi that has a hero who prefigures Clint Eastwood in "High Plains Drifter" by being a ghost (or is he?). Even in the transcending, transgressive, aggressive genre splicing of the world of Spagheetti Westerns, this is surprising stuff.

The plot has all the hallmarks of tightly-knit Greek tragedy: it takes place in a twenty-four hour time frame as Guy Hamilton (Kinski) mysteriously seeks revenge against the rich, powerful Acombar family.

Crows shriek out whenever Hamilton's name is spoken and an ominous storms broods over the landscape; this is not so much a Western as a Horror Western. The explanation, the motivation for Hamilton's insane night of bloodletting is cursory, almost as if the filmmakers felt obliged to try to explain the unexplainable. For the film to succeed then, it has to rest on the strength of Kinski's performance, which is marvelous, a million miles away from his phone-in cameo role in the previous year "If You Meet Sartana, Pray for Your Death". The rest of the cast are admirable and the cinematography by Luciano Trasatti and Riccardo Pallottini and direction are both superb.

A Gothic Horror Western that is utterly unexpected, this is diamond that should be displayed much more than it is.

This is a really cool film. It is directed by Italian horror director Antonio Margheriti, and the Euro-horror influence really shows. Margheriti really creates some atmosphere with this one.

This is a very dark tale of revenge. There's nothing even remotely resembling comedy in this film. It's the tale of a man named Gary Hamilton, who was betrayed and framed for a crime he didn't commit. It's time for him to wreak havoc on those that wronged him. The bulk of the story is told with great style on a dark night with the wind howling. Hamilton has his enemies so terrified that just the mention of his name seems to make windows fly open, or birds start screeching. He stalks and outwits his enemies under cover of darkness and dust, using their own fear against them. It's a very intense, uncomplicated story.

Klaus Kinski is excellent in this film. He is well-suited for the role of Hamilton. He has a look that can be sympathetic and frightening at the same time. I would have liked to see what this movie would be like if Kinski had dubbed his own voice. If they were worried about his accent, they could have just given his character a German name. I think it would have made the role even better.

Carlo Savina comes through with a very good score for this movie. The opening theme is one of the most memorable of all the spaghetti western songs with vocals. The use of organ music adds to the Gothic atmosphere, and there is a great recurring trumpet melody that stays in your mind long after the movie is over.

This Euro-western is one that should not be overlooked. It deserves more recognition than it gets, and it's a must-see for spaghetti western fans.

This is a story of Gary Hamilton (Kinski) set up for a crime he did not commit. After 10 years he is freed on behalf of a Presidential pardon. What is nice this is a full performance on behalf of Kinski which is quit uncommon. Kinski does a fabulous job in this one. It shows how greed took over a rancher who decided to steal the goldmine that Gary Hamilton had in order to make a better life for himself and for his family by ruining the life of another. Antonio Margheriti does a great job on this one. He has been slandered for years on how bad the night scenes are on this film. Well if guys like Weisser and other reviewers used common sense maybe they could have figured the film video which they viewed came from bad stock. I have seen the DVD version which all the night scenes were cleaned up and what do you know it is clear as day!!!

The movie overall had great performances on behalf of Kinski and Peter Carsten(Ackbar) Well Mr. Weisser check out on ebay and get the cleaned up copy of this movie and it will not be frustrating anymore. Maybe then people will give the film a descent review.

After spending 10 years in prison an inmate called Gary Hamilton (Klaus Kinski) is pardoned for a robbery of a valuable transport carrying Confederate gold that took place in the final days of the Civil War . He is a convict who was betrayed by his ex-sweetheart (Marcella Michelangeli) and framed-up by his ex-colleague called Acombar (Peter Carsten) who in an effort to incriminate Gary abandoned him water-flask at the crime scenario . Nowadays , Acombar turns out to be a wealthy owner employing a private army full of henchmen and bodyguards . Released from prison, Gary goes back the small town , there he appears as a vengeful angel and roaming here and there, despite the fact that his former partner is provided and surrounded by a small army of henchmen , resulting in fateful consequences by confronting the terrible enemies .

Above average Italian Western with chills , thrills , surprises , atmospheric sets and scary happenings . Nice Pasta western with terror elements , revolving around a merciless vendetta during a terrible wind storm and when day comes at dusk with plenty of eerie appearances , creepy murders and ghastly events. The plot is plain and simple, the ordinary revenge , Spaghetti's regular plot , as our starring plans to exact a relentless vengeance. Set at a ghastly village where happens scabrous and horrifying events in which our protagonist Kinski takes advantage of the secret network of underground tunnels that are part of an ancient Indian burial site and running under the town . In spite of a few escenarios and its medium-short budget the picture is pretty well, thanks to the adequate filmmaking , enjoyable soundtrack by Carlo Savina with catching songs at the beginning and the end , stunning cinematography by Riccardo Pallottini , Margheritti's usual cameraman , while taking great use of lights and shades as well as camera positioning to complement appropriate sinister set pieces . Of course , Antonio Margheritti delivers a nice work , in fact he was a good craftsman expert on horror and exploitation films. It packs a moving and exciting final duel between two starring Kinski and Carsten . Stars the great Klaus Kinski giving a fine acting in his usual style as the former Confederate officer who has served 10 years and subsequently takes his vengence on the family responsible for his wrongful sentence of hard labor . Pretty good Peter Carsten as the bad boy Acombar who betrayed Gary and ended up with the loot and the girl , today become a wealthy and influential land baron instructing his hoodlums to wait in ambush and kill Hamilton . Gorgeous Marcella Michelangeli plays the traitor Maria who married villian Acombar , resulting Gary's main alibi , she lied by being corrupted by Acombar's promises of money, and said that she was alone that day. While Antonio Cantafora , who used to use psedonym ¨Michael Coby¨, performs the naive and good son . Furthermore , some familar faces from Spaghetti , such as Guido Lollobrigida or Lee Burton , Gina Lollobrida's brother , Lucio De Santis, Raffaelli , Joaquin Blanco , and the regular Luciano Pigozzi as Alan Collins nicknamed the Italian Peter Lorre , among others .

This is a decent and better than average Pasta Western displaying a thrilling and frightening musical score by Carlo Savina . It contains a dark and sinister cinematography by Riccardo Pallotini . The motion picture was compellingly directed by Antonio Margheriti or Anthony M. Dawson . This Italian writer-director of horror and exploitation films, he was a former university engineering student who began in films in 1956. He was also an expert in special optical effects and model-making. Often used the pseudonym 'Anthony M. Dawson'. Antonio directed with skill and aplomb from 1956 to his death in 2002. He made all kinds of genres , some of them splendidly directed and others mediocre or failures. As he realized wartime movies, such as : ¨The Last Hunter , Tornado, Codename Wild Geese , Der Commander , Command Leopard¨. Sci-Fi : ¨War of Planets , Planet of the Prowl , Criminal of the Galaxy , Yor the Hunter from the future , Treasure Planet¨ . Spaghetti Western : Joko, Dynamite Joe , The Stranger and the Gunfighter , Take a Hard Ride , Ghosts go West , Joe implacable , God Said to Cain¨. And Terror : ¨Virgin of Nuremberg , Cannibal Apocalypse , Alien From Deep , Flesh for Dracula, Flesh for Frankenstein¨, among others . Rating 7/10. Above average . The picture will appeal to Spaghetti Western and Italian Gothic aficionados.

And God said to Cain (E Dio Disse a Caino) is directed by Antonio Margheriti, who also co-writes the screenplay with Giovanni Addessi. It stars Klaus Kinski, Peter Carsten, Marcella Michelangeli, Guido Lollobrigida and Antonio Cantafora. Music is by Carlo Savina and cinematography by Riccardo Pallottini and Luciano Trasatti.

When Gary Hamilton (Kinski) receives a pardon from his sentence at a prison work camp, he has only one thing on his mind; revenge on those responsible for his unfair incarceration.

A ghost returns and he'll have, he'll have only one desire in his heart, only one thirst: Revenge.

How wonderful, a Spaghetti Western/horror hybrid with scary Kinski as an avenging angel good guy! For the first 30 minutes the film looks to be building up a head of steam for a standardised Spaghetti Western, but things shift once Hamilton approaches town and night begins to fall. From here the film plays out as a Gothic horror involving Western characters, resplendent with big creepy mansion set in a shifty looking town that is cloaked in murky moonlight.

The whole town teeters on the edge of panic as they know who is coming to visit on this dark night. Atmosphere is tightly coiled as things move in the shadows, windows blow open, strange sounds emanate on the impending storm, and the stench of death is everywhere. A bell tolls ominously, birds flee the vicinity, all while Hamilton moves about the town with deadly silence, even using a network of catacombs under the town that were left over from an aged Indian cemetery.

The production value isn't high, but Margheriti maximises what is at his disposal to great ends. The sound effects work is simply terrific, with the shrill of the birds and the dripping water in the caverns playing a tune being particularly striking. There's inventive deaths, sublime scenes (love that rider less horse sequence and the Orson Welles mirror homage) and Kinski being ace as a ghoulish phantom taking a string from the bow of the Count of Monte Cristo.

It's also great to find that Margheriti and Addessi give strength to the picture by way of psychological smarts within the characterisations. This is not merely a spooky revenge story, a chance to pile the bodies up, there is substance to the main players, their motives and means, their frailties and family fractures brutally laid bare. The dialogue is sometimes naff, the cliché's of Spaghetti Westerns rife, and of course not all the visual effects work like they should, but this is one moody and memorable movie that is well worth seeking out if you can see a decent enough print of it. 8/10