The Price of Power

"The Price of Power" (1969), directed by Tonino Valerii, is a Spaghetti Western starring Guiliano Gemma, Van Johnson, Fernando Rey and Benito Stefanelli. Made six years after the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy, it seeks to comment sharply on the situation, perhaps more bitingly than Hollywood wanted or was able to do at that time.

The plot is thus, with their 1963 equivalents blatantly obvious: in Dallas, Texas, 1883 an unpopular liberal President (Johnson) visits the city and is assassinated in a crossfire of lead. A black patsy is quickly found by the corrupt sheriff (Stefanelli) and is killed while in transit between prisons. The framed man's friend (Gemma) seeks to find out the truth, variously aided and set back by a mysterious government agent (Warren Vanders).

Reading the synopsis, it's pretty clear where Valerii is heading, and he does so with style and tension. Well-acted, photographed and edited, with some excellent gunfights, this is a Spaghetti Western that deserves a much wider reputation that the one it currently holds.

In post civil war America the President, (Van Johnson), travels to Dallas and is assassinated by corrupt officials and businessman interested in installing the vice President whom they can blackmail due to incriminating documents. A gunman (Guiliano Gemma) convinced that his black friend is wrongly accused of the assassination aims to uncover the truth. Tonino Valeri directed this fascinating, if flawed film which obviously is an allegory for the Kennedy assassination. The film may wrongly present blacks as slaves working on plantations in Texas but the film is nonetheless enjoyable and presents an interesting interpretation - that Kennedy's death was the result of a coup de tat- which many Americans could not accept at the time. Oswald's murder is replayed here as the black accused of the assassination is murdered by the men responsible, on route to Fort Worth prison. This moment in the film is more melodramatic than Oswald's death with his various escorts shot down before his over the top death scene. Nonetheless this is definitely one of the more interesting and worthwhile spaghetti westerns. Worth a look!

Based largely on the Kennedy Assasintion, Director Valerii's The Price of Power is quite a hard going, albeit very well made, film.

President James Garfield (Van Johnson) arrives by train in the state of Texas to debate his political reforms. His anti-slavery stance is extremely unpopular with the locals, particularly the corrupt Sheriff and the banker Pinkerton (Fernando Rey), who secretly plot his assassination, knowing that his probable successor can be bribed by incriminating evidence that they hold.

Ben Willer (Giuliano Gemma) discovers that his father has been murdered by the Sheriff, because he knew of the plan to kill the president. Despite his efforts to provide some protection, the assassination is successful, with Willer's Negro companion (a staunch believer of the President's cause) blamed and imprisoned. Willer attempts to seek justice, assisted by the President's aide Arthur Macdonald (Warren Vanders).

In truth, Valerii's film is an outstanding piece of Italian cinema, with a fine performance from Gemma, and an enjoyable Bacalov soundtrack. Despite this, I struggled to be really convinced by the movie, even though it is so highly respected in euro-western circles. I think in particular I found that some of the more typical Spaghetti Western fare (such as the rifle hidden in the crutch of the disabled newspaper employee) sat uneasy within the context of the film.

That said, there were a handful of great scenes, such as the failed initial assassination attempt as the President's train arrives, the flashback and the court sequence. But in the end, I couldn't help but find the whole thing disappointing - probably because I expected so much.

Cool Spaghetti full of fury , action, portentous shootem'up and interesting screenplay by the usual Ernesto Gastaldi. This clever and successful Spaghetti Western that owes a considerable debt to Leone (it's realized by his disciple Tonino Valeri) deals with an ex-Union soldier named William Willer(Giuliano Gemma) who finds his father (Antonio Casas) has been killed. Then arrives in Dallas an occasional visit by President John Garfield (Van Johnson and wife Maria Cuadra) . The ex-soldier discovers a scheme to assassinate President in 1881 Dallas, Texas, plotted by a powerful group (all-star Spanish cast formed by Fernando Rey , Julio Peña, Angel Del Pozo, and Jose Suarez as the Vice-President). The film, a "political" Spaghetti, is a very overt mirroring of the JFK Assassination in 1963. Meanwhile, Willer befriends two journalists (Manuel Zarzo, Francisco Sanz)and acts as protector of a humiliated African-American (Ray Saunders). The gunfighter teams up with McDonald (Warren Vanders) against the powerful band and then Willer carries out a personal vendetta versus the father's killers .

The film displays psychological characters-in deep, shootouts, action Western, political suspense and being enough entertaining. The movie contains typical particularities Spaghetti, as is full of fury, sadism, bloodbaths, and portentous close-ups of encrusted faces. The film blends violence, blood, tension, high body-count along with politic deeds and it's fast moving and quite entertaining .Gulianno Gemma is good as unfortunate Union soldier, he is very fine, he ravages the screen, he steals the show as gunslinger seeking revenge , in addition investigating the events about the assassination and ultimately takes the law on his own hands. Benito Stefanelli (customary master of arms) as a cruelly baddie role as nasty sheriff is terrific , subsequently the would play similar roles in other oaters . As secondaries appear usual Spanish actors Jose Calvo(Silvanito in ' A fistful of dollars'), Angel Alvarez (Django), Antonio Casas (Once upon a time in the West) , Fernando Rey (Return of Magnificent Seven) Jose Canalejas , Frank Braña , Lorenzo Robledo and Italian players as Ricardo Pizzuti ( ordinary in Terence Hill and Spencer movies ), among others .There are many fine technicians and nice assistant direction and excellent production design by Carlo Leva with a magnificent scenario plenty of barren outdoors, dirty landscapes under a glimmer sun and a fine set filmed in Calahorra (Granada) and Tabernas (Almeria), furthermore interiors shot in Elios studios(Rome) , as usual and correctly photographed by Stelvio Massi .The picture is full of nice sound by Luis Bacalov , he composes a vibrant soundtrack in Morricone style and well conducted , he subsequently won Oscar for ¨The postman and Pablo Neruda¨ .The motion picture is well directed by Tonino Valeri who was Sergio Leone's assistant. Valeri managed to make a fluid, witty and agreeable SW. Tonino Valeri's so-so direction is well crafted, here he's less cynical and humorous and more inclined toward violence and lots of killings . He proved his experience in Western such as ¨The hired gun ¨ , ¨My name is nobody ¨ with Henry Fonda and Terence Hill , ¨The day of anger ¨with Lee van Cleef and ¨ Taste of Killing¨ with Craig Hill and George Martin .

After the civil war, Willer (Giuliano Gemma) who was 4 years in prison for treason, lives in Texas when president Garfield (Van Johnson) comes to visit the unruly state. Although the president was his judge in the trial years ago, Willer rescues his life from assassins. But there is quite a big conspiracy going on involving sheriff Jefferson (Benito Stefanelli) and the owner of the bank of Texas (Fernando Rey) who blackmails the vice president, so plans for a new attempt to murder the president are made immediately.

Good quality western by Tonino Valerii who shot "Day of Anger" (also with Gemma) the year before and went on to make "My Name Is Nobody" with Henry Fonda and Terence Hill. "The Price of Power" may not be historically accurate (and by the way, the sweet little nothing the saloon dancer is almost wearing comes straight from a 1969 nightclub), and it plays too obviously with the similarities to the JFK assassination case, yet unlike many Italian westerns it rarely drifts away into a bizarre anti-hero fantasy world, the exception being the duel rituals between Willer and Jefferson.