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 Post subject: Re: What have you been watching?
PostPosted: 05 Jul 2021, 02:17 
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OK so due to good ole Ted I've picked up the DVD release of Spaghetti Western Bible vol. 2 10 Feature film collection Sartana the Complete Saga.
I must stick to my promise to myself of never buying blurays unless its a dual set of DVD bluray combo.

Watching the first of 10 films in this set titled Blood at Sundown aka 1000 dollari sul nero - $1000 on the Black.
This is the first film featuring the character Sartana.
Its a very slow one and I kept trying to find out the other titles in the Bluray box but see that this isn't in there.
Played by the same actor Gianni Garko.

Very slow film to the say the least, I do hope the others get better and this is just a sample of what's to come.
Next is If you meet Sartana Pray for your death.

Edit: watched the first few minutes of Pray and it has Klaus so it must be great :thumbup:
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 Post subject: Re: What have you been watching?
PostPosted: 05 Jul 2021, 12:19 
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rein-o wrote:
Spaghetti Western Bible vol. 2 10 Feature film collection Sartana the Complete Saga.


Hadn't heard of this box set. It looks like an interesting collection, though do note a couple of things. The transfers don't look to be the best (the Arrow set is comprised of all new scans from original camera negatives, except for the first film which is an interpositive as I think the original is assumed lost). Also there are lots of 'unofficial' Sartana films included here. I've never seen any of them so don't know how good they are. The Arrow box set is the complete collection of 'official' Sartana films which, like the guy on that advert who says you will love the way you look, I personally guarantee (whatever that's worth!) are all utterly epic!

More info on the box set you bought here: https://cinemaraiders.blogspot.com/2011 ... vol-2.html

rein-o wrote:
Next is If you meet Sartana Pray for your death.


An excellent choice. Although I started out with Sartana's Here...Trade Your Pistol For A Coffin, which not only knocked my socks clean off but also incinerated them, stuffed the ashes in to a cannon and fired them in to the Sun. Light The Fuse... is possibly the only film to surpass it's wonderfulness if only for the climax scene imho.

Side note. The dubs on the official Sartana films all sound as dull as dishwater. Go for the original Italian audio if it's available on your box set.

rein-o wrote:
Edit: watched the first few minutes of Pray and it has Klaus so it must be great :thumbup:


Yes. Yes it is. :thumbup:
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 Post subject: Re: What have you been watching?
PostPosted: 05 Jul 2021, 15:05 
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Yeah I couldn't figure out at first but then read that there were only the few official ones, the first one I watched wasn't a great film.

These only have the English dub and are all archival remastered directly from the directors own private 2nd gen VHS tapes.
Or at least so far the first two films are, good enough for me to enjoy as I need to keep my oath as to not buy blu rays.

And yes the first one I saw has some horrible dubbing that even my wife was bothered with and wasn't even watching the film.
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 Post subject: Re: What have you been watching?
PostPosted: 05 Jul 2021, 16:50 
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Worst case scenario you can stream the Arrow versions at https://www.arrow-player.com (free 30 day trial). Years of Lead box set is on there too (because everyone needs a dose of Poliziotteschi films in their life!).

I hope the dreadful dubbing doesn't ruin the official Sartana films for you. Seriously recommend the Arrow set if possible to get the best experience currently available. Regardless, great to see someone else giving the Sartana films a try. I hope you enjoy them. (The official films anyway!)
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 Post subject: Re: What have you been watching?
PostPosted: 06 Jul 2021, 18:28 
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Just to add, I watched Savage Three last night on Arrow Player (Years of Lead is sold out everywhere at the moment and I'm suffering 1970's Italian crime film withdrawls).

The Arrow Player version of Savage Three is the same as the Region B box set in that it is the censored version. If you want the full uncut print you need to either buy the USA box set or buy the Region B box set and play it in a region A player to enable the uncensored print.

To be honest you are not missing much with the censored print, it's to do with a scene at the start of the film that features animal cruelty. The only thing is the edit is quite obvious and jarring.
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 Post subject: Re: What have you been watching?
PostPosted: 06 Jul 2021, 19:54 
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The kid and I watch TV before bed. We are about half way though Heidi of the Alps (1974) and after that we were watching Cosmos but that ended so we are juggling between Columbo and Star Trek (TOS).

The quality of all of these shows is beyond comparison. I can’t even tell you my favorite.
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 Post subject: Re: What have you been watching?
PostPosted: 07 Jul 2021, 23:11 
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Watched "Escape from LA" on LD last night... the picture was decent (even zoomed to fit 128" 2.35:1), AC3 mix wasn't too impressive, and the film was pretty bog-standard early-90s action fare. I mostly watched it so I could include the disc as an AC3 test-disc in a player/demodulator/VP lot I'm selling.
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 Post subject: Re: What have you been watching?
PostPosted: 13 Jul 2021, 10:38 
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Image

Dug my hand in to my Mill Creek 200 films box set last night and randomly pulled out 1974 blaxploitation epic Jive Turkey (later re-titled to the rather odd Baby Needs A New Pair Of Shoes). I've seen a few films of this genre over the years, most recently Fred Williamson's Western extravaganza Boss N***** which was surprisingly very enjoyable. Jive Turkey though was a total new one on me. Never heard of it or it's later re-title. From some post-viewing research it would appear that Jive Turkey is a highly regarded film and is often touted as being a 'forgotten film' and sorely overlooked when buried in amongst the pile of films such as Bamboo Gods & Iron Men (a personal favourite), Dolemite, Penitentiary (and it's sequel), Black Heat, Super Fly, Foxy Brown, Black Belt Jones, Blackula and of course the mighty Shaft, to name just a few. Apologies if I didn't mention any of your favourites.

Set in 1956 (though everything about this film, even down to the majority of the cars reeks of the 1970's) the film centres around crime boss Pasha (Paul Harris) who runs a highly profitable numbers game in Harlem. The problem is the Mafia want to take control of his business and turf wars ensue shortly before Pasha meets with Mafia boss Big Tony (played by the excellent Frank DeKova) who tells him a mob in Chicago have put a contract out on him. It's now down to Pasha to either give in to the mob demands or fight to keep what's his.

Given that Jive Turkey was made on what looks like a budget of $3.27 inc GST, the final product is surprisingly good. You get some flashy (albeit basic) opening credits, some nice make up and effects for the kills and shootouts, a frantic car chase and an absolutely spectacular soundtrack (please someone, tell me where I can find the soundtrack). What you don't get is above average acting, tight editing and a story that makes a whole lot of sense 100% of the time. The plot tends to go off at some bizarre tangents every so often, leaving you scratching your head at numerous intervals. Moments of sloppy editing do nothing to help this either. That said, the film still manages to be highly engaging and 90 minutes or so is over before you know it.

One of the standout pieces in Jive Turkey are the underlying themes that appear to simmer throughout the runtime. Some moments of police corruption and brutality appear to be conveying a message that is more than just something slotted in for entertainment purposes, however naive they look thanks to the low budget. Pasha's sidekick Serene, a transvestite, plays a key figure in the film. Forgive me if I interpreted this incorrectly but for a film made in 1974 when 'times were different' including opinions towards acceptance, diversity and inclusivity, I felt it was a bold move to have such a character. I can't find any more information on Don Edmondson/Tawny Tan who played Serene unfortunately. As an aside I did wonder about the remark in the opening credits about the film being a true story (this is followed by a title card stating that "Only the Names, Places, and Events have been changed to Protect the Innocent.") might have a minute element of fact around it. In 1956 prominent figure Stephanie Saint-Clair was running a numbers game in Harlem that the Mafia wanted in on (according to Wikipedia). Saint-Clair never submitted to them despite the attempts to take her out and control the area. Reading up on this piece of history I got the sense that Jive Turkey may have taken some sort of inspiration for it's plot from this. It is merely my own speculation of course.

I didn't realise until after watching the film on DVD that Code Red put out a Blu Ray in 2016 from the original camera negative. You get a superb 1:78:1 picture in a world first high definition scan of the negatives. Compared to the Mill Creek DVD which is in 1:33:1 and appears to be from a VHS transfer. Both the DVD and Blu Ray are not restored in any way, this is just the raw scan and that is it. Be prepared for a lot of scratches, dirt, (literal) cigarette burns, cue marks and scuzzy audio from time to time. It bothered me none as I feel it adds to the experience. It's great to see Jive Turkey out on Blu Ray and I for one will definitely be picking up a copy. A note to make about the Mill Creek DVD which really vexed me. A couple of times throughout the film a Mill Creek logo watermark would appear for a few seconds at a time. I cannot understand why they felt the need to do this. It really spoils the viewing experience and I've a good mind to write to them to ask what the reason behind this practice is. The only people that do that are those sketchy folks that go in to cinemas and record the screen and punt out moody DVD's with their watermark all over them. I thought I'd seen the last of that practice way back in the day when friends at school who went to Greece and Malta on their school Summer holiday break and came back with a couple of VHS tapes of films not out yet. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Silence Of The Lambs and Terminator 2 (which was missing the last 20 minutes due to the pirate recording Match Of The Day over the end of the film) are just a few of the watermarked 'treasures' that emerged from the Med in the early 1990's.

I think Jive Turkey is certainly a 'must see' if you are a fan of the genre. For the curious I would recommend it for a viewing although you may not get as much out of it. Either way I think Jive Turkey is a film that is long overdue re-emergance from the shadows of it's peers and given the respect it deserves. It's a valiant effort on such a low budget and genuinely enjoyable, if a little confusing in places. Seek it out. :thumbup:

Here's the Jive Turkey trailer if anyone is interested in seeing more:



And here is the Baby Needs A New Pair Of Shoes Trailer:

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 Post subject: Re: What have you been watching?
PostPosted: 14 Jul 2021, 14:57 
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trying to watch Lone Wolf and Cub but at the moment I seem to want to do other things. But anyway the first movie is it stated or implied that the kid he was suppose to execute (when he went around executing lords and what not) ends up as his "son" when he becomes a ronin and is the cub part of the lone wolf act. I read some of the books but I don't remember any of it. or is he just some random kid?
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 Post subject: Re: What have you been watching?
PostPosted: 14 Jul 2021, 16:03 
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Nope, that’s his son.

Maybe you’re watching a reboot? :)
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 Post subject: Re: What have you been watching?
PostPosted: 14 Jul 2021, 17:44 
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nah its the original. I just think too much.
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 Post subject: Re: What have you been watching?
PostPosted: 14 Jul 2021, 21:53 
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no, no, no......

In the beginning of the first film the child that he helps commit Seppuku is a young lord and he cuts the arm of the other older man who is helping with the
small sword which is a fan if I remember correctly.

His son is another child and is son not the same.
Itto is a second, a person who helps with committing seppuku so they don't suffer I think, its a tradition, and the young lord was someone else
and he was helping the young lord who is NOT his son.


Anyway just got in the mail yesterday and watched Gdleen (1989) [TLL 2160]
Very happy to have another anime in the collection.
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 Post subject: Re: What have you been watching?
PostPosted: 15 Jul 2021, 03:53 
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Cool as ice on Blu Ray ( new release ) and American pie on Laserdisc.
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 Post subject: Re: What have you been watching?
PostPosted: 15 Jul 2021, 12:34 
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rein-o wrote:
no, no, no......

In the beginning of the first film the child that he helps commit Seppuku is a young lord and he cuts the arm of the other older man who is helping with the
small sword which is a fan if I remember correctly.

His son is another child and is son not the same.
Itto is a second, a person who helps with committing seppuku so they don't suffer I think, its a tradition, and the young lord was someone else
and he was helping the young lord who is NOT his son.


Anyway just got in the mail yesterday and watched Gdleen (1989) [TLL 2160]
Very happy to have another anime in the collection.


I don't remember any of this from the manga but after watch more of the movie I understand know. Its a great movie hopefully I finish this and watch the other 2.
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 Post subject: Re: What have you been watching?
PostPosted: 15 Jul 2021, 15:56 
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It may be different in the manga, my brother had them years ago, the comic reprints from the USA but I never read them.

But the cub was always the cub the son, his son.
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 Post subject: Re: What have you been watching?
PostPosted: 15 Jul 2021, 16:00 
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You are correct. I had forgotten about the young lord.
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 Post subject: Re: What have you been watching?
PostPosted: 16 Jul 2021, 14:38 
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I watched the series "Origin". The impression is positive, it turned out to be a wonderful television product. One of the average quality series. Until the epicness of Game of Thrones, Lost, this series falls short.
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 Post subject: Re: What have you been watching?
PostPosted: 18 Jul 2021, 12:31 
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Bananarama greatest hits weird my CLD-79 still gives the error but i manage to watch the disc. A gem of 80s girl groups.
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 Post subject: Re: What have you been watching?
PostPosted: 18 Jul 2021, 12:35 
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American Pie on Laserdisc. The picture quality is brilliant and AC3 track is solid as a rock.
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 Post subject: Re: What have you been watching?
PostPosted: 18 Jul 2021, 14:23 
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xtempo wrote:
Bananarama greatest hits weird my CLD-79 still gives the error but i manage to watch the disc. A gem of 80s girl groups.


Bananananaramamamarerer! :clap: :thumbup:
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