Arrow Films Review: Day of Anger (1967, Tonino Valerii)

  Original title “I giorni dell'ira”

“Lee Van Cleef has been dirty, "ugly" and downright mean... now watch him get violent.”

Poor Scott Mary (Giuliano Gemma, The Leopard) just can't seem to catch a break. If he's not carrying out back breaking and menial work, he's constantly being treated appallingly by the townsfolk. Well, except for a local prostitute named Gwen (Christa Linder, Alien Terror). Things begin to change for the better when a mysterious stranger by the name of Frank Talby (Lee Van Cleef, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly) passes through the town on his horse. After hearing about Scott's mistreatment, Frank takes pity on him and invites him to the local saloon for a drink. Whilst ordering drinks, Frank witnesses first hand just how abhorrent the townsfolk really are towards Scott and in a moment of self defence, guns down a local thug. Naturally, Frank is pardoned on the basis of self defence and Scott feels the repercussions of the event. With nowhere else to turn, Scott pursues Frank and as a result Frank decides to take him under his wing and teaches him the way of the gunslinger. What starts out as an invaluable education in both skill and self-confidence soon turns to be a detriment to Scott's already soured reputation. Things become even more complicated when it turns out that Frank was more than just a mysterious stranger passing through...

  Day of Anger is a standout entry in to what is an overly-saturated genre. There are many reasons why it is so highly regarded as it is with cult cinema fans. One of the main reasons is down to a solidly written script from Valerni himself and Ernesto Gastaldi (My Name is Nobody) based on an initial idea by a young Renzo Genta (Jungle Holocaust). Although credited as an adaptation of Rolf Becker's Der tod Ritt Dienstags (Death Rode on Tuesdays), the film only uses a handful of scenes from the book, it was at the request of the German producers that the book be credited. Although the story is simple and somewhat familiar, it's handled well and contributes to a film that flows smoothly even with a runtime of around 114 minutes in its original theatrical form. Within that script are solidly forged and believable characters. Again, theses characters are familiar, but you don't care. Van Cleef's portrayal of Talby is not too dissimilar to Eastwood's portrayal of “The man with no name”. He's a mysterious rogue that stands up with the greatest of anti-heroes. To compliment him, we have the down on his luck-cum-confident hero character of Gemma's Scott Mary. The relationship of mentor and student plays out nicely and is again, believable. Both Gemma and Van Cleef handle the material nicely and put in great performances. Even minor characters such as the corrupt Judge Cutcher (Lukas Ammann, Mark of the Devil Part 2) and local bum Blind Bill (José Calvo, A Fistful of Dollars) are well acted. Everyone puts in a good performance.

  When it comes to violence, the film has some good shoot-outs and set pieces. It's not the most graphic of the genre, but it doesn't matter because the film is more of a character study. The scenes involving shoot-outs and blood work well within the context of the complete film. Naturally, these scenes, as well the film as a whole are shot beautifully. Director of photography for this outing is Enzo Serafin (Chronicle of a Love) with Silvio Fraschetti (Star Odyssey) operating the camera. This collaboration captures the action and the beautiful natural landscape of Almeria wonderfully. To compliment the beautiful aesthetics, there is the score from the ever-dependable Riz Ortolani (Cannibal Holocaust). Once again, Ortolani provides one of his best scores. For me, this in fact one of the genres best scores. It has those typical western guitar vibes, but has a somewhat jazzy edge. It's one of those scores you can listen to on its own. Those who may have not seen the actual film or heard the score itself may recognise Tarantino's use of the film's title track in Django: Unchained. All in all, Day of Anger is one of the best entries in to the genre. Thankfully, Arrow Films have done a great job with their release.

  First of all, there are two versions of the film included; the longer Italian theatrical version and the shorter international version. Out of the two, I prefer the longer cut. Both versions look and sound wonderful and the Italian version can be watched in either the English or Italian soundtrack. The subtitle track is also newly-translated. In terms of extras there are interviews with Tonino Valerii, Ernesto Gastaldi and the always insightful Roberto Curti (Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1957-1969). There's a deleted scene that appears in the international cut, bit the Italian cut, a selection of trailers and a booklet with new writings from Howard Hughes (Once Upon A Time in the Italian West: The Filmgoers' Guide to Spaghetti Westerns). Of course, there's also some newly commissioned artwork, this time from Reinhard Kleist and reversible artwork. It's a great package for new and old fans a like. I can't see a better release of this film any time soon. The only thing I will say is that even though the previous Wild East release presented the film in the wrong format with an inferior transfer, there are some extras that are on that disc that would have been nice here, but that's not a detriment to Arrow themselves. Do yourself a favour and pick up this wonderful release.

Day of Anger is available as a DVD & Blu-Ray combo from Arrow Films.PDx

Vinegar Syndrome Peekarama Review: Little Sisters (1972) / Powder Burns (1971)

LITTLE SISTERS
(1972, dir: Alex deRenzy)

"The maker of Censorship in Denmark & History of the Blue Movie has reached a new plateau in adult films."

As you can see, there is no written review for Little Sisters. I have however, recorded an episode of Mondo Squallido looking at the film. Find out what I think of it by clicking this lovely video:

POWDER BURNS
(1971, dir: Alex deRenzy)

"OUTLAW MEN - WILD WOMEN"

  After a montage of the vastness of the desert (we're nearly in Herzogian territory here!) we are thrown balls deep in to a small shoot out. Yep, welcome to the Old West! Well, not exactly! Aside from cowboys, horses and fitting music, we also have chaps wearing aviator shades and scrapped cars laying about. The year is actually 1969 and we're in the small town of Sewer Pipe Creek. The local sheriff (and barkeep) is having a spot of trouble with the pesky McNasty Brothers, a trio of brothers who like to cause chaos in the town for a couple of weeks once a year. Our hero runs the scum out of town and as a result, his saloon girls aren't too happy because although a troublesome threesome, they spend more money in the town in two weeks they are gallivanting than the locals do in a whole month. Cut to a year a later and we see the now former sheriff pondering on his career and life as he knows it. After trying to unsuccessfully woo his only remaining saloon girl, a new face appears in town. A young and curvy blonde go-go dancer nicknamed “The Golden Dream”. She struts her stuff (and what a lovely pair they are!) for the barkeep and his pals. She is an instant hit, sparking the barkeep to dream of the business opportunities his new dancer can bring to town. As he's drooling over his new busty business venture, the McNasty Brothers are padding out the run time by slowly (I mean VERY slowly) roaming the desert and causing yet more mischief. They eventually return to Sewer Pipe Creek. Will history repeat itself? Well, after some innocent enough drinking and frolicking with the new dancers (that was quick barkeep!), a fight breaks out between the brothers and a couple of locals, resulting in another shootout in which all those involved are killed (even though you can clearly see them still breathing) leaving the girls to rob the corpses! Yep, your guess is as good as mine?

 

What can I say about Powder Burns? Not that much actually. What we have here is an ultimately unforgettable film. A clumsily staged and acted outing that has more unintentional entertainment that intentional. Don't get me wrong, the comedy element works with some genuinely funny dialogue from our sheriff / barkeep. There's some nice talent on show too. Unfortunately, none of the girls are really credited, which is a shame because even though the film lacks in terms of story (an almost porn take on Samuel Fuller's Forty Guns if you will), acting and visually appealing technical elements (with the exception of the occasionally interesting use of handheld cinematography), the girls are very nice indeed and I want to see more! There are some rather odd elements too, including an extended and sped up sequence of people drinking at the bar. I have no idea why that's included, but it is and I suppose it adds to the charm (if a deRenzy film can be charming!) of the film. It's inoffensive enough, but I could see some people having major problems with some of the out of place and odd sequences. If you're here for the porn element, you may also be disappointed as the small amount of actual sex is clumped together within the final third. Yep, this is an unconventional (just like a deRenzy film should be) piece of early porno to say the least. I didn't hate the film at all, I was just expecting much more. I mean, it's Alex deRenzy making a meta western porno! It should have been more entertaining than it was.

Overall, Little Sisters is the better of the two films. Powder Burns just completely pales in comparison. That being said, how can I be too harsh when we are presented with two of deRenzy's earlier works on one disc? It's great that we are getting his work on legitimate disc in the first place! Both films are quirky and unconventional in their own way so folks looking for a different adult experience should give these a try. If you are a fan of deRenzy, chances are you already own this release. If you want a fun experience, then this is a nice double feature that is sure to go down a treat at a drunken gathering! Both films are presented in their original aspect ratio and have been cleaned up as best as possible by Vinegar Syndrome. There is clear print and sound damage, but you have to remember that chances are the original prints were probably not in the best shape. The bottom line is this is the best presentation of these films we will ever get. There are no special features on the disc, but like I said, these are two early deRenzy films so we should be thankful we have them widely available. Let's not forget that the Peekarama series is always brilliantly priced, so you are definitely getting your money's worth. This is a must own release and I look forward to what deRenzy treats we will get from Vinegar Syndrome in the future!

The Little Sisters and Powder Burns double feature is available from Vinegar Syndrome here as well as your favourite online retailers.