Der Mann aus Virginia

No, this Italian/Spanish production does not pretend to take place in California per se, it's just the nickname of our leading man, played by Giuliano Gemma. The man becomes an outlaw when released from a prison camp on account of the end of the civil war (tough break!) We can tell his heart is in the right place as he defends the honour of a little white kitty (and a plate of beans) in this dreary wet town. Young William Preston (singer Miguel Bose) also notices and being in the same predicament, keeps nagging California to take him on as a sidekick. Naturally California resists at first, but they soon bond during a spot of leapfrog catching in the mud with some other nondescript men. William wants to see his sister, who is actually played by the guys real sister Paola (a case of smart casting or of cheap family politics?). As always, there is also a bounty hunter on their trail who goes by the name of Rope Whitaker (not the singer).

You can tell this was made more than ten years after "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by the fact that the three main characters are now "The Goodlooking, the Cute and the Handsome". Another dead giveaway is the disco beat accompanying the mouth organ heavy score. Just when you think the two heroes are getting a bit too close for comfort (they only have one horse between them), there is a shocking slow mo twist that I won't spoil here. This is followed by another thing I cannot mention without giving away the first one. Harumph. this is turning into "The Crying Game". Well anyway, revenge is in order and California takes it upon himself to eliminate the bad guys one by one (as you do). Whenever this guy gets into a fight, he literally tears the entire house down and leaves the other party lying in the rubble. The action also includes more tiresome slow motion work that only John Woo fans can truly appreciate. California eventually makes Whitaker sing his 'last farewell' and gets Williams' real life sister thrown into the bargain, but only at the cost of the decline of the Spaghetti Western.

4 out of 10

In the days following the Civil War, defeated Confederate Giuliano Gemma and a young traveling companion encounter various killers, low-lives and unsympathetic citizens. When his friend is killed, Gemma stays with the boy's family and protects them from a vicious gang of bounty hunter turned outlaws.

As usual, Gemma's good. However, he's defeated by an unrelentingly depressing story, an atmosphere of doom and gloom and a grating, almost non-stop soundtrack. One interesting thing though, are the sights of the crumbling, once great spaghetti western sets of the previous decade.

One thing I didn't quite get is that early in the movie, the boy makes a big deal of how he comes from Georgia and his family lives in Georgia and how he's headed back to Georgia. When Gemma gets to the family farm, it's in the middle of the desert! What happened to Georgia?

Watch The Outlaw Josey Wales instead.

Michele Lupo does a creditable job of directing CALIFORNIA. Photography is far superior to what you normally see in a spaghetti western, and the acting generally better, too. Gemma posts one of his finer career performances and the script is reasonably logical, so I did enjoy it.

The negatives: overlong by about 15 mins, far too much boxing where shooting would have been expected, and a 1970s soundtrack in a movie about people who lived about 100 years earlier.

Interesting revisionist angle on the revengefulness of Union in relation to the Confederacy. and touches of a road movie as Gemma and Miguel Bosé travel long distances together, on foot and on horseback.

No wonder that California isn't as popular as so many other Spaghetti-Western. It is entertaining but not funny like My Name is Nobody or violent like Four of the Apocalypse. IMO California is one of the last real Spaghetti Western but the filmmakers didn't want to do a typical Western. Somehow it reminds of one of the many 50's Western flicks but with a darker a more sinister story. Maybe you can compare California with Keoma or The great Silence. Also like in these Movies it isn't so easy to say who really the hero is. Is it Guiliano Gemma as California, who hates his old name and has enough from all that Killing and Shooting? His opponent is Raimund Harmsdorf a German actor and is best known in supporting roles in so many B-Movies or German TV Shows. In California Harmsdorf has a fairly good role and he did some fine acting. He is a ruthless Bounty Hunter who kills Confederates Soldiers for Money. Unfortunately politics changes and he is getting an Outlaw. For a SW there are interesting characters and not just a faceless Hero and his Villain. Sorry but the figures aren't simply Black and White in this drama and there are no funny jokes of Guiliano.

I wasn't quite happy with this melodramatic Organ 70's like Music. In some way it fits in some not. The photography is bleach and the environment looks dirty. Towns and people seemed to be destroyed by the war and this world has nothing to do with the beauty as you can see in Once Upon a Time in the West. Some Scenes are taking place in a Ghost Town. These Scenes are very climatic and give the audience more of the Apocalyptic Feeling. The Storyline has two parts. A travel at the end of the American Civil War and then a Vendetta as it we have already seen in so many contributions to the Genre. But it wouldn't be a typical Spaghetti Western if this Vendetta wouldn't be different. California (1977) hasn't a lot in common with Gemma's first western A Pistol for Ringo (1964).

For me this melodramatic western was a big surprise. The storyline and the figures are fine written. It's not a Feel Good Movie or just another action loaded Hero Tale of the West. Of course it has some flaws and there are some weak points in the second part but overall it's an interesting flick. Director Michelle Lupo did a good job and it was his last serious western too. Buddy goes West (1981)is more a Comedy than a Western. One year later Lucio Fulci master of Giallo and Horror directed a Spaghetti Western with a similar look: Silver Saddle (1978). Guiliano Gemma is the main cast again but Fulci's Movie isn't so sinister and dark than this one. IMO these two Movies were the last Highlights of the Spaghetti Western Genre and then this fascinating Genre ended.

Explains why they stopped making spaghetti westerns..average, Humourless and ultimately boring