Blood Red - Stirb für Dein Land

This is a very good movie. It is well done in all respects. It is a good script with good casting. It is a delight to see the two Roberts together even though Julia has a very small role. IF you like good old fashioned tales about good and evil, good guys and bad guys, crooks and decent people, you will love this movie. Dennis hopper does what he does best, play a mean and nasty person - in this case, the railroad baron. Eric Roberts takes on the role of hero and fills that role very well. He is forced into his heroic stance by circumstance not by choice, making it all the more entertaining. This movie has it all, a villain, crooked politicians, good politicians, betrayal, a love story, little guys against giants, people fighting for their land and homes, – what more could you want. Fix yourself some popcorn, turn out the lights, sit back and allow yourself to be entertained in classic fashion. This movie does what all movies should do – no political agenda, no great moral – it is just good, old fashioned entertainment.

If this movie hadn't been shot in color, I might have mistaken it for a '40s B Western. Tell the truth: the plot was lifted from The Mark of Zorro and the names were changed, right? At least those '40s actors didn't appear to forget their lines. Or maybe no lines were written for those embarrassing scenes in Blood Red where there are painful, inexplicable gaps in both dialogue and action. This film is noteworthy only as the single film to date in which both Julia and Eric Roberts have appeared together. That's the only reason I watched it as long as I did. And what brilliant, inspired casting! They played brother and sister. My Video Movie Guide is right: this is a turkey.

This was obviously a low budget film. It shows in every scene. What is nice to see is where it was made. A lot of the film was shot in Columbia, CA, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Sonora, CA. Some of the film was also shot in Jamestown, CA, very near Columbia. There is a railroad museum in Jamestown and they used some of the old trains in the picture. "High Noon" was also shot in Jamestown, as was "Back to the Future III".

My review was written in April 1990 after watching the movie on Nelson Entertainment video cassette.

"Blood Red", a saga of oppressed Sicilian winegrowers in 19th century California, is an unsuccessful throwback to earlier forms of filmmaking. First-time screen teaming of siblings Eric and Julia Roberts makes this a definite curiosity item.

Project was announced in 1976 by producer Judd Bernard, filmed in 1986 and given a pefunctory release last summer by Hemdale.

Future film historians will ponder why this wasn't a Paramount picture, since it conforms to the themes and mood of "The Godfather", "1900" and Eric Roberts' first staring pic, "The King of the Gypsies". All that's missing is the late Sterling Hayden.

A robust Giancarlo Giannini is patriarch of one ot two families in Brandon, California, and soon is warring with robber baron railroad magnate Dennis Hopper (fitted with an unconvincing Scottish brogue here determined to get his land for his railroad's right of way.

Giannini's rebellious son, Eric Roberts, is in love with the beautiful daughter (Lara Harris) of another winegrowing clan. Hopper hires Burt Young (miscast) and his gang of mercenaries to convince Giannini and the other growers to clear out, resulting in violence. Pic ends in boring fashon with a whimper.

Ron Cutler's utterly predictable script is mainly to blame for draining "Blood Red" of interest. It emerges as a depiction in black hat/white hat terms of history in the mode of "Heaven's Gate" but without that film's controversial (but awesome) production values. Peter Masterson's direction is flat, and though there are some pretty shots, the love of the land and specifics of winegrowing are not developed.

Eric Roberts is more subdued than usual as the script fails to develop a three-dimensional character for him. His scenes with real-life sister Julia, cast as his sister, are intriguing because of the visual match. She doesn't get much chance to emote, but that nascent star quality already is evident.

Alexandra Masterson is a good match as the third sibling, while helmer's wife, Carlin Glynn (previously featured in Masterson's "The Trip to Bountiful") is solid representing the local gentry in supporting the Sicilan's just cause.

Carmine Coppola delives a romantic musical background that underscores the genre connection.

This is playing On-Demand and is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio for the first time on home video.

The Good: The acting talent speaks for itself: Eric and Julia Roberts, Burt Young, Giancarlo Giannini, Elias Koteas, Michael Madsen... The cinematography by Toyomichi Kurita is beautiful. Themes: Late 19th century California, the beginning of wine culture, immigrant vs. business interests, William Jennings Bryan populism vs robber baron statism. All the tools are there for a great film.

The Bad: The screenplay is the problem. It needed a page one rewrite from someone who could write dialogue, and who could write scenes to emphasize the political, religious, and economic issues of the period. The characterization is almost non existent, with only Giannini's part getting some depth. There is so much wasted talented in this film. Usually Eric Roberts is criticized for overacting, but this picture could have definitely benefited from his passion. Also the music by Carmine Coppola is so old-fashioned and silly that it borders on soap opera cues.

The first half will keep your attention. After that, it becomes boring. Bad dialogue, bad music, and pedestrian mise-en-scene kill the movie. I was actually rewriting the scenes in my head as I was watching the film.