Noticias

VENICE, Italy -- The first Pierogi Western, Summer Love is such an observant sendup of the Spaghetti variety that it falls into the trap of parody in becoming almost too serious for its own good. Shot on location in southern Poland and featuring mostly Polish actors but with English dialogue, the film is written, directed and produced by Warsaw-born first-timer Piotr Uklanski.

Screened out of competition at the Venice Film Festival, the picture will appeal to fans of Westerns and buffs who like to see movie conventions skewered.

Following the bare-bones structure of the Spaghetti Westerns, the film has the Stranger (Karel Roden) who brings the Wanted Man (Val Kilmer) into town to collect his bounty only to lose his reward in a bizarre bet with the Sheriff (Boguslaw Linda). There's the Woman (Katarzyna Figura) causing trouble and the Big Man (Krzysztof Zaleski) full of spite, and sundry other stereotypes.

Director of photography Jacek Petrycki (who has worked with Agnieszka Holland and Krzysztof Kieslowski), editor Mike Horton ("The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers") and composers Karel Holas and India Czajkowska make everything look and sound authentic.

There is plenty of violence, and lots of close-ups and strange angles as Uklanski has fun with the formula, though it's not trying to be Blazing Saddles. Typical of the filmmaker's dry sense of humor is that Kilmer, as the big Hollywood guest star, is dead throughout the picture.