discount1957

An innocently condemned man breaks out of prison and sees that justice is done. This is a good and tough Italowestern, perfectly staged by genre-specialist Mario Caiano.

Craig Hill, as a leading man to my knowledge only known from Italowesterns (as 'Lo voglio morto', by Paolo Bianchini), but compared with actors like, say, George Hilton, too seldom seen, is here, too, a very good representative of such western-heroes. Also very good in this one are Eduardo Fajardo and Piero Lulli. By the way: 'Craig Hill' is not exactly a pseudonym (real name: Craighill Fowler, born 1926 in Los Angeles, died 2014 in Spain). Long before the Italowesterns he had appeared in Hollywoodfilms like 'All about Eve' with Bette Davis, or 'The Black Shield of Falworth' (with Tony Curtis)

Set against the epic journey of a cattle drive from Texas to Montana, The Tall Men tells the story of the competition between Gable und Ryan for the love of Russell. Ryan offers her position and wealth - he dreams of owing Montana - while Gable 'dreams small', offering her only love and a homestead in Prairie Dog Creek. Ryan is the aggressive Walsh hero, second Cousin to White Heat's James Cagney, and Gable the mature Walsh hero, a man who knows himself and therefore doesn't need to be continually testing himself. Equally significant is Russel's role. She is no prize to be given to the best man; rather she deflates the bravado of the one and the wealth of the other. Needless to say, it is she who chooses. The film is also notable for two scenes which are characteristic of Walsh. The first has Gable und brother pass a couple of corpses strung up from a tree: 'Must be getting near civilization', says Gable to Mitchell. The other is the extended sequence in which Russell and Gable spend the night in a Shack cuddling togehter to keep warm in a fashion which has a mature but nonetheless playful sexuality about it. A magnificent film.

Phil Hardy

If you are interested in old films (German films, in this case), with many well-known actors/singers of the time (Lil Babs, Lolita, Gus Backus), together with atmospheric ingredients and details, then 'Isola Bella' is a right choice for you. It's a light-weight colourful love-comedy, a kind of time-style-capsule without any aspects of sorrow, very entertaining under the above-mentioned condition. Most of the Players are long forgotten. Paul Hubschmid, Harald Juhnke (and perhaps Willy Fritsch) may still be known, in Germany, that is. Willy Fritsch was a famous German Filmstar during the years 1920 till 1960, roughly. He died in 1973, according to his imdb-biography, BUT....

.... there's A SLIGHT MiISTAKE in his imdb-biography: Among the films for which he should be known there is included 'Inglorious Basterds' by Quentin Tarantino (2009). If so, he must have been engaged out of his grave in the famous cemetery of Hamburg-Ohlsdorf, 36 years after he was buried there.