E Dio disse a Caino...

If you read the synopsis for And God Said to Cain you would be forgiven for assuming it was another archetypal Spaghetti Western. The story starts with a man called Gary Hamilton, being released by Presidential pardon from a hard labour prison sentence. And from here he immediately sets about seeking out those who betrayed him leaving him imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. Making matters worse is the fact that the chief villain, Acombar, has subsequently profited from his crime, making him a very wealthy land-baron and, to rub even more salt into Hamilton's wounds, has taken his wife as his own. It's a pretty straightforward and generic revenge narrative reminiscent of many an Italian western. But what sets this one out from the crowd a bit and gives it its interest factor is the way in which it goes about presenting this story.

Probably the single most significant element is quite a simple one. Virtually the whole story happens during one stormy night. This might not sound like much but I was raking my brains to think of another western whose main body of action all takes place during the night-time. The western genre, be it American or Italian, has a convention for action taking place mostly under the unforgivably hot, bright sun. It's a fairly ingrained part of the iconography, so much so that when a film deviates from it, it's pretty noticeable. This movie builds up the basic set-up typically enough but by the half hour mark we enter the final act and we never leave the darkness. The fact that the showdown itself last a full hour is pretty unusual too it has to be said. In this part Hamilton has to contend with Acombar's thirty henchmen and he does so via a variety of methods.

Director Antonio Margheriti was a solid, if unspectacular director who worked in a number of genres and made films such as the giallo Naked You Die. It's very possible that this could be his best effort though. He really cranks up the atmosphere in this one. The night setting sort of automatically creates a dark ambiance in truth but there are several details that really accentuate things nevertheless, such as the moody soundtrack from Carlo Savina that very much underscores the ominous tone that the director is going for. While there are some nice ideas that add an extra layer to the feel as well, such as the tolling bell that prefigures the villains doom. Even the ending is going for something interesting with a finale in a room full of mirrors.

The action is maybe a bit samey in the middle section, however, with faceless villain after faceless villain being dispatched by the hero. And the constant darkness didn't always ensure the action was always too clear which was unfortunate, although admittedly, this could be due to a poor print and not the film itself. But on the whole, this is a western that stands out a bit tone-wise and this is a good thing. And, how could I end without mentioning Klaus Kinski? He normally played the villains in the westerns he appeared in. In this one, along with Black Killer from 1971 he was in an atypical good guy role and this film, like the others he starred in, benefits from his charismatic presence.

"And God Said to Cain..." (1969), a Saghetti Western directed by Antonio Margheriti, stars Klaus Kinski, Peter Carsten and Marcella Michelangeli and is the recipient of a startling, innovative script by Antonio Margheriti and Giovanni Addessi that has a hero who prefigures Clint Eastwood in "High Plains Drifter" by being a ghost (or is he?). Even in the transcending, transgressive, aggressive genre splicing of the world of Spagheetti Westerns, this is surprising stuff.

The plot has all the hallmarks of tightly-knit Greek tragedy: it takes place in a twenty-four hour time frame as Guy Hamilton (Kinski) mysteriously seeks revenge against the rich, powerful Acombar family.

Crows shriek out whenever Hamilton's name is spoken and an ominous storms broods over the landscape; this is not so much a Western as a Horror Western. The explanation, the motivation for Hamilton's insane night of bloodletting is cursory, almost as if the filmmakers felt obliged to try to explain the unexplainable. For the film to succeed then, it has to rest on the strength of Kinski's performance, which is marvelous, a million miles away from his phone-in cameo role in the previous year "If You Meet Sartana, Pray for Your Death". The rest of the cast are admirable and the cinematography by Luciano Trasatti and Riccardo Pallottini and direction are both superb.

A Gothic Horror Western that is utterly unexpected, this is diamond that should be displayed much more than it is.

After spending 10 years in prison an inmate called Gary Hamilton (Klaus Kinski) is pardoned for a robbery of a valuable transport carrying Confederate gold that took place in the final days of the Civil War . He is a convict who was betrayed by his ex-sweetheart (Marcella Michelangeli) and framed-up by his ex-colleague called Acombar (Peter Carsten) who in an effort to incriminate Gary abandoned him water-flask at the crime scenario . Nowadays , Acombar turns out to be a wealthy owner employing a private army full of henchmen and bodyguards . Released from prison, Gary goes back the small town , there he appears as a vengeful angel and roaming here and there, despite the fact that his former partner is provided and surrounded by a small army of henchmen , resulting in fateful consequences by confronting the terrible enemies .

Above average Italian Western with chills , thrills , surprises , atmospheric sets and scary happenings . Nice Pasta western with terror elements , revolving around a merciless vendetta during a terrible wind storm and when day comes at dusk with plenty of eerie appearances , creepy murders and ghastly events. The plot is plain and simple, the ordinary revenge , Spaghetti's regular plot , as our starring plans to exact a relentless vengeance. Set at a ghastly village where happens scabrous and horrifying events in which our protagonist Kinski takes advantage of the secret network of underground tunnels that are part of an ancient Indian burial site and running under the town . In spite of a few escenarios and its medium-short budget the picture is pretty well, thanks to the adequate filmmaking , enjoyable soundtrack by Carlo Savina with catching songs at the beginning and the end , stunning cinematography by Riccardo Pallottini , Margheritti's usual cameraman , while taking great use of lights and shades as well as camera positioning to complement appropriate sinister set pieces . Of course , Antonio Margheritti delivers a nice work , in fact he was a good craftsman expert on horror and exploitation films. It packs a moving and exciting final duel between two starring Kinski and Carsten . Stars the great Klaus Kinski giving a fine acting in his usual style as the former Confederate officer who has served 10 years and subsequently takes his vengence on the family responsible for his wrongful sentence of hard labor . Pretty good Peter Carsten as the bad boy Acombar who betrayed Gary and ended up with the loot and the girl , today become a wealthy and influential land baron instructing his hoodlums to wait in ambush and kill Hamilton . Gorgeous Marcella Michelangeli plays the traitor Maria who married villian Acombar , resulting Gary's main alibi , she lied by being corrupted by Acombar's promises of money, and said that she was alone that day. While Antonio Cantafora , who used to use psedonym ¨Michael Coby¨, performs the naive and good son . Furthermore , some familar faces from Spaghetti , such as Guido Lollobrigida or Lee Burton , Gina Lollobrida's brother , Lucio De Santis, Raffaelli , Joaquin Blanco , and the regular Luciano Pigozzi as Alan Collins nicknamed the Italian Peter Lorre , among others .

This is a decent and better than average Pasta Western displaying a thrilling and frightening musical score by Carlo Savina . It contains a dark and sinister cinematography by Riccardo Pallotini . The motion picture was compellingly directed by Antonio Margheriti or Anthony M. Dawson . This Italian writer-director of horror and exploitation films, he was a former university engineering student who began in films in 1956. He was also an expert in special optical effects and model-making. Often used the pseudonym 'Anthony M. Dawson'. Antonio directed with skill and aplomb from 1956 to his death in 2002. He made all kinds of genres , some of them splendidly directed and others mediocre or failures. As he realized wartime movies, such as : ¨The Last Hunter , Tornado, Codename Wild Geese , Der Commander , Command Leopard¨. Sci-Fi : ¨War of Planets , Planet of the Prowl , Criminal of the Galaxy , Yor the Hunter from the future , Treasure Planet¨ . Spaghetti Western : Joko, Dynamite Joe , The Stranger and the Gunfighter , Take a Hard Ride , Ghosts go West , Joe implacable , God Said to Cain¨. And Terror : ¨Virgin of Nuremberg , Cannibal Apocalypse , Alien From Deep , Flesh for Dracula, Flesh for Frankenstein¨, among others . Rating 7/10. Above average . The picture will appeal to Spaghetti Western and Italian Gothic aficionados.

This is a really cool film. It is directed by Italian horror director Antonio Margheriti, and the Euro-horror influence really shows. Margheriti really creates some atmosphere with this one.

This is a very dark tale of revenge. There's nothing even remotely resembling comedy in this film. It's the tale of a man named Gary Hamilton, who was betrayed and framed for a crime he didn't commit. It's time for him to wreak havoc on those that wronged him. The bulk of the story is told with great style on a dark night with the wind howling. Hamilton has his enemies so terrified that just the mention of his name seems to make windows fly open, or birds start screeching. He stalks and outwits his enemies under cover of darkness and dust, using their own fear against them. It's a very intense, uncomplicated story.

Klaus Kinski is excellent in this film. He is well-suited for the role of Hamilton. He has a look that can be sympathetic and frightening at the same time. I would have liked to see what this movie would be like if Kinski had dubbed his own voice. If they were worried about his accent, they could have just given his character a German name. I think it would have made the role even better.

Carlo Savina comes through with a very good score for this movie. The opening theme is one of the most memorable of all the spaghetti western songs with vocals. The use of organ music adds to the Gothic atmosphere, and there is a great recurring trumpet melody that stays in your mind long after the movie is over.

This Euro-western is one that should not be overlooked. It deserves more recognition than it gets, and it's a must-see for spaghetti western fans.

After 10 years in prison, Hamilton (Klaus Kinski) swears revenge to those who betrayed him. The Showdown actually begins after only 30 minutes. After the introduction of the characters, the whole film plays during the stormy night of revenge. The most remarkable thing about this film is Margheriti's unusual visual interpretation. It lets this Western look like a horror film, with typical small effects like windows suddenly opening, curtains blowing, or birds screaming when the name Hamilton is called. Kinski's appearances have got a kind of supernatural touch, he seems to appear or disappear like a ghost. Nevertheless a natural explanation (darkness, caves, a sandstorm) is always provided. The darkest Western ever made takes place at night for two thirds of its running time. And as a stark contrast, it ends in a bright mirror room. Kinski usually played one of the bounty hunters in his spaghetti westerns. In this case, he was cast as the hero (well, anti-hero) which turned out to be a clever move. Extraordinary for the genre!