Il grande duello

It could be said that The Grand Dual is merely a vehicle for its lead star, and whoever said it wouldn't necessarily be wrong; but while this film doesn't feature a lot of originality, it's also true that Italian cinema was based on repeating itself, and the film definitely succeeds in providing an enjoyable slice of western action. The script was penned by Giallo supremo Ernesto Gastaldi (The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh, The Case of the Bloody Iris), and that's not surprising as there are shades of Giallo throughout, and the film works both as both as a violent action flick and an intriguing mystery film. The plot focuses on Sheriff Clayton as he becomes involved in the murder of a man so-called 'The Patriarch' through his association with the sly Philipp Wermeer. The film follows the pair as they make their way through bandits and bounty hunters and eventually end up in Saxon town, where the sons of the Patriarch live. They've fingered Wermeer as the murderer of their father, and naturally want him hanged; but there's a twist to the identity of the murderer.

Lee Van Cleef made his name with Sergio Leone and the masterpiece westerns 'For a Few Dollars More' and, of course, 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly'. This film is nowhere near the quality of those two, but Van Cleef does well in his 'man in black role', which is a variation on the common western 'loner' theme, which was made famous by the likes of Clint Eastwood and Django. Van Cleef's presence is felt throughout, and he continually makes every scene his own. As you might expect, the rest of the cast don't live up to the central star; but even so, The Grand Dual features a good ensemble cast, and Peter O'Brien does especially well in his central role. The film features a lot of shootouts and chases on horseback, which are always good to see; but at times, The Grand Dual puts too much focus on entertainment value and this can mean that the plot suffers. Even so, the story plays out well; and the final twist is a real standout, as even though it's pretty obvious throughout - Gastaldi manages to throw in a twist just before it, which makes the final twist come as a surprise. Overall, this film isn't one of the great Spaghetti westerns - but it's a good one and comes recommended.

The best English version on DVD is the Wild East release. The Italian print has been released on Japanese DVD by Imagica. Contentwise, these versions appear identical. Both run 90 minutes, give or take a few seconds, attributable to print damage and abrupt reel changes. The 'bloody hand print' shot present in the US trailer is missing from both versions. Presumably, the director or producers felt it was too hokey. Given the bloody gunfights, it's unlikely the shot was cut for being too gory. The film was shot in English - albeit without direct sound - making this the preferred audio choice. While Lee Van Cleef and Jess Hahn dubbed themselves, the rest of the cast have the usual 'spaghetti' dubbing, with some English accents thrown in. The Wild East DVD is taken from a faded, battered print, with plenty of dirt and scratches. Curiously, the credits are in Italian, apart from the awkwardly inserted title card. The Imagica DVD has superior picture quality, despite some heavy print damage early on. The image is sharper, the colours stronger. Question: what's the shoe-banging scene all about?

Horst Frank witnesses Horst Frank being shot while hiding in a box. A George Harrison lookalike leaps over an entire building while shooting bounty hunters. A pox ridden gay guy guns down dozens of innocent people. What's going on? Lee Van Cleef knows, but he isn't answering any questions…at all!

Horst is the crooked mayor of Saxon City since his father (also Horst Frank) was probably, but possibly not, gunned down by George Harrison. Horst's brother is the ultra-camp murderer cleaning up loose ends and making sure the family get all the silver that George Harrison's deceased father found in the hills. Lee Van Cleef is the has-been sheriff who is out to clear George Harrison's name, indulge in a bit of banter, be as vague as humanly possible about every question he's asked, and plug him a few bad guys into the bargain.

It's a run of the mill plot that still entertains due to a full on pace, loads of interesting characters, and of course a duel at the end. Good sets in this one too (especially the riverside tavern) which is something I don't say much as usually it's the same set you see over and over and over again. If you're quick you'll spot that ugly bastard that played the Beast in the reprehensible The Beast In Heat.

I guess there's a little influence of the gialli here as the you've got the mystery of who killed Horst Frank's father Horst Frank. I'm just glad they didn't try to turn the "Lee Van Cleef partnering up with a young guy" plot and turn it into a comedy.

I read the other comments previous to mine, and won't add to what's already been said, except to say that I really thought there were some remarkable features here.

For example, there's the device of panning a shot from point A to point B. I'm sure there's a technical term for this kind of shot, but I'm no professional, and don't know what it is. But what seemed to me unusual was the very smooth, automatic auto-timing of the transition. Say looking at Clayton for a few long seconds; then as if someone flips a switch, the camera looks from Clayton to Wermeer, traveling at a fixed rate of speed; and upon arriving at Wermeer, the camera proceeds to look at Wermeer for several long seconds.

There were some strange anachronisms. The hair styles seemed very much out of 1970s era. Some of the strangest "western" headgear I've ever seen were in evidence. These chapeaux looked more like something from the Mardi Gras of New Orleans or the Carnivale of Milano than any Western story. Likewise, the almost Gucci-esquire look of the attire of Adam Saxon.

Some very "spaghetti western" style over-the-top grittiness. So in the opening scene, the tall, tall, tall rock. Then we have Lee Van Cleef playing Clayton in a black, black Western outfit in stark contrast to the white outfits of the Saxons. Then we have this strange contraption involving a gun booby-trap set up to blow up their carriage on opening the door near Silver Bell. I loved the game of checkers played with full shot glasses that the players drank whenever they "jumped" someone. Then the room Clayton stays in, full of bullet holes in the walls. When he asks the proprietress if he could have another room, she says there are three kinds of rooms there: "rooms with women in them; rooms for card-games; and this one is for shooting bullets in." Nuff said, right? I loved the final scene ... sort of a Spaghetti Western version of the Shootout at the OK Corral. The love of the grotesque - such as Adam Saxon's pock-marked face - he is sardonically called "Pocksy" at one point. The typical spaghetti western tongue-in-cheek humor is present in such bits, and throughout the movie.

All in all, if you like spaghetti westerns, please do yourself a favor, get this one on DVD, and enjoy! Charles Delacroix

Released in 1972 (1974 in the USA) and directed by Giancarlo Santi, "The Grand Duel" is a Spaghetti Western starring Lee Van Cleef as a grizzled ex-sheriff who helps a framed man (that looks like Barry Gibb from the Bee Gees) confront the politically powerful trio of brothers who want him slain.

This is an okay Euro-oater, but nothing to write home about. Van Cleef is stalwart as the grim hero, of course, and the three sibling villains are interesting, particularly the whacko effeminate one who massacres scores of settlers with a Gatling gun. The titular confrontation of the climax is akin to the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, albeit with one person against three. In the female department, Dominique Darel and Alessandra Cardini are on hand as Elisabeth and Anita respectively, both good-looking in different ways, but their presence is never capitalized on. 'Barry Gibb' is fine as the secondary protagonist. There are some curious over-the-top sequences, like a character catching a bullet with his teeth and someone else being catapulted, which seem incongruous with the generally serious-but-quirky proceedings.

The movie runs 98 minutes and was shot in Uliveto Terme, Vicopisano, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy, and Elios Studios in Rome.

GRADE: C