Arca1943

Of course, there will always be some narrow-minded people to remain highly prejudiced against death - especially their own - while in fact, let's say it, death can be so funny ! Unforgettable comedies such as 'Arsenic and Old Lace' (USA), 'Kind Hearts and Coronets' (Britain), 'Divorzio all'italiana' (Italy), 'El Verdugo' (Spain) and of course 'L'Auberge rouge' (France) all should have been granted, in their time, some kind of prestigious Dark Humour or Macabre Humour prize. (Maybe we could call it the Golden Guillotine Award ?) Adapted from a true crime story that took place in 1833 - the Auberge de Peyrebeille affair - this witty gem was remarkably well cooked by screenwriters Jean Aurenche and Pierre Bost and director Claude Autant-Lara, decidedly at the top of their game with this black comedy featuring some inimitable acting à la française : Fernandel, hilarious as always, Julien Carette as truculent as a peasant serial killer can be, and above all the great (and diabolical !) Françoise Rozay, accompanied by a bunch of crunchy second-roles specialists, PLUS the very cool song "La Ballade de l'Auberge rouge" sung by Yves Montand himself! 'L'Auberge rouge' is a great French classic, providing amusement, remarkable atmosphere and even joie de vivre - for those who survive !

I've always liked Italian westerns and I enjoyed this one as well. Good script by Argento, great music by Lavagnino (who composed the score for such great Italian as Tutti a casa). But let's admit it, there is an evident problem with the casting. Bud Spencer, William Berger and the other dude are O.K. within the limits of the genre, but - oups ! - in the role of the bad guy, they're facing one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, no less. Ladies and gentlemen, Tatsuya Nakadai ! English being only my second language, I am a little bit limited when it comes to finding the right words to describe the work of this phenomenal actor. His fame outside Japan mostly came from a series of outstanding samurai movies such as Hara-Kiri, Sword of doom or Goyokin. (Among many others) Yet all those samurais are remarkably different from one another, for Nakadai's trademark is mercurial versatility. His acting technique sometimes seems so different from one movie to the next that you'd hardly believe it's the same man. And of course he interpreted plenty of other characters besides samurais, such as the unfortunate hero in Kobayashi's monument The Human Condition.

I could go on talking about this artist for quite a while. Suffice it to say that watching this western put me somewhat in a sad mood. I'm sure Mr. Nakadai enjoyed himself a lot doing this movie - and it shows ! - but when you have the incredible luck to get such an actor in your cast, frankly it is your responsibility to come out with an outstanding spaghetti western, not just an average-to-good like this one unfortunately is. It's too bad such a project didn't fall in the hands of a more imaginative Italian western director - Sollima or Corbucci or even Colizzi.

Yet again, this western is good enough, and is certainly worth watching would it be just for Tatsuya Nakadai alone, playing the villain - and madman - James Elfego with rejoicing maestria. Since the character is in no way a Japanese, Mr. Nakadai does not have his legendary 'sword of doom' with him - but watch your head, for he does have a machete !