Les colts de la violence

After returning from twelve years in jail for a murder he did not commit, a man returns to his home town to confront his brother Sartana who he knows framed him for the crime. Sartana now rules over the area with the help of his gang of thugs but not only that, he's also stolen his brother's woman. The good brother sets about putting this right.

This is quite notable for being a more serious minded spaghetti western than was the norm. Despite this, it's still a fast-paced and entertaining affair. The plot-line is still fairly typical for the genre and by the end of this you can't say it doesn't deliver the usual spaghetti goods. Ultimately, though, it boils down to a tale of two brothers, with Anthony Steffen playing good one and Gianni Garko the one who's psychotic.

I had tried to watch this movie before, like a couple years ago, and I found it boring. I was slowly getting into spaghetti westerns at the time. I've started binging them recently, so I thought I'd try again, and without fail, I had the same reaction. This genre is known for its grittiness, realism, and unique storylines that don't necessarily revolve around racial clashes and land disputes like mainstream westerns. I'm all for that, but $1,000 on the Black has cringe acting. For a plot that's serious in nature - two brothers engaging in a vicious battle with each other - the performances are so silly. Johnny Liston (Anthony Steffen) returns to his hometown after enduring imprisonment for 12 years, for a crime that he didn't commit, only to encounter his brother, Sartana (Gianni Garko). He's taken control of the town and has everyone living in fear. He also stole his fiancee, Manuela (Daniela Igliozzi). No one is on Johnny's side, not even his own mother. She praises Sartana, completely ignoring that he's a psychopath. Johnny takes on Manuela's brother, Jerry (Roberto Miali), as his partner, a mute who's not afraid to fight back.

I had hard time seeing this as a drama. I even laughed at one point, when Johnny basically said he was in charge, and Sartana replied 'since when???' With dialogue like that, a movie's not suspenseful or powerful, even if that was the filmmakers' intention. The cast's delivery of their lines sounded so unnatural, and there was just a lot of overacting. Like the scene where Johnny told Jerry that he talked when he was a kid, then asked what happened, which led Jerry to start whimpering hysterically. I didn't wanna laugh, because the reason was evidently traumatic, but his performance was unnecessarily extra. Another issue was scenes dragging on for too long. One of the members of Sartana's gang is chasing around Joselita (Erika Blanc), the woman Johnny rescued from bandits at the beginning of the film, in a circle on his horse. He's getting substantial pleasure out of scaring her. It took Johnny too long to intervene, to the point that it had got uncomfortable to watch. I think what sealed the deal that this movie was absurd, is during the opening, when Johnny discovers Manuela living in Saratana's compound. He tells him 'I had to do it,' as if his brother being in jail for a dozen years gave him a moral obligation to steal his woman. Johnny should've had a duel with Sartana right at that moment, but he leaves instead. How much sense does that make? So there really wasn't even a need for this almost 2 hour long dumb story if he had beaten the crap out of his brother 5 minutes into the movie.

By the way, for anyone who doesn't know, there's another version of this movie, Blood at Sundown, made in 1965. It says online they're the same film, but the synopses are different on here, so I'm confused. Blood at Sundown is shorter in length, so I imagine it's probably more entertaining. I'll probably check it out, but I plan on spending the next week or so watching other spaghetti westerns. I know 1,000 on the Black mostly has positive reviews, but I personally didn't see what the big deal is.

Nice Italian Western with sad atmosphere , marvelous musical score and elements of Greek tragedy about two brothers : Cain/Abel alike . It deals with an ex-con (Anthony Steffen) out of prison and seeks justice and vengeance against his brother who wrongly incarcerated him . His sibling is called Sartana (Gianni Garco or Gary Hudson who took this pseudonym based on Gary Cooper and Rock Hudson) , a violent bandit dressed in soldier clothes and including the usual poster : ¨Wanted 10.000 dollars , dead or alive . Sartana is a leader of a nasty gang (Sieghart Rupp of ¨Fistful of Dollars¨) who carry out blackmails and massacre against various locations as Campos , Wishville, and Blackstone . The unsettling and disturbing Sartana supported by the corrupt Judge Waldorf (Carlo A'Angelo) proceeds his activities at whatever cost , acting as judge , jury and executioner . The film ends in a sentence : ¨Non Odiare Il Tuo Fratello Nel Tuo Cuore , E Non Levanti Contra Al Tuo Sangue ; Levitico XIX¨

It is a typical Spaghetti Western including common scenarios , two-fisted antiheroes , rapid zooms and strong confrontations full of shots , crossfire and violence . Nice production design shot in Elios studios and Almeria , of course , and adding a peculiar Aztec temple where the villain Sartana lives , in similar style to ¨Requiescant¨ (Carlo Lizzani) temple . Italia/Yugoslavia actor Gianni Garco or Giovanni Garkovich and the Brazilian Anthony Steffen give their ordinaries performances . Support cast is pretty well , it is filled with familiar faces from Spaghetti such as Sieghardt Rupp , Franco Fantasia , Carlo D'Angelo and Carla Calò as tragic mother . Besides , brief appearances from Sal Borghese and Riccardo Pizzuti . Evocative and thrilling musical score by Michele Lanzeranza in Ennio Morricone wake .

Being decently filmed by Colmenar Viejo and La Pedriza , Madrid , Spain and El Lacio , studios Elios Rome , Italy . This Spaghetti Western was decently shot by the Italian professional Albert Cardone . Albert was a prestigious assistant director to popular films as ¨Ben Hur¨, ¨Purple noon¨, ¨Cagliostro¨ , ¨Carmen¨ , ¨Don Camilo¨ , ¨Return of Don Camilo¨. And shot some films , most of them entertaining Westerns such as : ¨¨ Blood at Sundown¨ , ¨Kidnapping¨ , ¨Il Lungo Giorno Del Massacro¨ , ¨20.000 Dollari Sul¨ , ¨L'ira Di Dio¨ and starred by usual genre stars as Brett Halsey , Gianni Garco , Peter Martell , Wayde Preston , Fernando Sancho and Anthony Steffen . Rating : Better than average 6.5/10 . Only for Spaghetti Western aficionados .

This ¨Mille Dolollari Sul Nero¨ was first movie in which showed up ¨Sartana¨ , but this Sartana has nothing to do with true Sartana who appeared in ¨Se Incontri Sartana Prega Per Tu a Morte¨(1968) by Gianfranco Parolini or Frank Kramer , along with screenwriter Renato Izzo . Here Garco performed an unforgettable role as the ¨Mantello Nero¨ hero , as Sartana is a cunning card player ,elegantly dressed in black , he looks like a magician -Mandrake- more than a gunslinger . Parolini gives this character a ghostly style , introducing cynicism and amorality . To be followed by other Sartana (his origin name seems to be Satan) starred by Garco such as ¨10.0000 Dollari Per Un Massacro¨ (1967) by Romolo Guerrieri and ¨Per 1000.000 Dollari T'amazzo¨(1967) by Giovanni Fago . Then , Anthony Ascott or Giuliano Carmineo filmed 4 Sartana entries , such as : ¨Soni Sartana Il Vistro Becchino (69) , ¨Buon Funerale Amigos , Paga Sartana¨ (70) , ¨Sartana arrives¨(70) and ¨Sartana Vendi La Pistola E Comprati La Bara¨ (71), most of them starred George Hilton . Giuliano Carmineo shot with Gianni Garco two similar roles to Sartana as ¨Gli Fumavano Le Colt , Lo Chiamavano Camposanto¨(71) and ¨Lo Chiamavano Spiritu Santo¨ (72) . Subsequently , Sartana was played by William Berger in ¨Sartana in valley of the gold¨ (70) and Peter Lee Lawrence performed ¨A dollar for Sartana¨(71) by Leon Klimovski .

The sound of a plaintive solo trumpet.......a tight shot of Anthony Steffen as ex con Johnny Liston... introduces this slightly mad..somewhat fascinating...often bad but never dull Spaghetti Western from 1966. After spending 12 yrs in prison for a murder he didn't commit, he encounters a deadly ambush as he returns to town ........only to find it under the boot of a gang of vicious thugs...led by none other than his brother, Sartana (No..not THAT Sartana)....a loony self styled 'General' commanding the forces of a brutal protection racket. Johnny also discovers his former lover, Manuela, in his camp...(which looks kinda like a combination Aztec temple/fort built into the side of a mountain..) He visits his wacked out mother.....living in what looks (architecturally) like a Greek Temple...the "queen", if you will..of the town..deluded & under the spell of luxury & power...anointed by her mad son's butchery.

Quite a morning...huh?

Directed by Alberto Cardone..a/k/a Albert Cardiff...best known for his work as assistant director on "Ben-Hur"..& second unit director on "Barbarella"...., this was Gianni Garko's first Western...and it's quite a debut. You've never..& never will again..see Garko like this...as a cruel, crazed, , psychotic maniac....with 3 entire towns under his domination......whose citizens are forced to pay tribute.........in return for his "protection".

Oozing with classical themes & references...elements of Greek tragedy...Shakespearean drama....high Italian opera..( I half expected to see someone break into an aria at any moment... a Greek chorus commenting on the action wouldn't have been a surprise, either)....Oedipal themes...religious parables (Cain & Abel)...A Christian passion play of resurrection & redemption......all stirred and whipped into a very 'Italian' melodrama. ..and quite violent (babies, women..all's fair game here) Western.

As far as I know...this was the only pairing of Steffen & Garko, who star as the conflicted brothers..............and probably the first use of "Sartana" as a character's name.

As Sartana's 'troops' march into a nearby town to collect their booty....Johnny declares "this town's under my protection", setting up some gun battles, which are basically boundary & limit defining contests......leading up to the inevitable confrontation..brother against brother...... & a starkly surreal & well filmed (best in the movie) ending......including, (but not limited to) the fires of Hell.......with the main street of the town acting as the river Styx' path to the Underworld...a biblical quote from Leviticus as we fade..with the heavens darkening & grumbling...(Zeus didn't make an appearance...but that doesn't mean he wasn't in the vicinity......)

Composer Michele Lacerenza was a trumpet player on the Fistful of Dollars score...& manages to come up with a serviceable soundtrack...including the melancholy trumpet theme...numerous Morricone rips--> electric guitar & flute..., organ music...and what sounds like incidental opera music.

While there's no shortage of things gone a little wrong here...there are ridiculous shots of the sun accompanied by cheesy organ music... some absurd dialogue..bad dubbing..... silent film style- like overacting.....& some intense closeups of maniacal laughter...which we all know & love from countless SW...I would never dismiss this as one to avoid.

There's a lot going on here..& while much of didn't work...some of it did...& can be quite a hoot if viewed w/ the right spirit.

It could qualify as a somewhat campy...fascinating failure of a stewpot of themes & references...& w/ the 'Wow' factor of Garko's Spaghetti Western 'debut'...the pairing of Steffen & Garko.... It can be a somewhat bizarre...weirdly entertaining hour and a half or so.

Johnny Liston has just finished his twelve-year term in prison and returns back to his hometown to find out his brother Sartana rules the nest and has married his woman. Knowing that his brother framed him, Johnny with the help of his old girlfriend's mute brother Jerry, goes about trying to restore the justice to the ramshackle towns.

The typical staples show up prominently in this surprisingly well-made and rather hard-boiled showcase of spaghetti western bravado. A bit of everything is chucked for good measure in this baroque and rather intense soap opera, which oddly enough has a bemusing amount of developments going on. As its always incident packed (some quite bizarre too), where the high stakes never really take a backseat. Its rough around the edges, but this only enhances that grand guignol splendour of grit, dirt and being soaked in sweat. Albert Cardiff's kinetically snappy and surefooted direction engineers some cracking visuals and paints a very atmospheric mood (like the cracking final confrontation that was meant to be). He makes sure it quickly moves on without bogging us down. Gino Santini, who gets many actively singular zooms and earthy framework shaping it, brightly photographs it. The bone dry and rocky surroundings gave it a real rough edge and Santini milks it accordingly. Michelle Lacarenza's crackerjack soundtrack with that harmonious awe could up the neurotic flair at anytime. Those three facets really gave this production its added bite and overall striking competence. The clunky story is more than a simple revenge formula (well like mentioned by other IMDb reviewers; also a Shakespearean tragedy element streams through it and that of the closeness of family that moulds the town). Flourishing throughout are hilariously campy dialogues and uneven performances. There's dry jokes and subtle humour there about in the script, but it's never over-used. A real mean vibe is chalked up here, as its violent (with its constantly bruising brawls), but not terribly explicit with little blood spilt. At times it can come off as unintentionally silly and Roberto Miali takes the brunt of it with his over-exaggerated performance of the mute, Jerry. Gianni Garko gracefully hams it up as the insane, viper-like villain, Sartana and does an excellent job of it too. Antonio De Teffè is a steady head as Johnny and the stunning Erika Blanc is perfectly cast as vengeful lady Joschita. Franco Fantasia and Carlo D'Angelo are equally good in their parts. Every main character has a complex situation eating away at them that gives them all a little more weight. The dubbing for them is just plain atrocious that I had wish I saw it in its original format.

A fun and real spirited low-budget spaghetti western that can be a stylish and often poetic treat for fans of the sub-genre.