Originally planning to jump straight to viewing a Spaghetti Western after seeing Quentin Tarantino's terrific Django Unchained,I decided to abruptly change plans,when I discovered,that along with having recently picked up Spaghetti Western,I had also picked up a Western from previously unknown Spanish sub-genre:the Paella Western.
The plot:
Seperareing his gang of outlaws into two groups so that they draw less attention to themselves as they cross the boarder to California,lead outlaw Porfirio Carranza wastes no time at all in getting a grip on a town right by the boarder.
Entering a quiet hacienda with some of his men,Carranza finds the only person standing in his way to be a brave hearted young man,who Porfirio quickly forces to take part in a "game" with one of his most sharp shooters,which leads to the young man being left in the dirt,to die an agonising,painful death.
Prepairing to celebrate the quick and easy taking over of the village with his fellow cowboys and his stunning girlfriend,Porfirio begins to fear that his plans may soon be disrupted,when he finds out that a stranger has recently arrived at the town's main hotel/brothel,and that the strange man is challenging Porfirio's 4 main outlaws to one of Carranza's own deadly "game's" on April 17th.
View on the film:
Whilst the IMDb page lists Eugenio Martin as a co-director,the only director listed on the psychedelic opening credits scene is Jose Luis Merino.Toning down the fiery flare of the Spaghetti Western,Merino uses the California boarder setting of the story as a way to create an unsettling mood,with the dry endless miles of sand filled with only the odd building or burning burial giving the movie a strong supernatural atmosphere.
Keeping "the stranger" from appearing until the second half of the movie, Merino uses the atmosphere which he had built up in the first half,as an environment for the stranger to perfectly blend into,with Merino showing shootings/stabbings to be agonising with a strong Horror vibe,whilst his great quick-zooms and comparison of the stranger's interest in an upcoming total eclipse to the eeriness of the towns location,gives this Paella Western a very strong Sci-Fi influence.
Taking the villains (with lead outlaw Porfirio Carranza played by a tough talking Fernando Sancho) in a far from normal direction,the brilliant screenplay by Arrigo Colombo,Enrico Colombo,Giuliana Garavaglia and Maria del Carmen Martinez Roman show the outlaws to be a far from united front,with each of them prepared to stab the other in the back for Porfirio's attention,and Carranza's girlfriend being someone whose thrilled to go behind his back,whilst secretly stealing his riches.
Along with the gorgeous women in the film being given a prominent role thanks to them representing the jangly,psychedelic score by Angelo Francesco Lavagnini,the writers also use the supernatural powers of the stranger, (played by a calculating and mysterious Lang Jeffries) as a very distinctive approach to give details on the background of Carranza's four main outlaws,with each of the encounters that Porfirio's gang have with the ghost- (?)like figure of the stranger,leading to each of them realising,that the only thing which will lead to the stranger disappearing,will be a "total eclipse" of their lives.
The plot:
Seperareing his gang of outlaws into two groups so that they draw less attention to themselves as they cross the boarder to California,lead outlaw Porfirio Carranza wastes no time at all in getting a grip on a town right by the boarder.
Entering a quiet hacienda with some of his men,Carranza finds the only person standing in his way to be a brave hearted young man,who Porfirio quickly forces to take part in a "game" with one of his most sharp shooters,which leads to the young man being left in the dirt,to die an agonising,painful death.
Prepairing to celebrate the quick and easy taking over of the village with his fellow cowboys and his stunning girlfriend,Porfirio begins to fear that his plans may soon be disrupted,when he finds out that a stranger has recently arrived at the town's main hotel/brothel,and that the strange man is challenging Porfirio's 4 main outlaws to one of Carranza's own deadly "game's" on April 17th.
View on the film:
Whilst the IMDb page lists Eugenio Martin as a co-director,the only director listed on the psychedelic opening credits scene is Jose Luis Merino.Toning down the fiery flare of the Spaghetti Western,Merino uses the California boarder setting of the story as a way to create an unsettling mood,with the dry endless miles of sand filled with only the odd building or burning burial giving the movie a strong supernatural atmosphere.
Keeping "the stranger" from appearing until the second half of the movie, Merino uses the atmosphere which he had built up in the first half,as an environment for the stranger to perfectly blend into,with Merino showing shootings/stabbings to be agonising with a strong Horror vibe,whilst his great quick-zooms and comparison of the stranger's interest in an upcoming total eclipse to the eeriness of the towns location,gives this Paella Western a very strong Sci-Fi influence.
Taking the villains (with lead outlaw Porfirio Carranza played by a tough talking Fernando Sancho) in a far from normal direction,the brilliant screenplay by Arrigo Colombo,Enrico Colombo,Giuliana Garavaglia and Maria del Carmen Martinez Roman show the outlaws to be a far from united front,with each of them prepared to stab the other in the back for Porfirio's attention,and Carranza's girlfriend being someone whose thrilled to go behind his back,whilst secretly stealing his riches.
Along with the gorgeous women in the film being given a prominent role thanks to them representing the jangly,psychedelic score by Angelo Francesco Lavagnini,the writers also use the supernatural powers of the stranger, (played by a calculating and mysterious Lang Jeffries) as a very distinctive approach to give details on the background of Carranza's four main outlaws,with each of the encounters that Porfirio's gang have with the ghost- (?)like figure of the stranger,leading to each of them realising,that the only thing which will lead to the stranger disappearing,will be a "total eclipse" of their lives.