Praises need to be sung about the releases coming from Arrow
Video. Not only are they providing quality releases of horror genre and
Japanese films they’ve also been releasing a vast amount of Italian cinema as
well. In addition to the large number of giallo films from that country they’ve
been bringing out many lost or forgotten spaghetti westerns as well, so named
because they put the countries own spin on the western genre. While most are well
aware of the most famous, the “man with no name” films of Clint Eastwood, there
were many others as well. Django, Ringo, Sabata and Trinity were all part of
the genre. But I’d never heard of Sabata until this set was announced. Now I’m
finding it to be one of the best series of westerns that were made.
Let’s get the box set covered before each movie included
here. To start with Arrow has brought out the best editions of the movies ever
put on disc. Not only that, these are the initial first five films rather than
later films that used the name but not necessarily the real character. These
blu-rays include one film in a brand new 2k restoration from original film
elements and the other four from the original camera negatives made exclusively
for this release. What does that mean? It means the most gorgeous looking
editions of the film you are likely to ever find. In addition to that they’ve
made the films accessible to those unwilling to read subtitles by offering all
five with dubbed English language tracks. I’ll post the extras which are
incredible as well after the reviews which I’ll try to keep short.
First up is IF YOU MEET SARTANA…PRAY FOR YOUR DEATH (1968).
This film introduces us to the character himself. The film is a series of
double crosses among thieves with Sartana there to clean up. It begins with a
couple in a carriage killed by killer Morgan (Klaus Kinski) and his men.
Sartana arrives in time to take out the bandits with the exception of Morgan
but too late to save the couple. Switch to a stagecoach attacked by a gang led
by General Jose Manuel Mendoza (Fernando Sancho) who steal chests filled with
gold. The gang is then killed by hired gun Lasky (William Berger) and his gang
and the chests taken. Telling them he’ll meet them later, Lasky kills the gang
and then discovers that the chests contain nothing but rocks. All of this
chicanery revolves around a politician and banker who are setting up both sides
in an attempt to vacate with the gold themselves. But they didn’t count on
Sartana taking an interest in what is happening. The character as introduced
here feels like a James Bond out west. Dressed in a cape, carrying a four
chamber derringer and displaying a deft hand when it comes to card tricks, he’s
a rogue but likeable character able to shoot with unerring skill and a sense of
humor about him that’s subtle. The performance by Gianni Garko as Sartana is
perfection. He brings the character to life with an ease that’s amazing to
watch. Thankfully he would go on to play the character in 3 of the remaining 4
films.
Next up is I AM SARTANA, YOUR ANGEL OF DEATH (1969). This
time around the film opens with a bank being robbed by a gang led by who
appears to be Sartana. The same cape, hat and skill with a gun are on display
and he is pegged for the robbery. It isn’t long before the wanted posters are
circulated and several bounty hunters are on his trail. But we know it isn’t
him and watch as he attempts to find out who the real culprit is while at the
same time avoiding being killed by the various bounty hunters. Garko returns as
Sartana here as does Kinski playing bounty hunter Hot Dead. This time around
Sartana picks up a sidekick of sorts in one Buddy Ben (Frank Wolff). The movie
offers a little more humor this time around but the same style, panache and
gunplay that the character possesses take center stage.
The third film in the set is SARTANA’S HERE…TRADE YOUR
PISTOL FOR A COFFIN (1970) with a new actor in the lead, George Hilton. This
time around Sartana is a bounty hunter on the trail of a man with a price on
his head. The film opens with him setting up a picnic on a hilltop and watching
as the man rides shotgun on a gold shipment. Before he has a chance to take him
out the shipment is attacked by a Mexican gang. Rather than take the gold
though they toss dynamite into the back of the wagon and ride off. Sartana puts
out the dynamite and checks out the cargo only to find the shipment is actually
filled with dirt instead of gold. Taking the man’s body in and collecting the
bounty, Sartana learns more about the gang who attacked the wagon and goes
looking for them. Much like the first film we have a greedy mine owner who set
out to steal his own gold. Hilton does a decent job as Sartana here but like
most series of films with a distinct actor in the lead role it feels like
something is missing. Still the end result is yet another great movie in the
series and a fine example of the spaghetti western genre.
Fourth is HAVE A GOOD FUNERAL MY FRIEND…SARTANA WILL PAY
(1970). Garko returns as Sartana (yay!). As what appears to be something that
happens to him non-stop, Sartana witnesses a brutal massacre. Investigating on
his own he discovers the town of Indian Creek where nearly every single person
in town is hell bent on buying up the property once owned by those massacred.
No one here is above suspicion including the town sheriff. This leaves Sartana
to find out what is really going on. Of course various bad guys are sent to
kill him and dispatched with. Not only does he have the cape and derringer
still but he’s added a new weapon with razor sharp edged cards he throws. Over
the top, certainly, more fun, absolutely.
The last film in the set is LIGHT THE FUSE…SARTANA IS COMING
(1970). Sartana opens the film by killing a corrupt sheriff and allowing
himself to be captured and sent to prison. All of this is so he can meet with
another prisoner named Granville. Coming to his aid and helping him escape he’s
told by Granville of a deal gone sour involving $2 million in counterfeit money
and $1 million in gold. Double crossed, framed and sent to prison he promises
to split the money with Sartana if he helps. He agrees and arrives in the town
of Mansfield to discover not everyone has the same story that Granville told.
Double crosses and triple crosses continue to fill out this fifth Sartana film
as well as yet another crooked banker. In the end it’s another great movie that
entertains from start to finish.
So that’s the movies and as I said they’ve never looked this
good since they were originally released. And that should be enough to keep
fans happy, right? But not when you realize this is an Arrow release. Arrow
doesn’t do things half-assed. The set is packed tight with extras as well. Here
is what you’ll find with this set:
-An audio commentary on IF YOU MEET SARTANA…PRAY FOR YOUR
DEATH with filmmaker Mike Siegel
-Audio commentaries on I AM SARTANA, YOUR ANGEL OF DEATH and
HAVE A GOOD FUNERAL MY FRIEND…SARTANA WILL PAY by spaghetti western experts C.
Courtney Joyner and Henry Parke
-Gianfranco Parolini on IF YOU MEET SARTANA…PRAY FOR YOUR
DEATH, a brand new interview with the writer
-Sal Borgese on I AM SARTANA, YOUR ANGEL OF DEATH and LIGHT
THE FUSE…SARTANA IS COMING, two new interviews with the actor
-Ernesto Gastaldi on I AM SARTANA, YOUR ANGEL OF DEATH and
LIGHT THE FUSE, two new interviews with the writer
-Roberto Dell Acqua on HAVE A GOOD FUNERAL MY FRIEND…SARTANA
WILL PAY, a brand new interview with the actor
-SSARTANA LIVES, an archive featurette on LIGHT THE
FUSE…SARTANA IS COMING featuring interviews with actor Gianni Garko and
director Giuliano Carnimeo
-SARTANA SHOOTS FIRST, a brand new interview with George
Hilton on SARTANA’S HERE…TRADE YOUR PISTOL FOR A COFFIN
-Erika Blanc on SARTANA’S HERE…TRADE YOUR PISTOL FOR A
COFFIN, a brand new interview with the actor
-Tony Askin on SARTANA’S HERE…TRADE YOUR PISTOL FOR A
COFFIN, a brand new interview with the actor
-A brand new video essay on the major actors and supporting
players in the official Sartana films
-Galleries of original promotional images from the Mike
Siegal Archive for all five films
-Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeves featuring
original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin
-An illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on
the films by Roberto Curti
Whew! That’s an exhaustive amount of extras. When you think
of watching all five films as well as all of the extras plan on making it a
weekend binge watch marathon!
I’ve praised Arrow Video time and time again and once more
they have not disappointed fans. Having never been exposed to the character of
Sartana I’ve found he’s as memorable as that of Sabata and the
man-with-no-name. Each and every film in this collection is entertaining to the
extreme. I didn’t find one that I didn’t enjoy and know already that I’ll be
revisiting the movies from time to time. There is little doubt in my mind that
I’ll enjoy them as well the second, third and possibly fourth times around. My
guess is that fans of westerns, spaghetti westerns and movies will find
something here to enjoy as well. If you fall into the first two categories then
by all means add this to your collection. It might seem pricy but when you
consider you’re getting 5 feature films as well as all of those extras the
price is far less than most single films being released. It’s a great
investment for fans that you won’t regret.
Click here to order.
Click here to order.
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