Michael Morrison
Dubbed movies are, at least for me, difficult to watch in part because the speech always seems out of synch -- and of course is.This film, known variously as "Johnny Oro" and "Ringo and His Golden Pistol," almost overcomes that difficulty because of very good acting, great scenery (supposedly Italy), many and superlative stunts, and an excellent score.And even good acting from the dubbers, something I have found rare in the past.As to that score, I wonder if composer Carlo Savina influenced Ennio Morricone, or if Morricone influenced Savina. There are similarities in their scores, as witness this one and any of the Clint Eastwood "spaghetti Westerns."But the story here is both unusual and clever. Written by Adriano Bolzoni and Franco Rossetti, "Ringo" presents many and varied characters as well as an involved story of Gringos and Mexicans and Apaches, back-stabbing, cowardice, courage, honor, and, yes, foolishness.In addition, the chief villain, slimily played by Franco De Rosa, is surely one of the most evil ever portrayed on film.Mark Damon might have appeared in a better light without a dubbed-in performance, but by and large he made a good ... well, "hero" might not be the correct term here, but as a strong protagonist Damon was quite watchable.There is an interesting print at YouTube, with the dubbed English and Greek subtitles. I enjoyed it, and can recommend it.
ma-cortes
Nice SW with a strong Pasta main and support cast . It is an exciting Spaghetti containing noisy action , thrills , shootouts , horse pursuits , it turns out to be an acceptable Western and amusing enough . Bounty hunter Johnny Ringo kills three brothers but spares the fourth , Juanito Perez (Franco De Rosa) , one because he has no price on his head . However, Juanito schemes to revenge for his brothers . Since Juanito is the youngest sibling of the brothers Ringo killed , he seeks a relentless vendetta and both of whom are fighting each other for a fabulous gold . While , a sheriff (Ettore Manni) of a little town takes gunslinger Ringo into custody . The sheriff faces a blockade of Mexican and Indian attackers to keep prisoner from being brought to justice . Being helped by a half-crazed sympathetic old man whose finger itches demoniacally on the trigger every time he gets a nasty guy in his sights along with his spouse Jane (Giulia Rubini) , their child (Loris Loddi) and Ringo , of course, .Western action , an agreeable story in ¨Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo¨ wake , shoot-outs at regular intervals , and explosion abound in this decent film whose characters are well portrayed . Enjoyable Ravioli Western that didn't impress critics at the time but its reputation has improved over the years and , nowadays , it is considered to be one of the Corbucci best-regarded . Director Corbucci made various Westerns who quickly became one of the more prolific filmmakers in the genre and here's one of the most unknown ; in addition , this adequate production delivers what it should . Realized between ¨Franco Nero's Django¨ (1966) this ultra-violent masterpiece not only signaled a move toward an even grittier as well as more nihilistic brand of Western , and the pretty good ¨Burt Reynolds' Navajo Joe¨ , both of them brought an entirely new level of stylization to the genre . Stars Mark Damon who carries likable acting on his brawny shoulders and perfectly does . It is a decent Western with a lot of blow-up , plenty of shoot'em up , gun-play and some moments results to be quite entertaining . The picture is finely starred by Mark Damon who wants to get his mitts on a crooks' gold , along with Ettore Manni as an upright sheriff . At the beginning his career , Damon starred as an extra for American films , and , subsequently , performing secondary roles and Roger Corman films . Mark , then emigrated to Italy and he once reportedly missed out on a role in a Franco Nero western because his height made Franco Nero look too short . As he performed several Pasta Westerns , such as "Un Treno Per Durango" , "Cry for Revenge" , ¨Requiescant¨, ¨Johnny Yuma¨ . Soon moved into other film genres playing good guys , bad guys , and good-bad guys and interpreting adventure movies as "Lions of St. Petersburg" , ¨Normand sword¨, and "Long Live Robin Hood" ; these parts often exploited his athletic physique by having him remove his shirt . Co-starred by Ettore Manni who also interpreted some Westerns and adventures . Support cast is pretty good , such as : Franco De Rosa , Valeria Fabrizi , Loris Loddi , Andrea Aureli , John Bartha , Fortunato Arena and Giovanni Cianfriglia or Ken Wood as Indio Sebastian . Emotive as well as thrilling musical score by Carlos Savina in Ennio Morricone style , this soundtrack is one of the best parts of the film , plenty of catching and attractive sounds . The orchestra , mostly playing by trumpets , whistles , flute , and guitar music set the proper tone for a western . Colorful and evocative cinematography by Riccardo Pallottini shot in Manzanares del Real , La Pedriza , Madrid and Castello di Rota, Tolfa, Roma, Lazio, and Elios Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy . Sergio Corbucci's direction is well crafted , here he's less cynical and humorous and more inclined toward violence and too much action , though the character played by Mark Damonn gives hilarious and sympathetic touches , other Westerns he filmed contained broad comedy Spaghetti Western . His great hit was ¨Django¨, this picture established a lasting relationship between Corbucci and the film's star, Franco Nero . After this success , Corbucci embarked on a trail of directing more Western films . His subsequent Spaghetti Westerns , Hellbenders (1967) and Navajo Joe were filmed and released in quick succession to get a great success in Italy . His next Western was The Great Silence (1968) which referred as an "anti-Western" . Next Western film was The Mercenary (1968) , which would began his semi-genre with what he called the "Zapata-Spaghetti Westerns" , proletarian fables in Mexican sets , where the bad guys are on the right and the good guys are on the left ; along with ¨What Am I Doing in the Middle of the Revolution¨ (1972) that is almost a parody of his Zapata Westerns . By setting the story in Mexico and fleshing out his characters with political awareness , Corbucci's intent became more clear and his political statements became more explicit . After directing the semi-successful The specialist (1969) with recently deceased Johnny Halliday and the hero moving through cold rather then heat and fighting in the mud and snow rather then sweat and dust ; later on , Corbucci re-teamed up with Franco Nero again with Los Compañeros . During the 1970s Corbucci made three more Westerns , but the popularity of the genre began to die out . Of the three , only Sonny and Jed (1972) stands out as one of the best late series genre Westerns , though it was not well received . While The white the yellow an the black (1975) is married by racial stereotypes and an excessive parody .
MARIO GAUCI
Corbucci's fourth Spaghetti Western is likable enough, but it's still a long way from the baroque style of his subsequent example in the genre - DJANGO (1966) - much less the ultra-bleak outlook of his masterpiece, THE GREAT SILENCE (1968). Besides, star Mark Damon - made up here to look like the long-lost brother of Bob Dylan's Alias character in Sam Peckinpah's PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID (1973)! - lacks the screen presence of Franco Nero, let alone the intelligence of Jean-Louis Trintignant! He still has fond memories of the film, however, since he mentioned it during the Italian B-movie retrospective at the 2004 Venice Film Festival (which my brother and I attended)!Apart from presenting an unusual - and perhaps unlikely - alliance against the cowboys by Mexicans and Indians, the film has a healthy sense of humor: after he's insulted in a bar, Damon orders the protracted preparation of a concoction made up of some ungodly ingredients - only to then throw it in the face of his opponent!; later, facing up to three bad men without his coveted golden pistol, he blows them all away by unceremoniously throwing a bomb in their midst!; sheriff Ettore Manni's jail has a frequent customer (to the point where he has come to consider it his home!) in a pint-sized old man - told by the former that he can't stay any longer, the latter commits "wilful damage to public property" by breaking the jail's windows as soon as he exits and, turning himself in immediately, he is thus able to keep his place in jail! The film manages to end with a bang: Damon blowing up the main street of the town (it seems that's all we ever get to see from it in any Western!) - followed by a memorable showdown (involving Damon's gold-plated paraphernalia). Carlo Savina's title tune is catchy, too: the film was originally called JOHNNY ORO and, therefore, has no relation to the two earlier "Ringo" titles made by director Duccio Tessari and starring Giuliano Gemma!
