In the mid-1960s, the runaway success of Sergio Leone’s “Dollars” trilogy gave rise to an explosion of similar productions as filmmakers by the dozen sought to capitalize on this new, uniquely Italian take on the western, characterized by their deeply cynical outlook, morally compromised antiheroes and unflinching depictions savage violence. This specially curated selection gathers together four outstanding examples of the genre from the height of its popularity, all centered around a theme of revenge. In Lucio Fulci’s Massacre Time (1966), Franco Nero and George Hilton star as estranged brothers forced to band together against the powerful businessman and his sadistic son who’ve seized control of their hometown. In Maurizio Lucidi’s My Name is Pecos (1966), Robert Woods stars as the eponymous Mexican gunslinger, returning to Houston to settle a long-standing score against the racist gang boss who wiped out his entire family. In Massimo Dallamano’s Bandidos (1967), Enrico Maria Salerno plays a former top marksman who, years after being maimed by a former protégé, teams up with a fresh apprentice to get his revenge against the man who betrayed him. Finally, in Antonio Margheriti’s And God Said to Cain (1970), the inimitable Klaus Kinski stars as a man who has spent the last decade in a prison work camp for a crime he didn’t commit and who, upon his release, immediately sets out to wreak vengeance on the men who framed him. Featuring a wealth of key Euro cult talent both behind and in front of the camera, Arrow Video is proud to present these four classic westerns in sparkling high definition restorations, three of them produced specially for this release, alongside a plethora of brand new bonus materials.
For thoughts on Vengeance Trails: Four Classic Westerns, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic here.
Video Quality
The four films in the Vengeance Trails box set make their domestic Blu-Ray debut thanks to Arrow Video with brand new 1080p masters in their original 2.35:1 aspect ratios. Each of these films have been restored from their original camera negatives with a 2K restorations completed at L’Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna except for And God Said To Cain, which was restored by Movietime with additional work completed by Arrow for the English titles. By and large these four releases are very similar to one another and will be discussed as a group with any meaningful differences pointed out.
Once again, Arrow has provided fans of European cinema with some stunning presentations that show off why they are one of the best in the game. The impressive photography which captures the desolate, dry expanses sparkles in high definition with natural grain intact and nicely resolved. There are moments of And God Said To Cain which can get a little course in the darkest moments, but even then it remains pleasingly natural. Throughout these films, there is a fantastic amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing and in the sparse production design. The new transfers show off a great amount of depth and enhanced detail with the close-up shots especially holding great nuance. There are certain elements like the opulent interiors in Cain that look quite striking in their clarity.
Massacre Time and My Name Is Pecos provide the most consistent transfers, but none of the films offer anything less than greatness. Black levels are very deep with no trace of black crush or compression artifacts. And God Said To Cain has more shadowy sequences than the other three which sometimes allows for less intense detail. Some very minor color temperature fluctuations give certain scenes a more earthy appearance such as in Massacre Time, but for the most part this is not an issue. The contrast is well defined, and there is virtually no print damage to be found outside a few stray moments. Arrow Video has done a miraculous job with all of these transfers in a way that should make anyone who decides to pick this set up extremely happy.
Audio Quality
Bandidos and And God Said To Cain come with a DTS-HD 1.0 Master Audio mono track in the original Italian and English, while Massacre Time and My Name Is Pecos are given LPCM 1.0 mono tracks in the original Italian as well as English. Every single one of these tracks represents these tales in a pretty decent way sonically. These journeys mostly take place on the dying plains which create a river of environmental sounds that creep through to provide some excellent ambient details. All of the various noises in the mix seem accurately rendered so that nothing ever feels off. The dialogue itself comes through crystal clear without being crushed by the sound effects or score. There are many moments of shootouts that pack a punch without becoming a muddled mess in the chaos. The memorable music throughout these four films brings a very unique mood to the proceedings that is represented well in the mix. Everything is presented with an excellent fidelity with only the occasional instance of sound presenting as a bit thin or boxy. This presentation is free of any hiss or other age-related wear-and-tear. All of these films have their dialogue post-looped which results in some loose sync instances that may be annoying to some, but it is a product of this period in filmmaking. Arrow Video keeps up the high level of quality you expect from them.
Special Features
Massacre Time
- Audio Commentary: Authors and critics C. Courtney Joyner and Henry Parke provide a really entertaining and informative commentary track in which they discuss how this film fits into the career of Franco Nero, how the film differs from typical Lucio Fulci film, the ways in which this is far from a Sergio Leone film, the nature of co-productions, the state of the genre at the time and more. This is a great listen for any fan of the genre.
- Alternate US Dub: Another version of the US dub is provided which features different voices on the track.
- Two Men Alone: A terrific new 50-minute featurette showcasing a 2020 interview with Franco Nero along with an archival interview with George Hilton in which they each discuss their careers, the spaghetti western genre, and their experiences working of Massacre Time with Lucio Fulci. There are great anecdotes about interactions with Sergio Leone, where they both were at in their careers and personal lives at the time of filming, the imagery their costumes conjured, how they felt working with one another, difficulties filming fight scenes and more. It is always so wonderful to get a piece so in depth.
- The Era Of Violence: A new 19-minute interview with film historian Fabio Melelli in which he discusses the watershed moment this proved to be for director Lucio Fulci, the psychological aspects of the narrative, the spaghetti western archetypes inhabited by the leading men, the music in the film, the developing skill behind the camera and more.
- Italian Trailer: The three-minute trailer is provided here.
- German Promotional Gallery: A series of behind-the-scenes photos, promotional material, stills and more are provided here.
My Name Is Pecos
- Audio Commentary: Author and critic C. Courtney Joyner and actor Robert Woods provide a really engaging and informative commentary track in which they discuss the physical transformation Woods had to go through to play this character, how this film fits into the career of Maurizio Lucidi, the promotional mistakes that were made, his unusual career trajectory from his earliest roles, the shooting locations, issues he has had with dubbing, continuity errors, and much more. Having a firsthand account from the production is an invaluable experience.
- A Giant In The West: A new 21-minute interview with actor George Eastman (AKA Luigi Montefiori) in which he discusses his relationship to the western genre, his first role in My Name Is Pecos, learning to ride a horse, injuries he sustained on the set, the strange quirks of director Maurizio Lucidi, the problems his height caused him and more.
- Indecent Proposal: A new 19-minute interview with actress Lucia Modugno in which she discusses her early career, issues of harassment she had with Lucidi, the filming locations and more.
- Pecos Kills: A 20-minute piece featuring a new interview with film historian Fabio Melelli with an archival video interview with cinematographer Franco Villa. Melelli gives some pretty incisive thoughts into the story and history of My Name Is Pecos while Villa gives some more personal details about the production and his collaboration with Lucidi. This is a piece packed with great information.
- Italian Trailer: The three-minute trailer is provided here.
- German Promotional Gallery: A series of behind-the-scenes photos, promotional material, stills and more are provided here.
Bandidos
- Audio Commentary: Film Historian Kat Ellinger provides her typically top-notch insight into this feature with a particular focus on the underrated career of Massimo Dallamano, the composition of certain shots, the symbolism within the text, the careers of the creatives involved and more. This is a truly wonderful track that you should take time to listen to if you are a fan of the genre.
- A Man In The Saloon: A new 19-minute interview with assistant director Luigi Perelli in which he discusses his early love of cinema, getting into the film business, his memories of the performers, the various shooting locations of the film, his career behind the camera and more.
- They Called Him Simon: A new 12-minute interview with actor Gino Barbacane in which he discusses his bit role in Massacre Time, the direction of Fulci, practicing his prop shooting, his stunt work and more. He even takes time to play a tune on his accordion.
- Western Bandits: A nearly 12-minute piece with film historian Fabio Melelli in which he talks about the film’s influences, the core themes of the feature, the stylistic choices, and other hints that this is not a “normal” film.
- Alternate End Titles Sequence: A minute-long look at an alternate version of the end credits.
- German Promotional Gallery: A series of behind-the-scenes photos, promotional material, stills and more are provided here.
And God Said To Cain
- Audio Commentary: Author Howard Hughes provides a steady and informative commentary track in which he discusses the background of this film as a co-production, the work of Kinski on this feature, recurring themes in Italian westerns, symbolism throughout the narrative, the changes from the source material and more.
- Between Gothic and Western: A new 20-minute piece that combines a video interview with film historian Fabio Melelli and an audio interview with actress Marcella Michelangeli. In this supplement Melelli gives background to this film, how it fits into the genre, the career of Antonio Margheriti and more, while Michelangeli provides some personal details about her involvement with the film. The audio interview is presented as a speaker phone call that is not in the best quality, but it is also in Italian so most will likely rely on the subtitles anyway.
- Of Night and Wind: A new 13-minute interview with actor Antonio Cantafora in which he discusses his involvement with the picture, his memory of working with Kinski, his history with Westerns, his fondness for Marcella Michelangeli, how they achieved certain effects in the film and more.
- German Promotional Gallery: A series of behind-the-scenes photos, promotional material, stills and more are provided here.
Final Thoughts
Vengeance Trails: Four Classic Westerns contains an enjoyable array of revenge-based tales that show off the distinct personalities of their directors. Some films are more memorable than others, but there is not a bad film in the bunch if you typically enjoy the European contributions to the Western genre. The great thing about this collection of films is that it more than likely portends discovery due to the fact that some of these gems are deep cuts even to devout fans. Arrow Video has released another stunning box set featuring an A+ audio/visual presentation, engrossing special features, and top-notch packaging. Fans of the genre could not ask for better. Highly Recommended
Vengeance Trails: Four Classic Westerns is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Arrow Video has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
