Wanted Review
From The Spaghetti Western Database
1967
- Dir: Giorgio Ferroni (and Giorgio Stegani)
- Cast: Giuliano Gemma, Teresa Gimpera, Serge Marquand, German Cobos, Gia Sandri, Daniele Vargas, Benito Stefanelli, Nello Pazzafini
- Music: Gianni Ferrio
Wanted - one of the very few spaghetti westerns with an original English title - is the third part of director Ferroni’s loose trilogy with Gemma, following One Silver Dollar (Un Dollaro Bucato) and Fort Yuma Gold (Per pochi dollari ancora). Unlike the two previous film, it is not set in the aftermath of the Civil War. With a plot about cattle rustling and a hero who gets the girl in the end, it is a more traditional western, even if the execution is typically Italian.
Giuliano Gemma - Ferroni’s favourite western actor - is the new sheriff of a town dominated by corrupt mayor and land owner Vargas, who robs smaller ranchers of their cattle by forging their brands. On his way to town Gemma is shot, but we know he is Bello Giuliano, so he can’t be dead. And yes, in the next scene he taps the dust of his precious suit, mounts on his horse and rides into town. However, a few minutes before his arrival, one of Vargas’ assistents has been appointed as sheriff, but since Gemma is in possession of the right papers, he is given the job. He does his job so well that even the people who like to get rid of him are forced to call him a hero, but than he is framed for murder and must try to clear his name …
Wanted, with its Mexican bandits, Mexican Indians, a resourceful priest (if his prayers won’t help he’ll lend you his gun) is a colourful, but rather episodic film. With Gemma traversing the Spanish and Italian West, following up clues and information and running into danger every step of the way, it almost plays off like a Bond movie. With the emphasis more on fistfights than on shoot outs it’s a relatively light-hearted film, still there are some pretty violent scenes. A heavily wounded man is beaten to death and in one particularly alarming scene a very young girl is threatened to be killed when her grandfather’s house is under attack. At this point we all think about one specific scene in one specific movie, but Ferroni is not as sadistic as Leone: he only kills the grandfather …
Wanted is a beautifully looking film, with director of photography Toni Secchi even using the change of seasons to illustrate the length of Gemma’s quest. Still the use of the locations often seems erratic when shots of the Almeria desert are followed by shots of the green (and soaking wet) Manziana area north-west of Rome. In one of the scenes we even spot snow in the main street of the Cinecittà western town. Due to its episodic structure the film works better in parts than as a whole. The romantic subplot, a rather cumbersome affair in One Silver Dollar, is handled with elegance and a touch of wry humour here: after his ultimate fistfight with Marquand, Gemma ends up in a pigsty, both his clothing and his face covered with pig’s shit. When Gimpera gives him his well-deserved kiss, her face is covered with shit as well. But of course se doesn’t care. By the way: if I had been Gary Ryan, I would have made a pass on the deliciously wicked Cheryl (Sandri), who got him in trouble in the first place, but whose testimony finally clears him of any suspision. But she’s courted, in a very special way, by Cobos, who first gives her a beating to chase her evil thoughts, and then saves her life by putting himself between her and Marquand’s bullet. Performances are excellent throughout. Kudos go to Marquand, as a lizard like villain, and Benito Stefanelli, the town’s drunk with good pair of fists. But it’s Nello Pazzafini who steals the film with a wonderfully tongue-in-cheek performance as the resourceful priest. Gianni Ferrio’s score is very fine and atmospheric, and the song When you are wanted (wanted, Wanted WANTED) is a cheesy as they come.
Reviewed DVD: Neo publishing (French). The film is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2,35:1 and looks great. Apart from a few scattered speckles and one or two vertical lines there is no discernable print damage. Colours are vibrant and both contrast and sharpness are largely okay. However, the extremities of the picture are a bit soft, the left even more so than the right. Nevertheless, visually this is a excellent transfer. I wish I could be equally enthusiastic about the quality of the two soundtracks, French and Italian DD 2.0 Mono. Neither of them is really good, and in fact it’s quite hard to choose between them: on the French track Gianni Ferrio’s score sounds a lot better, but dialogue sounds far more natural on the Italian track.
--By: Scherpschutter
