Monday Morricone Madness!!!

Welcome to Monday Morricone Madness!!! We know its been a while but don’t worry as we’re back with a bang!! With more Morricone features being planned in light of  Quentin Tarantino’s patronage to the Maestro on his new film ‘Inglorious Basterds’, there’s no better time to discover the magical world of Ennio Morricone!

As Alan is on his hols, we’ve managed to rope in the lovely Paul from the lovely LoveLockAndLoad to step in to Al’s big ol’ shoes (not literally - but he does have big shoes) this week and tell us all about Sergio Corbucci’s 1970′s classic ‘Companeros’. With myself casting a critical over the soundtrack afterwards, it makes for a cracking Monday Morricone Madness comeback. So Paul, who’s this Franco Nero fella I keep hearing about?

Back in the sixties, on the soundstages of Cinecittà or throughout the vast open spaces of Almería, you couldn’t spit without hitting a Sergio directing a spaghetti Western. Of course, the work of Sergio Leone is considered to be pinnacle of the genre, but what about the lesser known, but in many ways equally talented Sergios Sollima and Corbucci? Outside of the film cognoscenti, Sollima and Corbucci aren’t afforded the same level of respect as Leone; this is probably due to the fact that both endured careers that saw them pursue the path of journeymen directors, working within many different genres, rather than being synonymous with just one, like Leone has since become. Leone’s ‘Dollars’ trilogy was incredibly popular throughout the world, and with a massive share of the profits from the second and third films in the series, the auteur was soon wealthy enough to become incredibly choosy when picking projects. To Sollima and Corbucci, filmmaking was a job that paid the bills, and while both directors had had their fair share of artistic triumphs and box office hits, most of them were modest by comparison to those of Leone.

While Leone is often credited as the originator of the Italian Western, some of his peers had been making them a good few years before, Corbucci included, with his first, RED PASTURES released a year before A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS. It wasn’t however until the release of DJANGO in 1966 that Corbucci’s credentials as a filmmaker became clear for all to see. DJANGO has a much darker tone than that of Leone’s westerns and is far more brutal. In fact, the film’s violence proved so problematic that it remained banned by the British censor until the early 1990s. As commercially successful as it was innovative and audacious, DJANGO would not only establish the prominence of its director, but that of the film’s grey-eyed star, Franco Nero. Nero, who had languished in supporting roles previously, found his career as a leading man taking off almost over night.

 Nero and Corbucci were soon reunited when the pair embarked upon IL MERCENARIO (THE MERCENARY aka A PROFESSIONAL GUN) a couple of years later, though due to it being co-financed by a US studio, United Artists, it’s far lighter in tone than DJANGO and far less subversive.  IL MERCENARIO finds Nero playing Sergei Kowalski, a Polish immigrant mercenary who becomes entangled in a plot that involves shipments of silver, Mexican revolutionaries lead by Paco (Tony Musante – best known as the lead in Dario Argento’s debut, THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE) and Curly and Sebastian (played by Jack Palance and José Canalejas, respectively), a pair of gay hired killers. While never pushing the envelope quite like DJANGO had, IL MECENARIO is a fun film and one that’s definitely worth seeking out. Nero’s character is a likeable lead and there’s a typically majestic score by Ennio Morricone, cues from which were later reused in KILL BILL films almost four decades later.

IL MERCENARIO’s greatest legacy is that its storyline serves as a template for Corbucci’s COMPAÑEROS (aka VAMOS A MATAR, COMPAÑEROS). Made in 1970 and again featuring Franco Nero as the lead, COMPAÑEROS follows IL MERCENARIO’s set-up quite closely. Nero stars as Yolaf Petersen, a Swedish arms dealer who becomes embroiled in a scheme with a Mexican General to rob a safe belonging to rebels. In order to do so, Petersen must first spring the rebel leader Professor Xantos (Fernando Rey) from a US prison, as he is the only person known to have the safe’s combination. Reluctantly and under false pretenses, Petersen is paired with Basco (Tomas Milian), the rebel leader, and the duo cross the border into the States. However, the tables are soon turned when after busting Xantos out of prison, a deal is made between the shady General and US officials, resulting in the hiring of one-armed, pot-smoking killer, John (Palance again), who is dispatched to murder Xantos.

 Nero and Palance are playing the same characters essentially, with Milian filling Musante’s shoes. With COMPAÑEROS, rather than being a boring rehash of IL MERCENARIO, Corbucci managed to surpass the earlier film in almost every possible way. For starters Nero and Milian make a far more appealing duo than that of the pairing in the previous film. There’s plenty of humour in the banter between the two characters which is quite far removed from anything seen in Cobrucci’s films up to this point and one would assume this may have been borne out of a desire to ape the success of THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY. There was humour present throughout IL MERCENARIO (which was co-written by UGLY’s co-writer, Luciano Vincenzoni) but is by far more successful here. Palance’s John is altogether quirkier here too, spending much of the film pie-eyed and in the company of his pet Falcon. Corbucci’s himself also seems far more assured as a director than he did when making IL MERCENARIO too, as COMPAÑEROS is faster paced and far more action-packed. Once again Morricone provides a suitably infectious score, with a main theme that stands as one of my own personal favourites.

COMPAÑEROS has dated impeccably and is a film that and something for everyone. There is no DVD currently available in the UK, but the US disc is region free and easy to find on Amazon. The film is presented in its original Technovision widescreen ratio and looks sumptuous. The feature is accompanied by interviews with Nero and Milian and the original trailer. (Paul Alaoui)

A big, big thank you to Paul! I should send Alan away on holiday more often! Arf!

 COMPANEROS was collaboration number six for Morricone and Corbucci. With the Maestro being famously associated with’ Sergio ‘Mr Spaghetti Westerns’ Leone , his incredible output for Corbucci is somewhat overlooked .His scores for IL GRADE SILENZIO and IL MERCENARIO are two of his finest and accomplished works.

 Close friend and long-term collaborator Bruno Nicolai (who also worked on IL GRANDE SILENZIO) conducted the score, providing style and quality which illuminates Morricone’s original compositions. Whenever Corbucci and Morricone get together, it’s always a memorable and joyous adventure and this Monday Morricone Madness is no exception.

 The music is a perfect accompaniment to the rip-roaring action on screen. As Paul mentioned earlier, the film is laced with humour and the light heartedness that Morricone undertakes adds a gentle and playful tone to the film. His trademark sound for Leone also features heavily. The fuzzy, twangy guitars, whistling banjos, the feral shrieks from ‘THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY’ all appear. The sound rattles and soars within the ragged location captured beautifully by the cinematographer Alejandro Ulloa. Most memorable is the galloping, haunting and slightly melancholic title theme. This will stay with you for a long time.

Overall, this is one of Morricone’s best (but we say that on every Monday Morricone Monday, don’t we?). It’s a passionate, imperious display from Il Maestro. It’s worth adding COMPANEROS to your Morricone collection as it has the versatility and character that epitomizes the film. Effortless, charming and simply unforgettable, this is an outstanding and enthralling effort. It will also make you shout ‘COMPANEROS!!’ for a week or two. This isn’t a bad thing, believe me.

Once again we say, ‘Maestro, we salute you!’

Here’s the aforementioned opening title theme…