A GLORIOUS AND GREAT MORNIN’ TO Y’ALL!

How’s it goin’ at yer end?

The sun’s a-shinin’ on my part of the Universe and I feel like sharing with y’all some Top Fives.

You like movies right? How about them Spaghetti Westerns?

Well, I LOVE ‘EM! So why not let’s do…

QUENTIN TARANTINO’s TOP 5 SPAGHETTI WESTERNS

No. 5 ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST by Sergio Leone (1968)

Starred by Charles Bronson as Harmonica, Claudia Cardinale as Jill McBain, Henry Fonda as Frank and  Jason Robards as Manuel “Cheyenne” Gutierrez, among a cast of others.

Once upon a time, three men are waiting at a railway station. When a mysterious nameless harmonica player arrives who is relying on his past. Then came an Irish man who dreams of turning the desert into some kind of paradise. Then there’s Frank who kills people to leave his past behind to become a businessman.

There is also a whore from New Orleans named Jill who realizes that her dream of a family had been destroyed just before it could begin. Then you have a romantic bandit named Cheyenne who wants to help build a future which can’t be his own. Then there is this railway tycoon dreaming of building a railway from one ocean to another before multiple sclerosis inevitably kills him.

But then, men kill and die for a future they don’t understand. A woman inherits their broken dreams by turning a mother role into something bigger than she could ever imagine.

With the arrival of the railroad, the harsh reality that the times are no longer what they were before sets in.

No. 4 THE MERCENARY by Sergio Corbucci (1968)

Starred by Franco Nero as Sergei Kowalski, Tony Musante as Paco Roman, Jack Palance as Riccioli / Curly and Giovanna Ralli as Columba), among a cast of others.

Set during the Mexican Revolution. A mine owner, Colonel Alfonso Garcia (Eduardo Fajardo), hires Sergei Kowalski (Franco Nero) a Polish mercenary to protect seven tonnes of silver. This, to be transported to the US.

Kowalski eventually discovers repressed peasant workers, led by Paco Roman (Tony Musante). They have taken control of the mine by force.

Keeping an eye open to make good his losses, Kowalski persuades Roman to hire his services. With Garcia’s army bearing down on him.

Curly (Jack Palance)—a sadistic homosexual mercenary—wanting the silver himself tries to ambush Kowalski. But Roman thwarts his plans and Curly’s men are killed. Kowalski rekindles his alliance with Roman.

The bandits are then joined by Columba (Giovanna Ralli), an idealist who’s farther was hung for being a revolutionary. Columba goes on to promise to make Roman as famous as Pancho Villa and all the gang rich. In exchange would be a hefty daily fee plus expenses. Under Kowalski’s tutelage, Roman earns the reputation of being a great revolutionary liberator.

Desperate to capture the bandits, Garcia’s army are joined by Curly in their search. Kowalski’s financial demands—in exchange for guidance—increase.

Roman now married to Columbia, sees the true importance of the revolution to the Mexican people and his responsibility for his countrymen. Roman reneges on the deal and takes all Kowalski’s money for the great cause. The bandits keep Kowalski as a prisoner, but escapes as Garcia’s army attacks.

Kowalski tracks Roman to a rodeo where he is in hiding working as a clown. Curly also trails him there and the scene is set for the final showdown.

No. 3 DJANGO by Sergio Corbucci (1966)

Starred by Franco Nero as Django, José Bódalo as General Hugo Rodriguez, Loredana Nusciak as Maria and Ángel Álvarez as Nathaniel among a cast of others.

Django (Franco Nero) rides into a town controlled by two rival factions. One, a gang of racist KKK types wearing red hoods; and Two, a gang of gold-hungry Mexicans.

In a Fistful of Dollars sort of way, Django plays both gangs against each other. This, in an attempt to get some money and possibly revenge.

The motives of Django’s for his actions are unclear throughout the film. Although, several possibilities have been hinted at.

No. 2 FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE by Sergio Leone (1965)

Starred by Clint Eastwood as Manco / “The Man With No Name”, Lee Van Cleef as Col. Douglas Mortimer, Gian Maria Volonte as El Indio and Klaus Kinski as Juan, the hunchback, among a cast of others.

Clint Eastwood returns from A Fistful of Dollars once again playing Manco, a bounty hunter. Hunting down mentally unstable bank robber El Indio (Gian Maria Volonté) who has just escaped from prison, he teams up with Colonel Mortimer (Lee Van Cleef).

The duo then sets about infiltrating El Indio’s gang.

Escaping to Mexico following a bank robbery, they must kill the gang and El Indio to collect the reward.

Colonel Mortimer has personal reasons for wanting Indio dead. With which, affords Leone’s first-time utilization of flashback sequencing. Thus, allowing greater integration of the music into the story of this film.

And finally…

No. 1 THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY by Sergio Leone (1966)

Starred by Clint Eastwood as Blondie / Joel, Lee Van Cleef as Sentenza /Angel Eyes, Eli Wallach as Tuco /  Benedicto Pacifico / Juan Maria Ramirez / “The Rat” and Aldo Giuffrè as Captain Clinton, among a cast of others.

Three totally different people…

 All out to get a large consignment of gold, which is buried in a graveyard.

The Good (Clint Eastwood) knows the name of the grave and The Ugly (Eli Wallach) knows the graveyard it’s in. While The Bad (Lee Van Cleef) is just out there to find everything out and have the gold all to himself.

Travelling through Civil War-torn America, the three try constantly to outwit and double-cross each other in order to get the gold for himself.

A dramatic three-way gunfight finishes this beautiful Classic off.

We hope you enjoyed this little Top 5. As a treat, here is the Original Soundtrack of The Good, The Bad and the Ugly…

This is Our Kind of Country,

May y’all be Safe and Well and…

“MAY THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY BLESS US ALL AND SET US FREE!”