Daily Archives: February 7, 2017

Comanche Station  
Directed by Budd Boetticher
Written by Burt Kennedy
1960/USA
Columbia Pictures Corp./Ranown Pictures Corp.
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Ben Lane: A lot of money has a way of making a man all greed inside….It can get him to thinking of doing things he might not otherwise do. … It wouldn’t surprise me if somebody didn’t try to take that woman away from you.

Jefferson Cody: Like you, for instance?

Ben Lane: Like me, in particular. [/box]

This was the last of the Budd Boetticher/Randolph Scott Westerns I will come across in my journey through the years.  It was a good ride and this is a fitting swan song.

Scott plays Jefferson Cody, another in the series of his strong, silent, loners.  When he hears of a white woman some Comanche are willing to trade for store goods, he sets off to buy her.  He soon realizes that she is Mrs. Nancy Lowe who was kidnapped from a stagecoach awhile back.  He sets forth to return her to her family.

While waiting for a stage coach at Comanche Station, the pair meet up with bad guy Ben Lane (Claude Akins) and his two hired guns/flunkies.  Ben knows that Nancy’s husband has put up a $5,000 reward for her return and intends to stay with Cody and his charge every step of the way.  He knows he will not be able to get Cody to give up Nancy without killing him and has a plan for doing just that.  On the way, the party have a couple of run-ins with Comanches.

It’s funny.  The stories of these all have basically the same formula but never feel formulaic. It’s the writing that keeps them fresh I think.  There are always a lot of pithy zingers to enjoy.  The direction, as always, is solid and makes wonderful use of the Western scenery.  Boetticher keeps us begging for more.  These are the rare films I always wish were longer.

Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gQbVEYJQVE

Clint Eastwood discusses Budd Boetticher and the film

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I have to return to Las Vegas to deal with some family issues.  Will be back February 13.

Mill of the Stone Women (Il mulino delle donne di pietra)
Directed by Giorgio Ferroni
Written by Giorgio Ferroni et al (uncredited)
1960/Italy/France
C.E.C. Films etc.
First viewing/Amazon Instant

“I have seen the dark universe yawning/ Where the black planets roll without aim,/ Where they roll in their horror unheeded,/ Without knowledge, or lustre, or name.” ― H.P. Lovecraft, “Nemesis”

Fellas, it is always a good idea to find out whether or not a woman is actually alive before bedding her.

Hans von Amim is researching an article about a carousel in an old windmill on the occasion of its centenary.  This is no ordinary carousel. It features gruesome statues of murder victims. Prof. Gregorias Wohl, decendent of the carousel’s founder puts Hans on a tight schedule.  He wants him out of there within a week.  Early on,  Hans becomes acquainted with Wohl’s beautiful daughter Elfie and her personal physician Dr. Bohlem. Elfie has some kind of mysterious ailment that keeps her trapped in the windmill.

In the evenings, Hans sees his childhood sweetheart Liselotte.  Unfortunately for Hans, Elfie falls in love at first sight and beckons him to her bedchamber.  One night of passion with Elfie convinces Hans that he has true love with Liselotte.  Unfortunately for Liselotte, it turns out that she has the same rare bloodtype as Elfie.

This comes early in the cycle of Italian Gothic horror films that would proliferate in the 60’s and 70’s.  Its atmosphere and beautiful women should appeal to fans of the genre. I won’t be sure I’m one of them until I have more under my belt.  The version I watched was dubbed.

American Trailer