Johnny Hamlet - Enzo G. Castellari

Anyone seen this? I see it plays on TCM.

Quote :

Introduction

It is often said that Shakespeare would have made a great western if only he were born several ages later. He knew how to write a compelling story, had excellent villainy, and would not hesitate to kill off nearly his entire cast to please his audience. His most famous play, Hamlet, seems the blueprint for a revenge western, as if the Bard had read a study about a genre that would flourish several hundred years after his death. Essentially it’s the story of a young man who returns to his hometown after the death of his father, only to discover that the old man was killed and that his mother has newly married the main suspect, the young man’s uncle. It was Sergio Corbucci who came up with the idea to transport the story from Denmark to the Far West. His choice for the part of Johnny Hamlet was Anthony Perkins. But the project was taken from him – much to his discontent - and offered to Franco Rosetti, director of The Dirty Outlaws (Desperado, El), who refused it, and subsequently to Enzo G. Castellari, who accepted and also co-wrote the script with Tito Carpi and (co-producer) Francesco Scardamaglia.


The Plot

A confederate soldier, Johnny Hamilton, returns home after the Civil War and discovers that his father has been killed. While visiting the grave, and thinking about who could be the culprit, he is attacked by two local thugs, Guild and Ross. He is saved by an old friend, Horace, who tells him that his father was killed by a Mexican bandit called Santillana, and that his uncle Claude has already revenged him. Johnny finds out that his mother has married Claude shortly after the death of his father and starts to doubt whether Santillana really is the guilty person, especially when evidence starts to show up that the bandit is still alive. His uncle Claude and Santillana have stolen a load of gold that Johnny’s father had assembled for the sake of the Confederacy, but Claude has embezzled the loot afterwards, and told his partner in crime that it was lost. Johnny manages to put the two man up against each other, but in the meantime Claude has killed Johnny’s former girlfriend Emily and put the blame on the young man. In accordance with the customs of the region Johnny is crucified (!) by Emily’s father, who’s also the sheriff. His mother start to repent but is accidently shot when she has an argue with her new husband. While Claude and Santillana take on each other, the heavily wounded woman tries to rescue her crucified son …

http://www.spaghetti-western.net

Hamlet + Corbucci + Castellari should be a great combination.

That's so crazy...it just might work!

I'll have to keep an eye out for that one!

I actually got this movie last week. So I'll probably watch it soon and post my impressions here.

Should've named it "DJANGLET".