Forgotten Pistolero

Gunman of Ave Maria

Gunman of Ave Maria

Gunman of Ave Maria

(1969) The Forgotten Pistolero/ Gunman of Ave Maria/ Il pistolero dell'Ave Maria DUBBED SPAGHETTI WESTERN Co-written and directed by Ferdinando Baldi very loosely based on "Oresteia" by Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus. It centers on gunman, Rafael Garcia (Peter Martell) being sidetracked by three bandits attempting to follow orders of bringing him back. He succeeds in shooting all of them as well as some others around him leaving a bandit, Francisco alive so that he can give him a message. The next scene has Rafael reaching to an isolated ranch before he falls off his horse upon pleading with the rancher, Sebastian Carrasco (Leonard Mann) for some water. It appears Sebastian does not recognize Rafael at all, and he fills him on his past history that the current lady he has just buried nearby is not her actual mother. That Sebastian's actual mother is still alive and is hanging around in a town called Oaxaca. And after hanging around with him some more, he tells him how his actual mother, Anna Carrasco (Luciana Paluzzi) shot and killed his actual father, General Juan Carrasco (José Suarez) by shooting him on the back, who was conspired with a bandit leader, Tomas (Alberto de Mendoza). And that the lady, Sebastian he had just buried was nothing more but the nanny/ housekeeper. That he also happens to have a sister, Isabelle (Pilar Velazquez) married to a store keep. This sets the stage for them to set things right as viewers find out that the hired bandits were ordered to fetch Rafael and return him back to Anna. That Rafael spent years looking for Sebastian and has finally managed to convince him to join him. There is many twists and turns with some complicated scenarios as well as some surprising revelations gives this film a pass. The ending wasn't bad either.

Mann is a gunman informed by a childhood friend that his father was murdered years earlier by his mother and her lover. To make matters worse, Mann's sister, who is in love with his friend, is held under the thumb of his murderous mom. The two gunmen ride off to have a reckoning with her. In Gunman of Ave María you get the usual sweat-faced closeups, the plethora of showdowns with that whiny gun sound and gritty violence, but it's all married to some heavy melodrama similar to a soap opera, which sets it apart from the average Spaghetti western- there's deeper charactersisation. The music score, cinematography and acting is top notch- with the latter, Luciana Palluzzi totally steals the scene as the duplicitous lusty mother of Mann and his sister. It can be slow, plodding at times but strong characters, good atmosphere, action and a neat revelation are its selling points. Amazing that it's not more well known.

It's true that a number of elements in "The Forgotten Pistolero" will be familiar to fans of spaghetti westerns. The basic plot - revenge against those who killed a parent - has been used many times. Also, some of the characters will provoke a deja-vu feeling in the minds of many viewers. Still, there is a lot to enjoy in taking a journey down this familiar road. It's often directed in an interesting manner, with crooked camera angles and zoom lenses among other unconventional manners. Indeed, the action sequences (fist fights, gun battles) are directed to bring much impact.One of the villains happens to be a woman for a change, which will make you wonder how this unusual menace will be dealt with. The Roberto Pregadio music score is very memorable. The production values are solid. And there is a great climax. Is there a flaw to be found anywhere? Well, I have to admit that the middle section of the movie was somewhat slow- moving and talky, though it didn't bother me THAT much. And despite that problem, the movie all the same is a solid example of its genre.

Overall, Forgotten Pistlero is a solid Spaghetti Western – not great, but good enough. Like a lot of the SWs I've seen, the central theme in this one is revenge. The children of a man murdered by his wife and her lover want revenge. It may be a familiar set-up, but Ferdinando Baldi does an excellent job of building interest and tension right to the final moments. Baldi also throws in a lot of other bits that I've come to expect from an entertaining SW – mysterious strangers (Leonard Mann and Pietro Martellanza) with over-the-top gun skills, an impossibly beautiful heroine (played by Pilar Velazquez), a gang of cut-throat killers, and lots and lots of sweaty men. And the film's finale is about as downbeat as you'll find. It's not as dark as something like The Great Silence, but it's definitely not a happy ending. It stuck with me long after the movie ended. Good stuff. A few other thoughts: 1. The music, while very good, is often derivative and very Morricone-esque. It will remind you of a dozen other scores - but that's not necessarily a bad thing. 2. The acting is good, but no one really stands out. The highlight of the cast for me has to be Luciana Paluzzi of Thunderball fame. 3. For what seems like a modestly budgeted SW, there are a couple of set-pieces that are exceptionally well filmed. For example, the waltz scene looks like it came out of a film with a budget far exceeding that of Forgotten Pistolero. It's gorgeous. The other is the film's finale. The burning building is another set-piece that's very well done. I'll give Forgotten Pistolero a rock-solid 7/10.

The plot: a woman and her lover murder the woman's husband, then wipe out the rest of the household in a spectacular mass murder so the lover can become head of the syndicate. So the son seeks revenge with the help of his childhood buddy. In other words, it's Spanish Hamlet Meets Scarface. I mean, the murderer actually jumps out from behind a curtain to kill the husband. That can't be a fluke. There's also some B-story about one dude being in love with his buddy's sister. Who cares. Soap opera stuff. Sure it's set in Mexico (though filmed in Spain) and gunplay features prominently. But that's just window dressing. This is a chick western at best. All the dudes are way too good-looking for the spaghetti western genre. I bet it plays on Telemundo all the time. Musical score is pretty decent, I'll admit.

The DVD I've ordered features the film (Il Pistolero dell'Ave Maria) in its original Italian language. Some aspects of the story may have been changed in the English language version. I will tell you just the very beginning of the story. I only want to give you a taste of the film. There will be no real spoilers (I think). A lone rider going through a canyon. Up on the cliffs horsemen watching him. Close-ups of their faces, hands ready for action. The scene is enhanced by a hauntingly beautiful score. The rider is Rafael (Pietro Martellanza). As a boy he had worked in a hacienda in Mexico. The owner of the hacienda was absent fighting against the french. For those that have no knowledge of the history of Mexico, very simplistically told, the french had invaded Mexico in 1861 and installed Maximilian of Habsburg in power. He became the emperor of Mexico! The french rule lasted until 1867, when the Mexicans led by Benito Juarez, expelled the french and shot the Emperor. Crazy, ain't it? Coming back to the film, Rafael worked in this hacienda that belonged to the Carrasco Family. The patriarch and owner of the hacienda, General Juan Carrasco, was absent fighting against the french. Rafael was the best friend of his (the general's) son Sebastian (Leonard Mann), and loved and was loved by Sebastian's sister, Isabella (Pilar Velazquez). Children, the three of them. But while General Carrasco was away fighting the french, his wife Ana (Luciana Paluzzi) was having an affair with the hacienda's foreman, Tomas (Alberto de Mendoza). After the french had been defeated, General Carrasco returns home and is received in high style by everyone in the hacienda. A party is held to commemorate his return. Suddenly... betrayal and tragedy. The characters are scattered to the four winds. Years pass and the dust seems to have settled down, but a chance meeting will rekindle old memories. The day of reckoning has arrived. This story almost seems a Mexican melodrama, but it's filmed with a grandeur and style that's unique. The party that is held in homage to General Carrasco, when he returns from the war, with its dancing, singing and eating, is flamboyantly portrayed. The same holds true for the scene in which a character enters a small Mexican village where a celebration is taking place in the streets ... firecrackers, people laughing, singing ... Then the saloon, with wild and beautiful women dancing barefoot on the counter... Ferdinando Baldi is very skilled in telling a story by way of images - editing, framing, close-ups, music ... everything adds up to create the right atmosphere and the proper emotion. It's true that sometimes he goes overboard, as he proved with the completely over-the-top film's ending, that's so operatic, so melodramatic, as to put even the wildest Mexican melodramas to shame. A good, well-told story featuring beautiful women (Luciana Paluzzi, Pilar Velazques and many others), sunny, dry landscapes, and a wonderful soundtrack. I didn't like so much the ending, though, with its fire and brimstones conclusion, but this is a matter of taste. Highly recommended if you like your spaghetti hot and wild.

Forgotten Pistolero 1969 was based off a Greek Tragedy and told wonderfully in this Ferdinando Baldi aka Ted Kaplan movie, who did 10 SW movies in his career well known ones such as Blindman, Get Mean, Texas Adios, and Forgotten Pistolero. What is great is the amazing music score that immediately starts by Roberto Pregadio which was used in the movie "Kill Bill". The music really makes a SW movie and the music here really sets the mood. I liked such scenes as when Peter Martell's character Rafael is being hunted down from Mexico into Texas by Miguel (Jose Manuel Martin)who to me has the face and good acting for a small part SW actor that plays Mexican bandit roles to the tee. He finds boyhood friend Sebastian and helps him remember his blocked out past and seek the revenge they both rightfully deserve. It was amazing the ending scene with the Hacienda burning and the music playing and justice being served. You have to see it and will not be sorry....