Une corde, un Colt... aka Cemetery Without Crosses (1969)

[Silenzio]

The Vargas family wants the other families out of the desert: what for?

I watched this movie again yesterday so I can answer this now.

The "Rogers" family (who I'm guessing must be called the Vargas family in the italian dub) didn't necessarily want the Caines out of the desert, it isn't until Ben and those other two steal their money that it becomes a personal vendetta. Somebody says in the saloon scene that the Rogers are notorious for rustling the cattle of the other families, so I think the Rogers rustled the cattle of the Caines, who, in revenge, stole the money from the Rogers, and that started the feud between the two. When the guy mentions the cattle rustling in the saloon scene, the camera isn't even on him, it's on a close-up of Manuel (I think) so that line of dialogue is easy to miss.

***SPOILERS***

One thing I noticed about this movie is that every hostile act is motivated by revenge, kind of like Manuel's line of dialogue towards the beginning of the movie "You believe in revenge, I don't.... It never ends."

Note that the Rogers rustle the catle of the Caines, who, in revenge, steal the money, and the Rogers kill Ben as revenge for that, so Maria kidnaps the Rogers' daughter in revenge, so the Rogers set out after Manuel and Maria and the rest of the Caines in revenge, both of the Caine brothers die, and so does Maria, so Manuel sets out after the Rogers in revenge for Maria, and then the daughter kills Manuel to avenge both A) her rape which he allowed and B) the fact that he just killed more than half of her immediate family.

Indeed.... "Revenge never ends"

[titoli]

I call the "Rogers" family, "Vargas" family because the actor playing the head of the family is Daniele Vargas. Sorry.

I seem to remember somebody (maybe M.Mercier) saying "They wanted us out of here from the beginning". 
But the question is: where is the cattle? what is cattle doing in the desert anyway? You can't have your pie and eat it too. You can take liberties with the landscape (as many westerns do) but not with logic. 

the condensation of the plot you make is a good explanation of my small enthusiasm for it. 

[cigar joe]

But the question is: where is the cattle? what is cattle doing in the desert anyway? You can't have your pie and eat it too. You can take liberties with the landscape (as many westerns do) but not with logic. 

Huh? Open Range.... they weren't using fancy breeds of pampered cattle these original Spanish breeds could eat almost anything.

Read about the Last open Range:

http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=14586
 
And Texas Longhorns :

http://dfwnetmall.com/e-mag/longhorn.htm

[Silenzio]

Ah, now I understand about the "Vargas" family. I do similar things when I talk about movies... call characters by their actor's names.

the condensation of the plot you make is a good explanation of my small enthusiasm for it. 

Yes, the movie is more of a slow-paced exercise in style than anything else. It may not accomplish great things with its plot, but i think it's a lovely change from a Django-style bullet festival and other over-the-top spaghettis (nothing against them) and that's what sets it apart for me as one of my favorites.

[cigar joe]

but i think it's a lovely change from a Django-style bullet festival and other over-the-top spaghettis (nothing against them) and that's what sets it apart for me as one of my favorites.

Couldn't have said it any better

[The Firecracker]

I enjoy how perverse all the characters are. There is not one redeeming feature in any of them. Even the victimized widow allows her enemy's daughter to be raped by her murdered husbands brothers. She even makes her enemies dig up her husbands corpse to parade him over to another cemetery.

[titoli]

Huh? Open Range.... they weren't using fancy breeds of pampered cattle these original Spanish breeds could eat almost anything.

I.e. desert sand? Come on, CJ: the prairie you see in the pic in the first article has nothing to do with the desert of Hossein's movie.

[cigar joe]

I'm not talking about the sands about  "Ghost Town", I talking about all the background you see during the chase sequence.

Prehaps the encroching dunes are the reason the town became a ghost town.

[titoli]

I'm not an agronomist but I have definitely not the impression cattle has a chance to thrive over there. That earth is good only if there is oil way down under. And I'd like to know which is another movie where such a landscape is used as a cattle feeder.   

[Lonestar]

I enjoy how perverse all the characters are. There is not one redeeming feature in any of them. Even the victimized widow allows her enemy's daughter to be raped by her murdered husbands brothers. She even makes her enemies dig up her husbands corpse to parade him over to another cemetery.

Why do you enjoy how perverse the characters are? With not one redeeming feature, as you said.

[cigar joe]

I think it may because of all the "propaganda" for want of a better word, over the years that overly melodramatic westerns used to force fed us "candy coating" and omitting the nasty parts of our "Manifest Destiny".

[The Firecracker]

Why do you enjoy how perverse the characters are? With not one redeeming feature, as you said.

What CJ said.

[Banjo]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063740/

http://www.spaghettiwestern.altervista.org/cimitero_senza_croci.htm


The italian SW db tells the movie has "little content and story... (is) little exalting and quite flat". I more or less agree with this. The movie has a good start and is very good until the saloon shooting. Then it becomes a moving to and fro from Hossein's to Mercier's to Vargas', but at a slow pace. Really, I had to fight sleep to watch it through the end.
 

Yes Titoli is right on the money here.A very well made sw but very sleep inducing.I from time to time revisit Great Silence(for me a huge influence on CWC)  but never get the same inclination with this movie.Maybe they should've used the otherwise brilliant up tempo soundtrack for something else!

[Banjo]

Leone Admirer's review from his SW Virgins Guide:-

Cemetary Without Crosses

A film set in a nightmareish West, from the styalised opening to the desperate ending, Cemetary Without Crosses presents a different West, perhaps akin to that of Kurosawa's Yojimbo, like Fistful Of Dollars but with a more flawed bounty hunter protagonist.
  The film begins with Maria, Michèle Mercier, witnesing the death of her husband Ben at the hands of the Rogers family. She goes off in search of Manuel, Robert Hossein, to avenge her but he has troubles for himself and is unwilling. After some self persuasion he goes off and joins the Roger's gang and captures their daughter to hold for ransom. But all does not go to plan...
    One of the most interesting aspects of this speaghetti is the characters. Both Maria's family and the Roger's family are not on the right side of the law. Maria's complex releationship with Manuel is interesting also. He is an ex-lover of hers and friends with Ben but you don't really know whether he is undertaking his 'mission' for revenge on the part of Ben or Maria. He won't take the money given to him by Maria however. Light comic relief is given by the two brothers of Maria who are the most inept pair of cowboys that side of the West. However the ineffectiveness brings down the whole operation later on in the story. 
   The acting on the whole is of a very high standard with the beautiful and pained face of Mercier bringing across the troubled Maria very well. Hossein's performance as the avenging Manuel. Seemingly trapped in the past. A nice character trait I thought was having the character put on a glove before he was about to shoot someone. Now I am positive I have seen this somewhere else but I thought here it was a nice touch.
     Cemetary Without Crosses gives off many artistic flares through out it's running time. Hossein directs as well as stars in this film and his use of a Sepia tone in the begining and end of the film, literally bringing the film and it's viewers back into the past whilst giving a nod to the earlier Hollywood westerns of the silent era as well as the 30's and 40's is a particulaly neat effect. Also Manuel's experience in his new home, the abandoned 'Ghost Town' adds a creepy and surrelist feel to the film.  The cinematography for this film captures expertly the very dusty landscape whilst the music re-inforces the despair like atmosphere whilst offering a glimering of hope at certain sections.
    This film is also of great importance to Leone fans.The film is full of Leone esque sequences and referances, However it is not true that Leone plays the head of the hotel that Manuel goes to visit.
     I recomend this film to all spaghetti fans, especially Leone fans and Corbucci fans. Why Corbucci, well if your a fan of the brilliant The Great Silence you'll recognise and love the tone, mood, setting etc of Cemetary Without Crosses as they are expertly similar. I urge those who haven't yet seen it to check it out.

[Banjo]

A rare (but justisfied  ) negative review from Arizona Colt :-

CEMETERY WITHOUT CROSSES however, I found a bit overrated. I did enjoy it I just don't see what the fuss is about. I liked the gloomy atmosphere and sense of dread especially the howling wind in many scenes but the film seems to drag on much longer than its 85 minute running time. Dario Argento must've had GREAT SILENCE on his mind when he wrote this. Good film just not what I expected.