Giuliano Petroni

[Poggle]

I've seen four Corbucci's(The obvious ones) and all of Sollima's westerns.
I like Corbucci to an extent though I think there was a lot of room for a lot of improvement in the production, camera work, and the unevenness of the importance of scenes in his movies. Sometimes it feels like an emphasis is put on the stand-out scenes and gimmicks in the movies that make it unique and a lot of other things are "Well, quickly write a scene to get from A to B" throw-away crap, like the Palance showing up in Companeros the way/place that he did.
As for Sollima - Pretentious, contrived, pointless bullshit, most of the time, but great actors, music, and Faccia a Faccia was an amazing film. Can't say much about the other two movies he made except that Tomas Milian is fun to watch and it has great music.

So now I've been hearing about this Giuliano Petroni fellow who, like the three Sergios, has a unique relationship with Morricone, has made his rounds of the memorable Spaghetti stars & interesting casting choices(Orson Welles), has made a Zapata and is among the "Directors who aren't Sergio Leone" to have a film that scores high among SW fans, Death Rides a Horse, but unlike the bigger directors I never hear much of him or his movies though my interest in him now is like it was when I was a stranger to Sollima/Corbucci. How would you say he rates among the two other Sergios? I'd really love to see DRAH, Tepepa and 'Sky Full of Stars. From the music, trailers and pictures I've seen they seem interesting.

[cigar joe]

Petroni is a top notch director. Of the two that I've seen DRAH is very close to Leone and has some great sequences, John Phillip Law, is a bit wooden but Lee Van Cleef shines, and so do Luigi Pistilli, Mario Brega, and the rest of the gang.

Tepepa, is probably the most serious of the Zapata's, not much in the way of picaresque over the top characters, and also Tomas Milian's most serious turn in a SW that I've seen, even A Bullet for The General goes a bit in that direction. Its a bit like Face To Face in its character developement &  treatment, but the copy I've seen is the English cut and the sound drops out in spots where there was no English dialog. This one has a good Morricone score.

I haven't seen "...sky full of stars" and I don't care for Gemma all that much in what I've seen him in so far, so I can't help you with that one.

[Banjo]

Skyful of Stars is a strange serious western/comedy hybrid but is definately worth getting for the Morricone score but as regards Sometimes Life Is Tough Eh Providence-i should approach this with caution-totally oddball movie with Tomas Milian in Charlie Chaplin mode.Personally i love it and again Morricones score is enjoyable-i've just got hold of the Providence sequel but this is directed by someone else.
Petroni did one other western called Night Of The Serpent but i can't find much about it apart from it only being in Italian language only.Maybe they'll issue a dvd one day with English subtitles

[Arizona Colt]

The PROVIDENCE sequel HERE WE GO AGAIN PROVIDENCE is directed by Alberto DeMartino who also directed the topnotch EXCORIST clone THE ANTICHRIST from 1974 which Morricone also contributed a suitably disturbing score. The film was released here in a butchered version called THE TEMPTER which played the midnight circuit for a time. The two films couldn't be more far apart in tone. Similarly, Damiano Damiani who directed A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL also did the most nasty of the AMITYVILLE movies AMITYVILLE 2: THE POSSESSION.

[The Firecracker]

"Skyful of Stars..." is a contrived film, but a charming and sweet one. The film can go from slapstick comedy to brutal violence within seconds. It would have been nice to have a more steady film but if it was completly steady...we wouldnt have the wonderful movie we have now.

The last half hour is where everything picks up with this one and the ending is very touching. Great flick.

"sometimes Life is tough, right Providence?" is, as Banjo said, difficult to watch if constant slapstick humor is not your thing. The movie plays out as a Looney Toons(tunes) cartoon gone psychadelic western. Milian is a shakespeare spewing, pie throwing, yoga instructing, Hitler imitating Bounty Hunter who uses his smarts to milk the system of justice for all its worth. Its a strange, wacky and highly entertaining film. The film tries ANYTHING to get a laugh from you. Fart jokes, pie throwing jokes, sexual innuendo, hill billy jokes, slapstick jokes(like "Banna peel" slapstick) and even the Cuban national anthem is thrown in there at one point (Milian whistles it during a wacky game of Billiards). Needless to say, not all these jokes get a laugh. In fact some are down right horrible. It's a hit or miss affair but it still manages to hold together through Milian's wonderfully madcap performance.

[Banjo]

"sometimes Life is tough, right Providence?" is, as Banjo said, difficult to watch if constant slapstick humor is not your thing. The movie plays out as a Looney Toons(tunes) cartoon gone psychadelic western.

But compared to the sequel i watched yesterday you ain't see nothing yet?
In this one Providence travels around in a cross between a locomotive and a wagon,there are song and dance numbers-Providence in pink drag on an ice rink and he and the Hurricane Kid building a bank out of huge pieces of Lego in order to make people deposit thousands of dollars so Providence can marry the girl he's fallen in love with.Theres even a shooting contest where they have to shoot off the wings(and other things )  off a fly in flight.

[The Firecracker]

Legos?
Oh dear.
I have heard many strange things also such as Providence asking the director to step from behind the camera and explain a scene?

I'll be getting this soon.


would you consider it to be more entertaining than its prequel?

[Banjo]

Its seems to be slightly less of a western-less horses and gunplay maybe and they're going to even huger extremes with the slapstick.Morricones scores not so good so i think i may just prefer the original but i'm glad to have both.

[The Firecracker]

Morricones scores not so good so i think i may just prefer the original but i'm glad to have both.

yes the original title theme is superior to the sequels title theme. It is a nice tune though. It has that strange electronic feel to it and I do like the Piano segment!.