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Films of Sergio Leone => Other Films => Topic started by: moorman on April 30, 2020, 09:13:33 PM

Title: Joshua (1976)
Post by: moorman on April 30, 2020, 09:13:33 PM
Every once in a while, you run across a Western or Sphagetti Western that you don't expect anything from.  This is one. Fred Williamson stars as Joshua, a Moorish soldier returning from the Civil War, in which he fought for the Union.  After being discharged, he returns home out West only to find that his mother has been killed by a gang, and kidnapped a  woman who was friends with his mother.  The sheriff and his posse lost the trail of the gang.  Joshua takes off after them seeking revenge.  The plot and character development you have seen numerous times with the Clint Eastwood Sphagetti Westerns.

The standouts here are Fred Williamson's acting,  the SUPERB musical scoring and the FANTASTIC on location shooting at Monument Valley, Colorado River,  La Sal National Forest,  Arches National Park and Valley of the Gods.  The screenplay is by Williamson, with tight direction by Larry Spangler.  I can't say enough about the on location filming and musical scoring.  I saw a bad copy on Youtube and can only imagine how this looks with a proper restoration.  Its not the best sphagetti western, for sure, but it has elements that make it a must for your film western film collection.    7 out of 10...




Title: Re: Joshua (1976)
Post by: cigar joe on May 01, 2020, 07:03:10 AM
Every once in a while, you run across a Western or Sphagetti Western that you don't expect anything from.  This is one. Fred Williamson stars as Joshua, a Moorish soldier returning from the Civil War, in which he fought for the Union.  After being discharged, he returns home out West only to find that his mother has been killed by a gang, and kidnapped a  woman who was friends with his mother.  The sheriff and his posse lost the trail of the gang.  Joshua takes off after them seeking revenge.  The plot and character development you have seen numerous times with the Clint Eastwood Sphagetti Westerns.

The standouts here are Fred Williamson's acting,  the SUPERB musical scoring and the FANTASTIC on location shooting at Monument Valley, Colorado River,  La Sal National Forest,  Arches National Park and Valley of the Gods.  The screenplay is by Williamson, with tight direction by Larry Spangler.  I can't say enough about the on location filming and musical scoring.  I saw a bad copy on Youtube and can only imagine how this looks with a proper restoration.  Its not the best sphagetti western, for sure, but it has elements that make it a must for your film western film collection.    7 out of 10...

I've never heard of it. Ill have to heck it out for sure thanks.
Title: Re: Joshua (1976)
Post by: Cusser on May 07, 2020, 07:38:25 AM
I just watched this yesterday, on Prime.  The film quality is quite poor, too bad because the locations were great (Utah, AZ).  I didn't like the music at all. I will say Fred looked pretty cool, and he did a decent job acting, more than I can say for the other actors.
Title: Re: Joshua (1976)
Post by: titoli on January 18, 2023, 10:09:50 AM
This one starts badly but it gets better and better until the final one-liner by Williamson. The plot is sometime goofy (I don't get what makes the gun tied to the tree shoot or why Williamson shoots 4 out of 5 chasing him but decides to  have a fist fight with the last one, not bothering to kill him) but the fact that they try to come up with something original (see the dynamite trick at the end or the shooting behind the back) like it happened with even the B or C SW makes me give it a 7/10 in spite of a terrible acting (even by Williamsom, so awkward with his horse riding), excruciating score and not mouth-watering females.
On youtube.