A Town Called Hell (1971)

User Rating:

4.7/10   

Director:

Robert Parrish

Writers:

Richard Aubrey (screenplay)
Richard Aubrey (story)

Release Date:

1972 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Drama | Western

Tagline:

They called it HELL ... They called it VIOLENT and EVIL!

Plot:

A group of Mexican revolutionaries murders a town priest and a number of his christian followers. Ten years later, a widow arrives in town intent to take revenge from her husband's killers. |

Plot Keywords:

Mexican | Revenge | Priest | Revolutionary | Widow

Cast

Telly Savalas	...	Don Carlos
Robert Shaw	...	The Priest
Stella Stevens	...	Alvira
Fernando Rey	...	Old blind man
Michael Craig	...	Paco
Martin Landau	...	The Colonel
Al Lettieri	...	La Bomba
Aldo Sambrell	...	Calebra
Dudley Sutton	...	Spectre
Paloma Cela	...	Paloma
Maribel Hidalgo	...	La Perla
Cass Martin	...	Jose
Antonio Mayans	...	Manuel
Francisco Marsó	...	Julio
John Clark	...	Quiet American

Also Known As:

A Town Called Bastard
Una ciudad llamada Bastarda (Spain)

Runtime:

95 min | Spain:97 min

Country:

Spain | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:16 (video rating) (1982) | Finland:K-16 (1996) | UK:15 (2000) | UK:X (1971) | West Germany:18 (nf) | Australia:MA | Germany:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | Norway:(Banned) (1972-2003) (cinema release)

Filming Locations:

Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

Benamar-Zurbano Productions

Trivia:

Michael Craig writes in his memoirs that his character scenes were shot a couple of months after the rest of the film was finished.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in High Plains Drifter (1973)

Soundtrack:

La batalla de Nueva Orleans

right recipe, wrong cook

There really is no substitute for a Sergio Leone to make this style of film work properly, and even "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" could have bombed out badly if there had been any uncertainty about the direction and editing.

That seems to be the problem with "A town called Bastard". The theme has great potential, and the cast are just the ticket for the job. The locations and sets are pretty good and much of the camera work is impressive. However, it somehow just doesn't seem to integrate as it should. Too many loose ends maybe.

Leone would have been more diligent about making sure the audience knew in what direction the film was heading, even if the destination was not revealed until the very last scene.

Parts of the film are quite memorable and it does help to watch it at least three times; but the point is that you shouldn't have to if the director is doing his job properly. Robert Shaw and Martin Landau play their parts faultlessly and at least the director gives these masters of their craft a free hand to develop their characters; but good acting alone doesn't make a successful film.

Overall a disappointment but still good to view again from time to time. Could be well worth a remake to get it right. Maybe Tarantino could do something with it ?

R. B.