PISTOL FOR RINGO, A / THE RETURN OF RINGO: TWO FILMS BY DUCCIO TESSARI

A PISTOL FOR RINGO / THE RETURN OF RINGO REVIEWED

“A Pistol for Ringo” is pretty tame. Montgomery Wood is OK at Ringo, but so much here just feels flat. The bank robbery is the big set piece, but there’s not enough material to keep a film going. These Spaghetti Westerns can be a dime a dozen some times. It’s just that this is my first viewing of the original film after seeing The Return of Ringo repeatedly over the years. Sometimes, movies are the equivalent of Parks and Recreation’s first season. “The Return of Ringo” is The Odyssey as a Spaghetti Western. A beaten down man returns from the Civil War to his tiny Western town. Everyone believes he’s dead and his wife is about to be married off to a rival. Dealing in the darker aspects of the West, you’d think this would be a different kind of film. What you get is probably one of the most gritty Westerns ever shot. Were there more violent? Sure. I’m talking about tone.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Audio commentaries for both films by Spaghetti Western experts C. Courtney Joyner and Henry Parke
They Called Him Ringo, an archival featurette with star Giuliano Gemma
A Western Greek Tragedy, an archival featurette with Lorella de Luca and camera operator Sergio D’Offizi
Original trailers
Gallery of original promotional images
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx