Damn it to live - damn it to die

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
German title Damn it to live - damn it to die
Original title I quattro dell'apocalisse
Country of production Italy
original language Italian
Publishing year 1975
length 104 (German v. 87) minutes
Age rating FSK 18
Rod
Director Lucio Fulci
script Ennio De Concini
production Piero Donati
music Fabio Frizzi
Franco Bixio
Vincenzo Tempera
camera Sergio Salvati
cut Ornella Micheli
occupation
synchronization

Condemned to live - fucking die (original title: I quattro dell'apocalisse ) is a spaghetti westerns of the late phase of the genre, the Lucio Fulci in 1975 staged. The film, which is controversial because of some brutal scenes, was premiered in German-speaking countries on April 15, 1977 in abridged form.

action

The notorious cardsharps Stubby Preston is arrested by the sheriff for no specific reason on his arrival in the Utah commune of Salt Flat and in the cell he meets the pregnant prostitute Emanuelle "Bunny" O'Neill, the drunkard Clem and the madman because of the ghosts of dead speaking black buds. There is a massacre in Salt Flat that night; As the inactive law enforcement officer explained the next morning, the "respectable" citizens of the city organized a merciless hunt for indecent and criminal elements. The fact that the prisoners survived was only due to the fact that Preston carried a large amount of money with him, which he had to give to the Tin Star Bearer before he allowed an escape. The dissimilar quartet then set off for a city about 200 miles to the south. On the way, it first encounters a trek of Mormons, whose leader is the mistaken assumption that Preston and "Bunny" are a young married couple. Both let the mix-up happen, although the pregnant woman initially has little sympathy for the vain card specialist.

After the religious group moved on in a different direction, the four of them make another acquaintance - this time with the criminal Chato; Although he promises to solve her food problem, he shows his true colors on the first night by administering a drug to everyone and later asking Clem to tie up the rest of his companions. Chato then rapes the defenseless "Bunny" under the horrified gaze of Preston, who is unable to intervene; When the Mexican only wants to enable the alcoholic to survive, his conscience awakens in him, although his attempted attack on the villain ends with a bullet in the knee. At least the quartet can continue on their way, albeit more slowly, as the injured Clem has to be transported on a stretcher.

A renewed encounter with Chato, who is now plagued by hunger (this time with two companions) only ends lightly because the gangsters attack the column of cars that happens to be nearby and kill all Mormons. Preston swears a second time to kill Chato, although he has little of a gunslinger about him - the experiences of the traumatic trip make her noticeably tougher, but also more responsible. The small community ends up in an abandoned "ghost town" in the pouring rain; Clem, who is still suffering, dies as a result of the hardships, and Bud also uses the opportunity to secretly say goodbye. Preston and "Bunny" meet an old acquaintance of the poker player with Reverend Sullivan as they wander. As the pains of the pregnant woman increase, the clergyman recommends going to a miners' village in the snowy mountains called Altaville, although he has concerns about the community of rather strange men who live there.

Indeed, the latter initially reacts negatively to the newcomers, but with a view to the impending birth, the aversions can be overcome; in Lemmy there is even a helpful resident who takes on the midwifery job. "Bunny" does not survive the delivery and Preston is faced with the choice between taking care of the baby or completing his revenge on Chato. He opts for the latter, leaving the tiny Earth to the men of Altaville. Finally, Preston, armed with a horse and a new weapon, discovers the hiding place of his archenemy, kills the two accomplices and, after a short skirmish, also Chato. Then the purified player rides into the distance.

criticism

Segnalazioni Cinematografiche praised the technical finesse with which some scenes were shot, but criticized the lack of narrative coherence. Paolo Mereghetti was also bothered by the “stubbornly reintroduced clichés”. In Germany, the lexicon of international films stated that the film was a "tough spaghetti western, whose qualities only come into their own in the uncut version." Christian Keßler goes even further and describes him as "clearly influenced by the disaffected late-western Hollywood"; his rating: "A small masterpiece that generates unexpectedly diverse feelings."

Remarks

Some characters and parts of the storyline are based on two short narratives by classic western writer Bret Harte : "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" and "The Luck of Roaring Camp".

Movie songs are “Movin 'On”, “Bunny (Let's Stay Together)”, “Was It All in Vain”, “Let Us Pray”, “Stubby (You're Down and Out)”, performed by The Cook & Benjamin Franklin Group .

Was shot u. a. in Almería .

synchronization

Speakers: * Fabio Testi: Rüdiger Bahr

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Vol. 79, 1975
  2. ↑ in: Dizionario dei film, various years
  3. ↑ Damned to live - damned to die. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  4. ↑ Welcome to Hell. 2002, p. 201