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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

 

Vengeance Trails: Four Classic Westerns [4 X Blu-ray]
 

Massacre Time (1966)        My Name is Pecos (1966)

 

Bandidos (1967)        And God Said to Cain (1970)

 

NOTE: Volume Two, Blood Money: Four Western Classics, is reviewed on Blu-ray HERE

 

 

In the mid-1960s, the runaway success of Sergio Leone’s “Dollars” trilogy gave rise to an explosion of similar productions as filmmakers by the dozen sought to capitalize on this new, uniquely Italian take on the western, characterized by their deeply cynical outlook, morally compromised antiheroes and unflinching depictions savage violence. This specially curated selection gathers together four outstanding examples of the genre from the height of its popularity, all centered around a theme of revenge.

In Lucio Fulci’s (Zombie Flesh Eaters) Massacre Time (1966), Franco Nero (Django) and George Hilton (The Case of the Scorpion’s Tail) star as estranged brothers forced to band together against the powerful businessman (Nino Castelnuovo, Strip Nude for Your Killer) and his sadistic son who’ve seized control of their hometown.

In Maurizio Lucidi’s (The Sicilian Cross) My Name is Pecos (1966), Robert Woods (Johnny Colt) stars as the eponymous Mexican gunslinger, returning to Houston to settle a long-standing score against the racist gang boss (Pier Paolo Capponi, The Cat O’ Nine Tails) who wiped out his entire family.

In Massimo Dallamano’s (What Have You Done to Solange?) Bandidos (1967), Enrico Maria Salerno (Savage Three) plays a former top marksman who, years after being maimed by a former protégé (Venantino Venantini, City of the Living Dead), teams up with a fresh apprentice (Terry Jenkins, Paint Your Wagon) to get his revenge against the man who betrayed him.

Finally, in Antonio Margheriti’s (Cannibal Apocalypse) And God Said to Cain (1970), the inimitable Klaus Kinski (Double Face) stars as a man who has spent the last decade in a prison work camp for a crime he didn’t commit and who, upon his release, immediately sets out to wreak vengeance on the men who framed him.

Featuring a wealth of key Euro cult talent both behind and in front of the camera, Arrow Video is proud to present these four classic westerns in sparkling high definition restorations, three of them produced specially for this release, alongside a plethora of brand new bonus materials.

Posters

Theatrical Release: August 10th, 1966 - February 5th, 1970

Reviews                                                                                                       More Reviews                                                                                       DVD Reviews

 

Review: Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Box Cover

CLICK to order from:

  

Re-issued on Blu-ray in January 2022:

Bonus Captures:

Distribution Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime

Massacre Time (1966): 1:32:12.376

My Name is Pecos (1966): 1:25:10.439

Bandidos (1967): 1:35:47.116

And God Said to Cain (1970): 1:40:12.423

Video

Massacre Time (1966)

2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 49,997,230,858 bytes

Feature: 28,857,922,520 bytes

Video Bitrate: 32.67 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

My Name is Pecos (1966)

2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 42,792,512,439 bytes

Feature: 22,782,367,954 bytes

Video Bitrate: 33.93 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Bandidos (1967)

2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 39,562,097,544 bytes

Feature: 27,880,680,960 bytes

Video Bitrate: 30.45 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

And God Said to Cain (1970)

2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 38,786,463,339 bytes

Feature: 29,331,814,848 bytes

Video Bitrate: 34.72 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate Massacre Time (1966) Blu-ray:

Bitrate My Name is Pecos (1966) Blu-ray:

Bitrate Bandidos (1967) Blu-ray:

Bitrate And God Said to Cain (1970) Blu-ray:

Audio

Massacre Time (1966) and My Name is Pecos (1966):

LPCM Audio Italian 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit

DUB:

LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit

Bandidos (1967) and And God Said to Cain (1970):

DTS-HD Master Audio Italian 1047 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1047 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit)

DUB:

DTS-HD Master Audio English 1039 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1039 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit)

Commentaries:

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps

Subtitles English for Italian, English (SDH) for DUBs, None
Features Release Information:
Studio:
Arrow

 

Edition Details:

DISC 1 – MASSACRE TIME

Alternate US dub
New commentary by authors and critics C. Courtney Joyner and Henry Parke
New documentary featuring a new video interview with actor Franco Nero and an archival video interview with actor George Hilton (49:44)
New video interview with film historian Fabio Melelli (18:32)
Italian trailer (3:02)
German Promotional Gallery (0:54)

DISC 2 – MY NAME IS PECOS

New commentary by actor Robert Woods and C. Courtney Joyner
New interview with actor George Eastman (21:05)
New interview with actress Lucia Modugno (18:36)
New documentary featuring a new interview with Fabio Melelli and an archival interview with cinematographer Franco Villa (19:42)
Italian trailer (2:44)
German Promotional Gallery (0:30)

DISC 3 – BANDIDOS

New commentary by author and critic Kat Ellinger
New interview with assistant director Luigi Perelli (18:41)
New interview with actor Gino Barbacane (11:41)
New interview with Fabio Melelli (11:27)
Alternate end title sequence (1:18)
German Promotional Gallery (0:35)

DISC 4 – AND GOD SAID TO CAIN

New commentary by author and critic Howard Hughes
New documentary featuring a new interview with Fabio Melelli and a new audio interview with actress Marcella Michelangeli (19:57)
New interview with actor Antonio Cantafora (12:56)
German Promotional Gallery (0:34)

 

Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by author and critic Howard Hughes
Fold-out double-sided poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx
Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeves featuring original artwork and a slipcover featuring newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx


Blu-ray Release Date:
July 26th, 2021
Custom
Blu-ray Case (see below)

Chapters 12

 

Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray Package

 

 

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Arrow Blu-ray (July 2021): Arrow have transferred four Italian westerns in 1080P as part of their Vengeance Trails: Four Classic Westerns package. The films are Massacre Time (1966,) My Name is Pecos (1966,) Bandidos (1967) and And God Said to Cain (1970.) These are on four separate dual-layered Blu-rays with high bitrates. Arrow describes the transfers as "2K restorations of all four films from the original 35mm camera negatives, with Massacre Time, My Name is Pecos and Bandidos newly restored by Arrow Films for this release." I really can't find anything bad to say about how these four films look on Blu-ray. There may be infrequent speckles and dust but grain textures are prevalent and look superlative. Colors appears true with occasional richness and no excessive embellishment. Contrast is strong. Bandidos may be the weakest, being marginally softer, but it's not a huge discrepancy and probably related to the original production. They look marvelous on my system - consistent, clean, tight, fine detail in the many close-ups (with penetrating eyes and visible skin grain), and up to Arrow's usual impressive video transfer standards.

In one of our very earliest DVD comparisons Ole had two editions of Massacre Time. It is HERE with one example included below. You can easily see the massive improvement from two previous SD-DVDs available.

NOTE: We have added 58 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-rays, Arrow use a DTS-HD Master or linear PCM mono tracks (24-bit) in the original Italian languages with English DUBs (with the appropriate titles sequence, credits seamlessly branched option.) As you might anticipate there are extensive aggressive western-related moments of gunfire and violent conflict that carry reasonable depth via the authentic mono tracks. The scores are by veteran Coriolano Gori (Werewolf Woman) for Massacre Time and My Name is Pecos. Egisto Macchi wrote the score for Bandidos and for And God Said to Cain the composer is credited as the versatile Carlo Savina - who is known for Blood Ceremony, Lisa and the Devil, Hudson River Massacre, Fangs of the Living Dead, and conducting Nino Rota's score for Fellini's I Clowns, Juliet of the Spirits and Amarcord. These sounds authentic with post-dubbing issues always noticeable but never totally distracting and something we have come to expect from this genre. Arrow offer optional English subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-rays.

The Arrow Blu-rays are described as having a "plethora of brand new bonus materials". I can fact-check that as 'TRUE'. Each film has a commentary. C. Courtney Joyner (author of The Westerners: Interviews with Actors, Directors, Writers and Producers) and Henry C. Parke (True West: History of the American Frontier) do the commentary on Massacre Time. They are experts on 'Euro westerns' and discuss Massacre Time as a strong influence on Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. They are excellent discussing the director Lucio Fulci becoming more famous for his horror films, the story and screenplay by Fernando Di Leo and many of the cast and crew, including Franco Nero, George Hilton and Linda Sini etc., seeing influences on many more modern films. It's well worth the indulgence. On My Name is Pecos the commentary is by Robert Woods (star of the film!) and C. Courtney Joyner. We learn that is was shot all around Rome, Italy and the nearby desert. Woods recalls much about the production and imparts keen details and back stories. For Bandidos we get Kat Ellinger. She extols director Massimo Dallamano, who was the cinematographer for Sergio Leone's For a Few Dollars More and A Fistful of Dollars. She is very informative and its at Kat's usual high standard of observative analysis with a large focus on the underrated Dallamano (the Poliziotteschi Colt 38 Special Squad, and the Giallo A Black Veil for Lisa) - his only western genre directorial effort - although a key component of Leone's 60's team. For And God Said to Cain we get a commentary by critic Howard Hughes (author of Once Upon A Time in the Italian West: The Filmgoers' Guide to Spaghetti Westerns.) He discusses the film locations (solely shot in Italy), director Antonio Margheriti (Seven Deaths in a Cat's Eye, The Long Hair of Death, War of the Planets, Lightning Bolt, Wild Wild Planet, Nightmare Castle), actors Klaus Kinski, Peter Carsten and Marcella Michelangeli among others. It's a pleasure listening to such an expert in his field with biographies and filmographies of key personnel. Great job! I enjoyed the new 50-minute documentary featuring a new video interview with actor Franco Nero and an archival video interview with actor George Hilton entitled Two Men Alone written edited and directed by Federico Caddeo. There is plenty of input on the disc supplements from Italian journalist Fabio Melelli. There are new interviews with actor George Eastman, actress Lucia Modugno, a documentary with an archival interview with cinematographer Franco Villa, assistant director on Bandidos, Luigi Perelli, actor Gino Barbacane, actor Antonio Cantafora, alternate end title sequence (on Bandidos), another documentary with a new audio interview with actress Marcella Michelangeli, trailers, plus each disc has German promotional gallery of posters and title cards. The package offers an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by author and critic Howard Hughes, a fold-out double-sided poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx and limited edition packaging with reversible sleeves featuring original artwork and a slipcover featuring newly commissioned artwork by Vranckx. Phew... talk about stacked.         

Okay... so what do we get here? There are four 60's produced 'Pasta Westerns'; three above average genre films directed by Lucio Fulci, Antonio Margheriti, Massimo Dallamano and a mid-tier effort by Maurizio Lucidi. They are fabulous examples of the genre and star hunky, steely-eyed Franco Nero, Klaus Kinski, George Hilton, Robert Woods, Enrico Maria Salerno, sexy gals like Lucia Modugno, Linda Sini, María Martín, Marcella Michelangeli etc., the films have exquisite sets, revenge themed plots and are dripping with charismatic style, inventive camera angles, extreme close-ups and many of the conventions that Spaghetti western aficionados adore including machismo shootouts, cowardly sneak attacks and chivalrous defenses of women - wrapped in gratuitous vengeful violence. These are housed on individual Arrow Blu-rays with exceptional a/v plus commentaries and hours of impressive supplements. What did we do to deserve Arrow? I look at some of their past, complete boxsets that we've covered; The Complete Sartana, Years Of Lead: Five Classic Italian Crime Thrillers 1973-1977, Female Prisoner Scorpion: The Complete Collection, Vincent Price Six Gothic Tales, The Jacques Rivette Collection, Battles Without Honor and Humanity, Kiju Yoshida: Love + Anarchism, Takashi Miike's Black Society Trilogy, Outlaw Gangster VIP: The Complete Collection, Weird Wisconsin: The Bill Rebane Collection and their massive The Herschell Gordon Lewis Feast! They appear to be getting even better and Vengeance Trails: Four Classic Westerns is one of the most enjoyable and satisfying we've reviewed to date. Our strongest recommendation!

Gary Tooze

 


Menus / Extras

 

Massacre Time (1966)

 

My Name is Pecos (1966)

Bandidos (1967)

And God Said to Cain (1970)


(aka "Le colt cantarono la morte e fu... tempo di massacro" or "Massacre Time" or "The Brute and the Beast" or "Colt Concert")

 

Directed by Lucio Fulci

 

Italy 1966

 

In 1866 New Mexico, Tom Corbett is a prospector who is called back to his hometown in Laramie Town, Texas at the bequest of a old family friend. Tom arrives in the town to see it under the control of a ruthless and greedy gangster named Jason Scott, who's psychotic and murder-crazed son, Junior Scott, runs it with fear with a posse of thugs who kill anyone who protests their business tactics. Tom finds his brother Jeff, a drunkard looked after by their family maid Mercedes. Tom then tries to persuade Jeff to help him take down the sadistic Scotts so the town can rest easy in peace and harmony again.

Subtitle Samples (English translated for Italian tracks and SDH for English DUBs)
 

(CLICK to ENLARGE)

 

 


CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

1) DWV - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP
2) Eagle Pictures - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE
3) Arrow - Region FREE Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE

 

 


(aka "2 once di piombo" or "My Name is Pecos" or "American Bull")

 

Directed by Maurizio Lucidi

 

Italy 1966

 

A Mexican pistolero exacts revenge on the man responsible for the murder of his family, who has taken over his hometown in an effort to recover money that was stolen during a recent robbery.

 

Subtitle Samples (English translated for Italian tracks and SDH for English DUBs)
 

(CLICK to ENLARGE)

 

 


CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 


 

 


 

 

More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE

 

 


 

(aka "You Die... But I Live" or "Guns of Death")

 

Directed by Massimo Dallamano

 

Italy / Spain 1967

 

After his hands are mutilated by his former pupil during a train robbery, a performing sharpshooter trains a young man framed for the crime so that they can seek their revenge.

 

Subtitle Samples (English translated for Italian tracks and SDH for English DUBs)
 

(CLICK to ENLARGE)

 

 


CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 


 

 


 

 

More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE

 

 


 

(aka "E Dio disse a Caino..." or "Cain's Revenge" or "And God Said to Cain")

 

Directed by Antonio Margheriti

 

Italy / West Germany 1970

 

A man takes his revenge on the family responsible for his wrongful sentence to ten years of hard labor.

 

Subtitle Samples (English translated for Italian tracks and SDH for English DUBs)
 

(CLICK to ENLARGE)

 

 


CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 


 

 


 

 

More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE

 

 

 
Box Cover

CLICK to order from:

  

Re-issued on Blu-ray in January 2022:

Bonus Captures:

Distribution Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray


 


 

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