***

This atypical 1970 offering from Italian horror maestro Mario Bava is meant as a spoof of spaghetti westerns, but the wooden acting of pretty boys Brett Halsey and Charles Southwood (Roy and Jack respectively) adds an unintended layer of humor. The two gunslingers are rivals seeking buried gold and the favors of a fickle Indian prostitute (Marilu Tolo) who wants the loot for herself. Teodoro Corra chews the sand dunes as “the Reverend,” a dynamite-tossing Russian outlaw in priestly garb. Faces familiar from Sergio Leone westerns abound in the supporting cast. The pseudo-Morricone score by Piero Umiliani is a hoot.

Excerpt from The ChicagoReader located HERE

Image Entertainment (The Mario Bava Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Anchor Bay (The Mario Bava Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Image Entertainment

Region 1 - NTSC

1.80:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.26 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.3 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

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

Image Entertainment (The Mario Bava Collection)

Anchor Bay (The Mario Bava Collection)

Kino

Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 mono

LPCM Audio Italian 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Commentary:

Dolby Digital Audio English 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.80:1

Edition Details:
• Poster and Stills Gallery
• Also Available from Image Entertainment (15:22)

DVD Release Date: January 21, 2003
Snapper Case

Chapters 12
 

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1

Edition Details:
• boxset of 8 films on 6 discs.

 

Chapters 20

ADDITION: Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray October 17': Kino's new Blu-ray transfer of Mario Bava's Roy Colt and Winchester Jack, looks passive beside the saturated DVDs. It seem to have some green/blue leaning but the detail is advanced. It's on a single-layered disc but has a high bitrate and looks quite pleasing in-motion. Flesh tones cool and there is some depth.

Tim Lucas, in our FB Group, says: "...when compared with the earlier grabs, there is a noticeable loss of warmth - but the movie was in fact shot in horrendously cold weather, so the result IS truer to what was shot, though it may not reflect adjustments made to the color grading as prints were being struck. Even so, this 2K restoration brings out colors and detail I never knew were in this film. It really is, far and away, the best-looking presentation of the bunch so far."

There are linear PCM track options for both English and Italian. Effects include typical western audio - horses, guns etc. The score is by Piero Umiliani (Baba Yaga, Bava's Five Dolls for an August Moon.) The 'theme' is actually quite catchy with vocals by 'Free Love' - and Tim Lucas shares information about it in the commentary. There are optional English subtitles on the Region 'A' Blu-ray disc.

Kino include an audio commentary by Tim Lucas, author of Mario Bava All the Colors of the Dark , who examines the film origins, why Mario Bava found himself directing it, Leone references, how Bava felt about pretense, the satire of Roy Colt and Winchester Jack and tons more. It's at his usual informative level - extremely rewarding - especially for Bava fans. Italian films were traditionally broken into halves - "Primo Tempo" and "Secondo Tempo" - so that refreshments would be sold during the intermission. Kino include 35-second worth of 'Intervallo cards' used for Roy Colt and Winchester Jack. No liner notes.

Obviously a different kind of Pasta western - less serious, exaggerated characters and a sense of fun behind the action. The Lucas commentary was vital for me in appreciating the production and it elevates the value on the Blu-ray.

 - Gary, Gregory and Eric