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

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (February 2021): Kino have transferred Carlo Lizzani's pasta western The Hills Run Red to Blu-ray. It is a very visual film with some impressive cinematography from Antonio Secchi (A Bullet for the General.) The 1080P looked quite appealing my system. The film's many close-ups show strong detail,.

NOTE: We have added 64 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel track (16-bit) in the English language. It is another advancement in the film's audio and score by Spirited score by the iconic Ennio Morricone (Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion, The Fifth Cord, Luna, A Bullet for the General, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, The Rover, U Turn, Stay As You Are etc. etc.) score  sounding a bit deeper with more consistent dialogue. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers a new commentary by Alex Cox (author of 10,000 Ways to Die: A Director's Take on the Spaghetti Western.) He is the best commentarist for this genre and discusses details like 'furniture acting', the usual taciturn, silent, protagonist differing here, big close-ups matching the big characters, Morricone score, the strange choices of renaming in Italian westerns, observing the difference between Thomas Hunter's acting and Dan Duryea, the little boy Loris Loddi (One Hundred Thousand Dollars for Ringo, and uncredited in Sergio Corbucci's The Great Silence) playing the 'unknown' son, how The Hills Run Red is a more complex than a usual Italian western - more in common with a psychological western, the 'tacked-on' American ending.. and much more. He talks at a leisurely pace - questioning the logic of certain sequences wondering how it relates to the plot - allowing the film to occasionally run. I enjoyed it very much. He's the best. There is also a theatrical trailer.  

Carlo Lizzani's The Hills Run Red isn't a premium 'spaghetti western' but it has many of the conventions that we love, with an effective, diverse, Morricone score (LOVE the occasional singing of Gianna Spagnolo), plenty of close-ups, gratuitous violence, a random saloon gun battle, a coffin! etc. Thomas Hunter is good and it was pleasing to see Dan Duryea kicking around, the scary Henry Silva plus let's not forget sexy Nicoletta Machiavelli (That Most Important Thing: Love, A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die) - Note: Cox hinting she is reportedly related to the renaissance philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli! (although we don't know.)  Kino's Blu-ray has very strong value for lovers of the genre - for the lesser-seen western film and Alex Cox essential, and laid-back, commentary. Recommended! 

Gary Tooze