Todesmelodie

Sergio Leone versteht es, mit dem Zuschauer zu spielen... es beginnt wie ein typischer Spaghetti-Western mit starken Hauptfiguren und einer Bank, die ausgeraubt werden muss, aber im Laufe der Zeit entwickelt sich der Film zu einem Drama mit Elementen eines Abenteuerfilms. Die ursprünglich sehr einfache Beziehung zwischen John und Juan bekommt eine dritte Dimension, die Revolution kommt der westlichen Handlung in die Quere, die Reflexionen über Verrat, Grausamkeit, das Hineinwerfen von Bakunin in den Schlamm, Rückblenden, kurzum, alles wird kompliziert und wir sehen definitiv keinen einfachen Film. Leones Markenzeichen sind mehr als deutlich, perfekte Augenarbeit der Schauspieler, viele Details, tolle Kameraführung, perfekte Musik aus der Feder von Meister Morricone. All dies verleiht dem Film eine besondere Leichtigkeit, mit der er an der Grenze zwischen Komik, Billigkeit, Tragik und Ernsthaftigkeit balanciert. Die einzigen Nachteile sind wahrscheinlich die Laufzeit und die exzessive Dehnung (der Film hatte vielleicht drei Momente, die als Höhepunkt galten), aber wie Cival hier zu Recht betont hat, macht die Hitze ihr eigenes Ding mit dem Zuschauer. :o) Ein ausgezeichnetes Erlebnis. (23.07.2006)

"A revolution? Seems to me the revolutions are all over the world. You know, they're like the crops." A picture with two extremely different halves. While the first half rides on an adventurous wave in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly style, the second half becomes rather serious all of a sudden. Almost as if Sergio was getting ready for Once Upon a Time in America. But both halves are just perfect, no doubt about that. But I can’t help myself feeling that they don’t go very well together. Otherwise, the classic elements of Leone’s pictures are here and again in masterful quality. From Morricone’s perfect music to the not so clear-cut characters of the protagonists. Coburn’s character’s flashbacks worked particularly well. The one with cuts to the scene by the wall, gradually increasing the tension, is absolute genius and significantly stands out against the rest of the movie (which you don’t often find in Leone’s movies). In comparison with Leone’s other movies, I would give this 4*, but in comparison with other movies, I can’t possibly give this any less than the full five stars. I’m not going to underrate this movie just because, in comparison to Leone, all other directors are nobodies. (23.07.2006)

At first, I frowned a bit at the unknown Leone, but after a surprisingly tired traditional opening episode, I started to smile happily. It could be said that instead of the usual unforgettable dark hero in the foreground (Eastwood in the dollars trilogy, De Niro in Once Upon a Time in America, everyone in Once Upon a Time in the West), this time it relies on a buddy duo of likable guys, but in the second half Coburn shines brilliantly and thanks to ingeniously shot flashbacks, he presents another great Western character with a psychological trace in the soul. There is no need to overly idealize Dynamite just because it belongs to the divine Sergio, similarly to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, the pace is surprisingly unbalanced. Nevertheless, I was once again convinced that Leone will remain an immortal giant. Even though the undeniable Ennio does a considerable amount of work for him, as usual. (22.07.2006)

Sergio Leone started as a B-movie director and remained one for most of his career, with the exception of his most famous film, Once Upon a Time in America. By B-movie director, I mean someone who works with a limited budget and adjusts their work accordingly. Additionally, a director who doesn't primarily aim to win awards at festivals, but rather thinks of the audience first. Leone works with typical genre props and situations but uses them in his own way. He innovates and, above all, moves the film from a simple gunslinger showdown to a social conflict in a country torn apart by social injustice and civil war. Leone belonged to the Italian left wing, which dominated Italian cinema in the 1970s. Even in the first scene from the stagecoach, the meticulous shots of the camera on the cynical wealthy, their mouths stuffed with food, arrogant gestures, and especially their condescending dialogues reveal whose side his sympathies are on. The film is not only about the emerging friendship of two men who are completely different in character and origin but also about the effort to establish a more just society in a country ruled by dictatorship and oppression. Leone's B-movie roots allow him to lighten up his film with humorous exaggeration and a number of adventurous elements that help sell the theme to a wider audience of moviegoers. Despite the very good craftsmanship, the film is not perfect and meticulously thought out. Leone neglects some significant moments and the logic of the plot lags. For example, it is surprising that both protagonists manage to get into a heavily guarded military transport that is carrying the provincial boss and his money to safety. Or another situation when a fierce battle is raging and both of them come face to face with their archenemy, at that moment the battle miraculously calms down, they probably have a cigarette and coffee, and when the western confrontation is over, the battle starts again in full force. For a military history enthusiast, it is also amazing how Leone resolved the issue of uniforms and military equipment. He simply took the equipment of the Italian army from World War II and put it in his film. Although Leone does not mention the exact date in which his story takes place, it is clear from the logic of what is seen that it is set at the turn of the years 1913-1914, during the rule of the dictator Huerta, not least because in the middle of 1914, the Mexican federal army ceased to exist completely. Naturally, the Mexican army was not motorized at that time and certainly did not have armored vehicles. In terms of acting, James Coburn and Rod Steiger excel in the main roles. Overall impression: 85%. (08.03.2010)

Nur um eine Haaresbreite schwächer als Leones beste Werke und ein zu Unrecht (von Verleihern und Zuschauern) vernachlässigtes Juwel. Dieser Film steckt neben Dynamit voller unvergesslicher Szenen (der Beginn in der Postkutsche, die Bank in Mesa Verde, die Brücke, die Höhle, atemberaubende Rückblenden), Spannung und typischem Humor, und die präzise Regie eines Meisters zusammen mit der Musik eines anderen Meisters, gespielt von Steiger und Coburn, machen sie daraus perfektes Filmspektakel. Bei einigen monumentalen Einstellungen und Massenszenen fragt man sich, wie großartig Leones Leningrad aussehen würde, wenn es denn je entstanden wäre. (18.09.2007)

Revolution means confusion. And it raises the question of whether it's appropriate to fault the incoherence of a film about a conflict as incoherent as the Mexican Revolution. Leone tries to use all the directorial attributes he has acquired to benefit an ambitious historical fresco, and then crams in some stylization as well (the character of James Coburn, the lanky demon with the droopy wrists and explosive-laden cape!) with a drastic and moving account of a conflict escalating into genocide. At certain points I felt like I was on Schindler's List here. The huge scene with the execution pits will freeze even the most hardened, if only because it is purely illustrative and foreshadowing. Giant panoramas of arid Mexican landscapes are then interspersed with extreme close-ups of the greasy postures of the uppity bourgeoisie. The fluctuating pacing is a problem; the film feels as if each episode is completely disconnected from the others, and the intimate sequences are quite theoretically and a bit driven unnecessarily into blood. However, the more grandiose and less genre-muddled sequences (especially in the first half of the film) are still breathtaking spectacle. Maybe because of the fact of how many films do you know that deal with the Mexican Revolution? (15.07.2021)