Keep Those Spaghetti Westerns Straight

One of the things I love about Kinski is that if you look at his filmography you get a real sense for what was popular – at least in the world of Eurotrash – at the time. Krimis, giallos, europsy and spaghetti westerns make up the bulk of his epic 1960s/early 1970s output, with the occasional heist flick and World War II story thrown in just to break things up.

Unfortunately, between original foreign-language titles and re-titles for seemingly every foreign market, keeping the flicks straight can be a real challenge. Especially when it comes to spaghetti westerns.

Check out a film I know under the title A FISTFUL OF DEATH. An episodic attempt to mesh the legends of The Lone Ranger and Butch Cassidy the flick features Kinski as Reverend Cotten, a long-haired preacher who excels at horseshoes and fistfighting. Despite receiving top billing on most video store boxes you'll find, the role is a small one.

Filmed under the title GIU LA TESTA... HOMBRE it's also known as BALLAD OF DJANGO, the aforementioned A FISTFUL OF DEATH, and the awesome title of STRANGE TALE OF MINNESOTA STINKY. I've even seen a DVD of it using the title ADIOS COMPANEROS.

While checking out The Bloody Italiana Blog this morning I read their post about The Spaghetti Western Database. Here's hoping this site will help me keep my Klaus Spags straight!