 |
| CRAZY BUNCH, THE |
|
aka Di Tresette ce n'è uno tutti gli altri son nessuno (I), Dicke Luft in Sacramento (WG),
1973
Italy
Dania Film
Director: Anthony Ascott [Giuliano Carnimeo]
Story & screenplay: Tito Carpi
Music: Alessandro Alessandroni (R.C.A.)
Cinematography: Federico Zanni {Eastmancolor}
Editor: Eugenio Alabiso
Set design: Riccardo Domenici
Cameraman: Sebastiano Celeste
Filmed:
Release information: Registered 22.04.74. Italy (27.04.74, 95 mins), West Germany (03.04.75, 92 mins)
Cast: George Hilton (
Tresette), Chris Huerta (
Paco), Tony Norton (
Twinkletoes), Memmo Carotenuto, Nello [Giovanni] Pazzofini (
head of the 'Menoni' / Straker), Umberto D'Orsi (
asylum director), Riccardo Garrone (
Tutti Frutti), Renato Baldini (
the bank director), Dante Maggio (
Drakeman), Enzzo Maggio (
Frank Faina), Gino Pagnani, Aldo Cecconi, Ettore Arena, Oscar Giustini, Ottorino Polentini, Sergio Smacchi, Dante Cleri, Puccio Ceccarelli
Made not so much at the fag end of the Spaghetti Western cycle as after someone had tried to smoke all the tea in rolled up newspaper, The Crazy Bunch is simply a film that is impossible to contemplate out of context. It's pretty bad, pretty corny and extremely insane - the type of thing which, if you're like me, you find yourself having a certain fondness for. I can't, however, recommend it to the unwary - this is about as far from Hollywood as it gets.
Tricky Dicky (Hilton, debonair as always) is a renowned gunfighter who is searching for some loot stolen from a wagon train. He is helped by a fat sidekick (Chris Huerta, playing his stock Western role). Also after the cash are a stuttering dandy named Tutti Frutti (Riccardo Garrone) and the socially challenged Striker brothers (led by Nello Pazzafini). That's it folks. I can't elaborate on this because there is nothing to elaborate upon.
With all the depth and human insight of tracing paper the plot ambles from one fistfight to another, only finding diversion in a succession of increasingly disturbed sight gags. With all natural sounds replaced by a hierarchy of "Boings" and "Kathumps", all physical movements distorted through the used of multi-speed photography and all faces skewed into a parade of exaggerated expressions, this is one film that could actually cause mental instability. In fact, a large section of the film is set in a lunatic asylum - a location I often feel myself heading towards as I shift through such cinematic ephemera.
Amongst all this, there is some good. The direction, photography and soundtrack are - unsurprisingly considering the team responsible - more than adequate. There is a nice guest role for Tony Norton (who steals the whole show) as a villain called Twinkletoes, who is determined to have a showdown with the hero - even if they're in a wardrobe at the time. One gag, involving a bemasked pseudo KKK organisation and a character in blackface, made me laugh out loud. Apart from this politically incorrect instance though, the level of humour is probably best epitomised by the liberal use of that old "cannonball up the ass" gag.
