A FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE (AKA DUCK, YOU SUCKER!) [GIÙ LA TESTA] (Masters of Cinema) STANDARD EDITION BLU-RAY

First off this film is one of my absolute favourites and is worth 5 stars in itself. It's this Bluray presentation I'm giving 2 stars.The good:A nice 40 page booklet is included with a lot of new infomation on the film, the music and it has a new interview with the film's poster designer.The HD transfer looks really nice and the picture quality is better than that of the DVD, but not by a huge amount.There's a couple of extra interviews on the Bluray that weren't on the DVD but not a lot else.The bad:No option for a 5.1 surround version. Mono only.4 versions of the film, 3 are exactly the same except for variations in titles and credits. I.e. the Duck you Sucker title card is changed To A Fistful Of Dynamite at the very end in the 2nd version on disc 1. Then you have the italian language credits on version 3 on disc 2 but the film is still in English with a stereo soundtrack and is the exact same cut. The only difference is the slightly changed colour pallet. The 4th version is the only real difference featuring the film in the Italian language with optional English subtitles, but it is once again the same cut as the other 3 of the film.There are true multiple versions of this film that exist with different lengths, cuts and scene alterations but none are featured here.Now for my biggest gripe. The final flashback scene has the wrong theme. This is replicated on all 4 versions too. In the documentary 'Sorting Out The Versions' which is from the original 2 disc special edition DVD, it tells of how in the scene Ennio Morricone's score shifts in tone dramatically. It occurs when the woman stops kissing the James Coburn character and moves to his friend, the music takes on a more sombre mood. This is vital because it epitomises the James Coburn character of John and his running guilt throughout the film. It gives a vital clue as to what the real relationship between him and his friend Sean really was and the other circumstances that occurred between them. It was restored correctly for the 2 disc special edition DVD but the bluray doesn't feature this vital musical shift and has the unrestored musical edit. This completely destroys the scene and weakens the whole build up to that moment if you were aware of it previously. (This is all better explained than l can in the aforementioned 'Sorting Out The Versions' documentary). That altered music really makes a huge difference, at least for me. The kicker also is, when you put on the audio commentary, the original musical shift is there deep in the background. So why couldn't it have been on one of the film soundtracks too. And the fact that it is mentioned in the documentary and not featured is annoying.A huge disappointment... Like l said I'm a huge fan of this film and you might think that knocking off 3 stars just for such a small moment is petty. But it's because I'm so fond of this film that l have to be brutal with this Bluray edition review.l'm sticking with the 2 disc DVD.

This is another master piece by Sergio Leone with another great score from Ennio Morricone. It definetly isn’t his best film but it’s still a typical Leone film. If you enjoyed the Dollars Triology or Once upon a time in the west then I’m sure you’ll really appreciate how great this film truely is!!

This is probably the least-known of Sergio Leone's westerns but it's unbelievable how friendship, love and happy times are mixed in with betrayal, sadness and regret often without a word of dialogue but with a superb score by Ennio Morricone. I don't rate the movie with five stars only because there are some gaps in the story line, in fact some filmed sequences were cut after the movie was completed and this is evident sometimes. We have two versions of the movie and I prefer the Italian version because in my opinion the colours are more realistic and in fact the coloured stills in the extras are quite similar. Great, great booklet.

Sergio does it again. Steiger is a Mexican peasant caught in the middle of the revolution and Coburn is the other protagonist, a runaway Irish explosive expert. Steiger's acting whilst a little over the top and Coburn's thick Irish accent lends to the proceedings.It is an entertaining romp and the set pieces and staged beautifully. The music is by none other than Maestro Ennio Morricone and contributions form Alessandro Alessandroni and Edda dell'Orso and is a must for colllectors. The picture quality on this Eureka edition is excellent on both US and Italian releases.

Arrived well in advance of the expected arrival date, and the two versions of the movie were a joy to watch

Awesome film. No its not perfect but I really enjoyed it.

One of those films that appear to be hidden by the master's other great works, but it is possibly Leone's best .. Great pairing of Steiger and Coburn, and at times a very sad film, but bounces back with a bit of comedic value and some great action. The soundtrack "Giu La Testa" from Ennio Morricone is superb too.

Morricone's score fell down on this one, but he was nearly a match for Hans Zimmer, at one time.Pity he couldn't speak English, having seen him in the flesh!Poor storyline.