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[tab title="Movie Review"]
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When we talk about the films of Sergio Leone, I wonder how many people realize we are only talking, specifically, about six movies. Six. No more and no less. And they are all inarguable considered film classics…except for one. Filmed in 1971, Duck, You Sucker! (aka A Fistful of Dynamite aka Once Upon A Time … The Revolution) is the only one to suffer tremendously at the hands of censorship and unflinching distributors as its various versions and film titles spread around the world, resulting in Leone’s most overlooked and misunderstood film. Trying to right this incalculable wrong and offer a reconsideration of Leone’s film as the classic that it is, MGM offers up the fully restored version of his take on the Mexican Revolution on blu-ray.
Duck, You Sucker! is the middle chapter in his Once Upon A Time trilogy and, inspired in part by the Parisian political riots and left-wing nationalism, reads as a de-mythicizing of what it means to be a part of a violent revolution. It stars Rod Steiger as the amoral Juan Miranda (a part written for Tuco’s Eli Wallach from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly) and James Coburn, as John Mallory, a wanted member of the Fenian Brotherhood and skilled demolitions expert, finds himself caught up in another revolution south of the border.
The year is 1913 and the Mexican Revolution is only in its infancy. Mexico is in a state of unrest and Juan, noticing Mallory’s specific set of skills involving dynamite and blowing shit up, works tirelessly to recruit him for the a raid on the Mesa Verde National Bank. Along the way, they will cross paths with tyrannical leaders (running with small fortunes belonging to real heroes of the revolution) and be greeted as idols in a time of immense bloodshed. Also starring Romolo Valli, Maria Monti, Rik Battaglia, and David Warbeck, Duck, You Sucker! is a little seen epic that speaks volumes about the true consequences of revolution.
The restored version presented here begins with a quote from Mao Tse-tung. It reads: The revolution is not a social dinner, a literary event, a drawing or an embroidery; it cannot be done with... elegance and courtesy. The revolution is an act of violence. Leone, knee-deep in the left-wing nationalism popular among the youth of the late 1960’s, uses the Mexican Revolution merely as a symbol and develops an argument that stands the test of time as many Italian filmmakers, Leone was but one, were rethinking its past ties with fascism and the Nazi occupation of Rome. With the events in Duck, You Sucker!, Leone takes things to the edge of entertainments and graphically depicts the execution of a person who bares more than just a passing resemblance of Benito Mussolini.
Director of photography Giuseppe Ruzzolini worked tirelessly to nail the epic scope Leone envisioned his protagonists to be operating against amongst all of the confusion kicked up in the dirt. Like never before, the zoom lens was employed to draw immediate attention (and humor) of these two men – one naive and one intellectual - at odds with their surroundings. One man, loyal to only his family, and the other, loyal only to a memory about a woman loved by two men, become friends and are hailed as heroes in spite of their unheroic actions, resulting in suicide and selfishness.
Leone, who had grown weary of the speed of American action films, slows things down and inserts a bit more humor. He allows characters to grow, chew over their tense dialogue, and – even if he did want someone else to direct the film – produces his most mature work of art. At times, namely the extended tracking shot highlighting teams of execution squads gunning down peasants, the film is ripe with poetic responses that would give any cynic pause. The villains look like Nazis. The violence is exaggerated. The time period is a hazy sort of cloud that gives it a hypothetical quality that remains unshakable. With Duck, You Sucker!. Leone perfectly mirrors the angst going on in Italy at the time without ever setting foot on native soil.
Combined with the pure power in the impressive score from Ennio Morricone, Duck, You Sucker! remains Leone’s feast for the eyes, ears, and the heart. It’s about time someone took notice.
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[tab title="Film Details"]
MPAA Rating: PG
Runtime: 138 mins
Director: Sergio Leone
Writer: Sergio Leone and Luciano Vincenzoni
Cast: Rod Steiger, James Coburn, Romolo Valli
Genre: Western
Tagline: Rod Steiger and James Coburn will blow you apart in "A Fistful of Dynamite" ("Duck You Sucker") by the master of adventure Sergio Leone
Memorable Movie Quote: "When I started using dynamite... I believed in... many things, all of it! Now, I believe only in dynamite."
Distributor: United Artists
Official Site:
Release Date: June 30, 1972
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: October 7, 2014
Synopsis: An I.R.A. explosives expert on the run in Mexico meets an amoral Mexican bandit; together they are drawn into the Mexican revolution.
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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]
Blu-ray Details:
Available on Blu-ray - October 7, 2014
Screen Formats: 2.35:1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, German, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Norwegian, Swedish
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit); French: DTS 5.1; German: DTS 5.1; Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono; Spanish: DTS 5.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Single disc (1 BD)
Region Encoding: Region-free playback
The 157-minute restored version is a treasure. MGM hasn’t cleaned up some of the dirt and debris still scratching at the print utilized for the 1080p transfer but, compared to the previous DVD version, Duck, You Sucker! Has never looked better. Grain is heavy but so are the details. There is golden sun-kissed hue on everything. Colors are warm. Shadows and black levels are strong and the texture, always gritty, is marked with depth. The 5.1 DTS Surround Sound will dynamite your system.
Supplements:
Commentary:
- Sir Christopher Frayling supplies the film’s commentary. He is, in fact, the most knowledgeable person to discuss Leone’s misaligned masterpiece. Just shut up and listen to him deconstruct the film in this feature-length commentary.
Special Features:
MGM unleashes the same supplemental material that graced the DVD release version. The highlights are Frayling discussion of Leone’s political angle, Donati discussing the writing of the movie, and looking at the differences in the versions of the movie. If you are a fan of the movie, you simply have to check out the bonus material.
- The Myth Of Revolution: Sir Christopher Frayling Discusses Leone’s Political Leanings.His Maturing Method And His Style (22 min)
- Sergio Donati Remembers Duck, You Sucker Featurette (10 min)
- Once Upon A Time In Italy (AKA The Autry Exhibit): A Behind-The- Scenes Look At Putting Together An Exhibit On Leone (15 min)
- Sorting Out The Versions Featurette (10 min)
- Restoration Italian Style: John Kirk Discusses Restoring The Original Italian Version (7 min)
- Location Comparisons Then To Now: Film Clips Intercut With Current Footage Of The Locations Used (7 min)
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- 6 Radio Spots
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