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Author
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Topic: My Name is Nobody 5X400
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted February 15, 2008 11:10 PM
Why did I feel a need to do another review of this film?
The first one was quite good, (concerning the splicing together a number of digests into a pretty good mini-feature), and i enjoyed it much. in fact, it was through that first review that i heard about the edited feature film version, (and wanted it).
However, that review didn't include a review of the feature version of this, and there are some interesting aspects to this version.
First off, when I first heard about this film, I thought, "eh, it's only a 74 minute version, if it's 4X400. I saw a used copy of this on Derann's used film list and thought I'd go ahead and get it, and boy was I surprised.
Reels one and two of this are completely up to the edge of the reels, and reel four is just about the same. Reel three is a nice full reel besides, so it is my guess that this was originally a 5X400ft version, spilced onto four very full reels, as it is an uncommon practice to fill reels that full by the disstributor.
Now, onto a brief version of the story.
"Nobody", a loner, wanderer, idolizes an aging gunfighter by name of "Jack Beaugard, the last chance for law and order in the west" (as stated by nobody).
It's 1900, and his two brothers had both been gunned down, and some men are looking to take him out. All he wants to do is to "get out of dodge while the gettins good". he wants to take a boat from New Orleans to Europe.
No way, Nobody wants him to take on "One hundred and fifty pure bred sons a bitches on horseback, and him, facing them, alone.". Jack wants nothing to do with this.
But Nobody engineers evereything so that Jack ends up facing down the wild bunch, whether he likes it or not, in a magnificent showndown, one against one hundred and fifty!
When I first head of this movie, I thought it was absolutely ludicrous as a premise, until I saw it and realized that it is plausible.
(the modern riders like lots of shiny things on thier saddles. As Jack says to Nobody, "You shine like a door to a whorehouse. A blind man could spot you from a mile away". The wild bunch puts dynamite in thier saddlebags. Jack sees the shine off the saddlebags from a distance and aims for that! By the way, he doesn't kill all hundred and fifty, but he damn well takes out quite a few!)
I fell in love with this film when I first bought it on VHS and then later on widescreen laserdisc. This Super 8 version has many a great plus's.
First off, it's in it's original scope, and that wide image is even greater, (especially in Jack's final confrontation with the wild bunch.) on the big screen, at it is a little wider than we get on either DVD or laserdisc.
The edit on this is a little harsh in my opinion.
The first thing to be cut, is the complete nine and a half minute opening "shave and gunfight". In the middle of this, there is a piece that easily should have been in this, where Jack first appears on the scene, he asked about the ship and when it leaves.
Personally, I would have much rather had that first shave and gunfight and left out some of the slapstick, which isn't essential to the story.
The next large cut isn't essential to the story and a good edit. When Nobody arrives at the train stop to run off with the train, there is a scene where he intimidates an engineer who REALLY needs to pee, and this scene lasts a good four minutes. Good edit.
The last BIG edit, is the removal of the whole scene involving Jack and Nobody faking the gunfight where Jack loses his life, and his parting words to Nobody (via letter). This scene lasts a full twelve minutes.
I can slightly understand the edit, as both big scenes, cut out of the film, involve a shave and "gun in a very sensitive portion of the anatomy". The film ends very abruptly when the scene between Jack and the wild bunch "iris's" out. There is not even a "the End" card. That's disappointing. It isn't that it ends there. With the natural iris at this point, it can be ended there, but an end card would have been nice.
The scenes edited out brings the orginal film down 26 minutes. This leaves 88 minutes for the running time, and that is just about what this film runs at.
Except for the missing of those two scenes, which I would have rather had, it is a very good slightly edited feature.
There film does not for a moment, mention the stock. I am going to guess at either early L.P.P. or Kodak SP. There is one clue as to where this might have been manufactured :
Germany.
There are about thirty frames that state "Ultrascope" and a bunch a German language. A german origin print, or at least from German labs?
Interestingly enough, this film has the British certi-ficate at the beginning, stating the film as rated "A", so the next time I watch it, I'm going to watch for differences in shots, camera angles, ect.
COLOR
The film stock, whichever kind it was, has held up extremely well, since this print is at least thirty years old. There is a slight color shift to a more slightly brown, (the blacks are still very good), but with the subject being a western, it doesn't hurt it at all.)
SHARPNESS
This is a very good print. The focus is excellent. Not Derann perfect, but near to that.
CONTRAST
This scores well on this level too. No scenes, even the daylight ones, (which are quite bright on all prints I have seen on VHS, Laser), are just fine. No wash out, nor are there any scenes that are too dark. Just fine. Nice grain levels as well. Doesn't have that "dupey" look.
SOUND
I'd love to see if the future releases of this will be in stereo, but this is in very adequete mono.
Print: 90 score
editing: 70 score
What would have been a great extra for fans of this film, would have been to release on a 200ft reel, the whole shave/gun-
-fight scene from the beginning of the film, for them to edit onto this.
If you are a fan of this western, then I can HIGHLY reccommend this film, print wise. The edits couls have been better, though.
OSI
P.S. can anybody tell me if the smaller 30 minute digest versions have the shave'gunfight scene intact from the film?
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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