Yep. That's right...
"La collina degli stivali" or simply "Boot Hill" (and there's half a dozen other international titles I could mention) is an Italian Italian-language movie from 1969, so this one had its 50th anniversary last year in fact already, which means it is over half a century old, most likely still a little older once you read this because 2020 is almost over and what a year it was. But let's stay with this film for now.
A disappointing follow-up to the superior ACE HIGH, BOOT HILL sees the comedy tag-team of Terence Hill and Bud Spencer teaming up again just before they hit the big time in the early 1970s. It's fair to say that this is a lacklustre comedy western, one which seems to have been sloppily made with the minimum of effort in all departments.
Boot Hill, the English title for this spaghetti western finds Terrence Hill confronting a the hired thugs of town boss Victor Buono and getting shot up for his efforts. A traveling circus takes him in and gives him shelter over the objections of owner Lionel Stander who reluctantly gives in.
Released in 1969 and directed/written by Giuseppe Colizzi, "Boot Hill" stars Terence Hill as Cat Stevens, a hunted and wounded man who hooks up with a circus troupe and the oppressed citizens of a small town in the Southwest to take on Honey Fisher (Victor Buono) and his murderous gang who corruptly gain leases on valuable gold-yielding land in the area. Woody Strode plays one of the trapeze artists.
I could only find this film in a terrible full screen version that looks like its permanently raining all the way through the film, so let's not allow that to cloud our judgment of the film. Let the comedy and meandering storyline do that instead.
I like these type of movies but this one which I bought as part of a 4 movie Spaghetti western Special really is terrible. This actually may be the grandfather of "Brokeback Mountain".
I've wanted to see Boot Hill for a while now, but it's been difficult to find a watchable transfer. I realize now that I haven't been missing much.
This is a fairly obtuse Western, filmed altogether too dark and muddy that comes complemented by circus trapeze artists, midget clowns and dancing girls. There's also the hint of a homosexual flavor peppered throughout, with two shaggy males dancing cheek to cheek in an opening scene, and glistening male torsos swinging from bar to bar above the big top.
