Wilde Pferde (1973)

Wilde Pferde: Directed by John Sturges, Duilio Coletti. With Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland, Marcel Bozzuffi, Vincent Van Patten. A runaway teenager and a mixed-race horse breeder strike an unlikely friendship in the context of common hardships.

“u0026quot;Chinou0026quot; had such potential. It was directed (partially) by the great John Sturges and its star, Charles Bronson, gives a wonderful performance, exuding the kind of quiet masculine strength that no one in Hollywood has these days. Most of the complaints about the film have to do with its atypically downbeat ending. I wonu0026#39;t spoil it for you, but I will say that I thought the ending, though viscerally unsatisfying, was intellectually and emotionally appropriate, more along the lines of something youu0026#39;d read in a novel than see in a pop movie.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBut what really goofs the film up is the see-saw realism brought about by being directed by two different men, the ailing Hollywood icon Sturges, and Duilio Coletti, unknown in the states, who may have been even further down the slope of his career in Europe. Formalist Sturges strove for at least the inner-logic of u0026quot;movie reality.u0026quot; Colettiu0026#39;s work had devolved into the worst of sloppy Eurowesterns.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eParts of the film seem to strive for realism, using natural lighting effects, etc. But as the film progresses, more and more glaring anachronisms pop up, such as perfectly square hay bales, only possible with baling machines. This break with even a third-graderu0026#39;s knowledge of the old west reaches its zenith when a character burns down a house, using a PLASTIC JUG of kerosene. A PLASTIC JUG in the old west! Hard to believe that even a European wouldnu0026#39;t know that there was no plastic in those days. I donu0026#39;t know what the circumstances were behind Sturges either quitting or being fired from the directoru0026#39;s chair part-way through the filming of u0026quot;Chino,u0026quot; but it certainly seems as though the scenes he left missing were shot by Coletti as quickly and with as little thought as possible.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film is also hobbled a bit by itu0026#39;s international origins. The villian is obviously French while his sister, played by Jill Ireland, is obviously British. Ireland has a brief bit of dialoge explaining this, but it only leaves you scratching your head all the more. Otherwise, u0026quot;Chinou0026quot; has many wonderful segments, thoughtful and well-acted.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs a postscript: I wish someone would restore this and other of Bronsonu0026#39;s more unusual Euro flicks and make them available on high quality widescreen dvd. The currently available vhs and dvd versions of Chino, Red Sun, Honor Among Theives, Cold Sweat, You Canu0026#39;t Win u0026#39;Em All, and etc, all suck bigtime. MGM? Anchor Bay? HELLO?”