Linkshoch
Wonderful Movie
Crwthod
A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.
ChicRawIdol
A brilliant film that helped define a genre
Calum Hutton
It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
Oslo Jargo (Bartok Kinski)
*Plot and ending analyzed* Charley-One-Eye (1973) is one of those odd films that come across the TV late at night. I really enjoyed it, since it was a new take on the Western. It has a black man, of recent from the Union Army, now a deserter, and his injured American Indian hostage. I didn't recognize Roy Thinnes as the Indian and Richard Roundtree as the black man. Richard Roundtree shot some Union officer and seems to be on the run. A mean-spirited Bounty Hunter is on his trail, played by Nigel Davenport (Sands of the Kalahari (1965), A Man for All Seasons (1966)).There's a lot of oddness in the interaction between the black man and his injured American Indian hostage, who are fighting for survival in the desert. It was filmed in Almería Spain, the locale for so many Spaghetti Westerns in the 1960's.It is interesting to note how the relationship develops when they are by themselves are threatened by an outsider group. The ending was very melancholy. There is also a similar film, Eagle's Wing (1979) , where Sam Waterston plays an American Indian. Grayeagle (1977) also has Alex Cord as an American Indian.Charley-One-Eye, like Eagle's Wing (1979), were both British productions.Charley-One-Eye is a chicken that the American Indian has taken a fancy to and perhaps is symbolic of how American Indians were treated.
zanegoldy
What an overlooked gem this film is. This is a great movie, for a few reasons. One is the acting, when you start this movie you may think god, this acting is atrociously over the top with the characters laughing hysterically for seemingly no reason and the less than natural dialogue. But Ben is just a free soul on the run who is lovable in every way. And the Indian starts as a stoic, cold character then becomes free willing and funny character, the arc is beautiful. This film's plot isn't the best but it gets the job done but it's really about the characters. The villain in this film is great, bringing a new layer of creepiness and intensity to this movie, which amazingly segwayed from a fun, sometimes dark movie to an all out melodrama. As soon as he cocks his gun at the church door, you know this won't end well. Without giving anything else away this is a fantastic diamond in the rough and is DEFINITELY worth a watch.
poe426
Westerns are sometimes westerns by default. Horses, men with guns, barren, sun-baked landscapes, American "Indians"... To most of us, these ingredients add up to one thing and one thing only: a "western." A genre film. (An "oater," if you will; a "shoot-'em-up.") But all is not always as it may seem. THE BALLAD OF GREGORIO CORTEZ, for instance, while a "posse" movie, is hardly a "traditional" western. Unlike many of the John Ford or Howard Hawks westerns, it wasn't "storyboarded" by Fred Remington (or would that be "production designed" by?). BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID was a more traditional "chase" film, but far superior to most thanks to brilliant writing and direction (not to mention the performances by two of the Big Screen's most stellar stars). Although it, too, is a "chase" film, CHARLEY ONE-EYE is about as unconventional and as stark as they come. The storyline is sparse but nonetheless compelling; it unravels slowly but realistically, with men pitted both against the elements and one another. Beautifully shot and directed, CHARLEY ONE-EYE rates a look.
noisyb
An Indian and a deserted Soldier (africa-american) meet in a desert (probably in Mexico) and both are trying to get something like a new life. They become friends and want to start a farm or something like that. The Indian goes to a nearby town to buy some chickens. In his absence the deserted soldier is stoned to death by mexicans who seem to hate everything american. When the Indian returns he seems to fall apart.However, I highly recommend this movie.
