After Good Ol' Boys night, a subtle transition back into the past with two disparate westerns, NAVAJO JOE from 1966 starring Burt Reynolds, and THE STALKING MOON from 1968 with Gregory Peck. Quentin was very excited about showing NAVAJO JOE, claiming that he thought Reynolds gives one of the greatest "physical performances ever, alright?" Apparently, at the height of the Man With No Name fame, Reynolds was duped into an Italian western thinking it Sergio Leone would be the director. He got Sergio Corbucci instead, who was one of the best non-Leone SW filmmakers.

Basically, NAVAJO JOE is a revenge tale about a wronged Indian (Reynolds) going single-mindedly after the men who killed his tribe. Or something. I swear I don't recall. But Tarantino was right about Burt Reynolds  (or "Stuntman Burt" if you recall the taunt from GRINDHOUSE) as he deftly jumps, swoops, chops, punches and shoots all over the place, fully utilizing his stunt background  It's as if he's trying to escape from the film; but there's always somebody in his warpath. The second  great thang was the obligatory Ennio Morricone soundtrack, with one of his most audacious themes (also used in KILL BILL). ELECTION even  sampled from the music (which you'd recognize as Tracy Flick's anger theme).  While not a masterpiece, NAVAJO JOE is a well-shot and exciting spaghetti western. Burt Reynolds barely says five sentences in the whole film, but his presence justifies all. Corbucci would go on to the famous DJANGO series next. Between films, I talked with Quentin about THE MIGHTY PEKING MAN and he went into a whole monologue about what the story means and particularly the last shot. Now, I thought I was a film geek, but Tarantino is The Film Geek. He was actually inside THE MIGHTY PEKING MAN'S HEAD, looking out. With that one conversation, I witnessed a pure cinematic passion writ human.

Onto THE STALKING MOON, a high pedigree studio western, directed by TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD's Richard Mulligan. The premise is simple: a woman kidnapped by an Indian warrior is rescued years later by her husband (Gregory Peck). Sadly, the warrior wants his woman back. Like a silent wraith, the barely seen warrior stalks his prey through the mountains. Aided by his trusty Native sidekick played by Rober Forster (!), Peck eventually battles this manifestation of his worst fears.

This was a very interesting film, but I was trying to figure out what attracted such star power like Mulligan and Peck to such a simple tale. The film is almost reactionary in its depiction of the vengeful injun warrior, tho he's certainly not mocked. And there's not enough psychological subtlty to make the pursuit a metaphor for much else. It does play like a genteel horror film, and the warrior is not unlike HALLOWEEN'S Michael Myers. You get the sense that this warrior can never be killed...

All in all, a fun night of little-seen western wonders. Time to mosey on home and prepare for Thursday's much-anticipated 70's COPS FILMS double feature. FREEBIE AND THE BEAN!