Welcome to theBad.net Lee Van Cleef Blog! Here you will find information, photos, videos, and some of my opinions of the badman himself.

Many thanks to the wonderful fans of theBad.net for their contributions and continued enthusiasm!

Saturday, July 31, 2021

Sabata Trilogy Coming to Blu-ray (UK)

 



Exciting news from Eureka Entertainment.  The Sabata Trilogy will be released as a boxed set in the UK on October 18.  It includes the two LVC movies, Sabata, and Return of Sabata, as well as the Yul Brynner classic Adios Sabata.

All three of these titles have been released on blu-ray previously across multiple regions.  While it does not look like there is any type of remaster involved, there does appear to me some great new special features.

Most importantly they have cut together a pretty awesome trailer!




Press release and extras listed below-

Three iconic spaghetti westerns by director Gianfranco Parolini in one explosive Blu-ray set! 

Sabata (1969)
Who he is and where he came from, no one knows. But the leading citizens of the Western town of Daugherty think he knows too much. And they want to silence him; forever. Get ready for the fast-paced, explosive action as Lee Van Cleef (For a Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly) stars as Sabata, a mysterious, steely-eyed gunslinger who imposes his bullet-laced brand of justice on the town. 

Adiós Sabata (1970)
Yul Brynner (Westworld, The Magnificent Seven) takes the reins as the title character in this action-packed sequel. Under the brutal rule of local garrison leader Colonel Skimmel, a group of Mexican revolutionaries hire gunslinger Sabata to rob a transport of Austrian gold in order to buy weapons. But Colonel Skimmel has other plans, taking the gold for himself and blaming the revolutionaries, but no scheming colonel is going to keep Sabata from earning his pay! 

Return of Sabata (1971) 
The great Lee Van Cleef returns as the famous freewheeling gunslinger Sabata. This third and final go-round for the enigmatic sharpshooter who administers a unique brand of justice in the American West in the years following the Civil War finds Sabata in the role of victim. Sabata’s skills as a gambler and thief are unparalleled. However, when a shifty band of desperadoes bilks him out of $5,000, he wants revenge!


SPECIAL FEATURES 
  • O-Card Slipcase Reversible sleeve featuring original poster artwork for each film 
  • 1080p presentations on Blu-ray from High Definition transfers 
  • English and Italian audio options 
  • Optional English SDH Subtitles 
  • Sabata – Brand new feature length audio commentary by author / critic Kim Newman 
  • Adiós, Sabata – Brand new feature length audio commentary by filmmaker and historian Mike Siegel
  • Return of Sabata – Brand new feature length audio commentary by authors C. Courtney Joyner & Henry Parke 
  • New video pieces on each film by Austin Fisher, author of Radical Frontiers in the Spaghetti Western: Politics, Violence and Popular Italian Cinema 
  • Trailers 
  • Stills Galleries 
  • A Limited Edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Western expert Howard Hughes



Saturday, July 24, 2021

For a Few Dollars More Coming to 4K UHD in April

For a Few Dollars More (and Fistful of Dollars) will be coming to 4kK UHD next year from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.  Not much is known at the moment, but this will be an exciting release!

Coming in 2022 on 4KUHD!

• A Fistful of Dollars (1964) Clint Eastwood, Gian Maria Volontè, Marianne Koch, Mario Brega & Aldo Sambrell – Music by Ennio Morricone – Directed by Sergio Leone

• For a Few Dollars More (1965) Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volontè, Klaus Kinski, Mario Brega, Luigi Pistilli & Aldo Sambrell – Music by Ennio Morricone – Directed by Sergio Leone

Sold Separately!

Restoration and bonus feature details will be announced later

 

Saturday, July 3, 2021

VHS Flashback: The Stranger & The Gunfighter

Before streaming, blu-ray, and DVD, most LVC films were only available on home video cassette tapes, usually VHS (but also Betamax).  Many of us discovered these films for the first time in these formats (usually cropped and edited).


Often times due to rights issues, these films were given new titles (some similar to the original, some not).  Often the cover image of LVC was not from the actual film!

Here is a look back at the old VHS LVC video covers for The Stranger & The Gunfighter!