Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Navajo Joe Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 31, 2013

Sergio Corbucci's "Navajo Joe" (1966) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German distributors Koch Media. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers; video interview with Italian film historian Antonio Bruschini; featurette with clips from interviews with Nori Corbucci, assistant director Ruggero Deodato, and actress Nicoletta Machiavelli; promotional materials; and more. In English, Italian, or German, with optional German subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Duncan's Gang

The ruthless leader of a large gang whose members have been getting paid to kill Indians across the West decides to rob a Wells Fargo train transporting a large amount of money after he is told by his employers that his services are no longer needed. But when the bandits attack the train, a handsome Indian named Navajo Joe single-handedly drives them away and delivers the money in Esperanza, a small town with a worthless sheriff whose residents want to modernize it. Convinced that it is only a matter of time before the bandits come back looking for the money, the town’s leaders hire Navajo Joe to protect them.

Several days later, the bandits regroup, draw a new plan to get rich quick, and head to Esperanza. Assisted by a traitor who wants a chunk of the money for himself, they enter the town and quickly capture Navajo Joe. But when a few brave souls manage to release their paid protector, all hell breaks loose. Between the shootouts, a very beautiful Indian girl who has been working as a maid in Esperanza falls in love with Navajo Joe.

Directed by Sergio Corbucci in 1966, the same year Franco Nero became the legendary Django, Navajo Joe managed to bring together an impressive group of talented people from different countries. It is based on a story by Ugo Pirro, who worked with Elio Petri on his masterful Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion and Lulu the Tool and Vittorio De Sica on the beautiful The Garden of the Finzi Contini, and a script by the prolific Fernando Di Leo (The Italian Connection) and Piero Regnoli (Marcello Andrei’s A Black Ribbon for Deborah). The cast included a very young Burt Reynolds, the great Spanish actor Fernando Rey (Luis Bunuel’s The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Valerio Zurlini’s The Desert of the Tartars), Aldo Sambrell (Sergio Martino’s Arizona Colt Returns, Sergio Leone’s For a Few Dollars More), and Italian beauty Nicoletta Machiavelli (Andrzej Zulawski’s The Important Thing is to Love). Silvano Ippoliti, who collaborated with Tinto Brass and Jacques Deray on many of their most popular films, stepped behind the camera, while Ennio Morricone delivered yet another memorable soundtrack.

Despite the long list of experienced contributors, however, Navajo Joe is a rather underwhelming entry in the spaghetti western catalog. Indeed, its plot is disappointingly simple, and all its characters of importance are so one-dimensional that it is virtually impossible to take them seriously. On top of this, during the second half, where different relationships are established, the discussions frequently feel like forced exchanges between people who can hardly wait to head in opposite directions.

The one and only redeeming quality of Navajo Joe is the frequently stunning footage from the south of Spain, where large portions of it were shot. The attack on the Wells Fargo train and the final clash between Navajo Joe and the bandits, in particular, have that glorious epic look that make so many of these spaghetti westerns fascinating to behold. Morricone’s excellent soundtrack is also used very effectively to infuse Navajo Joe with a proper exotic flavor.

Over the years, Quentin Tarantino has frequently stated that Corbucci’s Navajo Joe is one of his all-time favorite westerns.

Navajo Joe Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Sergio Corbucci's Navajo Joe arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German distributors Koch Media.

The visuals have a dated appearance. Many reveal softness that is unnatural too, so delineation, clarity, and depth are frequently underwhelming. Color reproduction and balance can be quite a bit better as well (see screencaptures #8 and 12). The good news here is that there are no traces of problematic sharpening corrections. Finally, there are no distracting damage marks, cuts, or stains, but tiny flecks and scratches occasionally pop up here and there. Overall image stability is good. All in all, there is clearly room for some important improvements. Naturally, fans of the film should consider a purchase only if they could find the Blu-ray release on sale. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Navajo Joe Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, and German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Koch Media have provided optional German subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

Generally speaking, depth and clarity are very good. The long shootouts, in particular, sound very nice. Some minor dynamic fluctuations are present throughout the entire film, but they should not be surprising considering the fact that plenty of overdubbing was done. Ennio Morricone's wonderful soundtrack has the type of depth one would expect it to have. For the record, there is no problematic background hiss, pops, cracks, distortions, or audio dropouts.

Navajo Joe Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• German Trailer - original German-language trailer for Navajo Joe. In German, not subtitled. (3 min).

• English Trailer - original English-language trailer for Navajo Joe. In German, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Featurette: An Indian Named Joe - Italian film historian Antonio Bruschini discusses the production history of Navajo Joe. In Italian, with imposed German subtitles. (12 min).

• Featurette: On Behalf of American Indians - in this featurette, Nori Corbucci, wife of director Bruno Corbucci, assistant director Ruggero Deodato, and actress Nicoletta Machiavelli (Estella) recall how Navajo Joe came to exist, and discuss the film's international cast, its look, etc. In Italian, with imposed German subtitles. (30 min).

• Drehorte - Damals uno heute - a look at some of the locations where key sequences from Navajo Joe were shot. In German. (6 min).

• Bildergalerie - promotional materials for Navajo Joe. With music.

Navajo Joe Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The list of talented people that contributed to Sergio Corbucci's Navajo Joe is very impressive, but the final result is rather underwhelming. Frankly, I think that this is the type of film that will appeal strictly to die-hard spaghetti western fans. If you happen to be one of them, my advice to you is to look for a sale before you order the Blu-ray release. While not disappointing, the technical presentation clearly can be better. RENT IT.