Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Wrath of the Wind Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 1, 2024

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Arrow Video's Savage Guns: 4 Classic Westerns collection.

Arrow may be engaging in just the slightest bit of PR hyperbole with their description of the quartet of offerings in Savage Guns as "classic westerns", as even some of the commentaries included on this set get into. The sheer glut of what have alternately been called Spaghetti or Euro (as well as in one case on a disc in this set, Taco) Westerns throughout the sixties and seventies in particular probably unavoidably led to rather wide variances in quality, and if, as again the very commentaries on some of these discs overtly mention, some of the films in this set are probably not "top tier", they can be rather interesting in their own ways, and as usual Arrow has assembled an impressive array of supplements to augment things.

Terence Hill wasn't quite yet a "holy" Trinity when this film was being shot, but as some of the supplements get into, this may be a relatively early example of Hill trying to prove his acting chops. This is a decidedly more somber outing than the Trinity films, though, which in and of itself may point out Hill's versatility. This is also a somewhat interesting outing in this collection in that it's set a bit later than many westerns in what is either a late 19th or possibly even early 20th century timeframe. I'm sure there will be many viewers of this who start to think of certain stylistic parallels to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, including a somewhat "contemporary" sounding score, even before commentator Howard Hughes mentions the Newman - Redford classic. That said, this is a decidedly more somber film than that outing as well.

Hill portrays Marco, one of a pair of hitmen who works with Jacobo (Mario Pardo), with the duo being offered a substantial paycheck to assist a landowner (Fernando Rey!) with taking out what might be thought of as an early example of the kind of unionizing activities promoted by Cesar Chavez. The film has a curiously sanguine quality which may work against some of its more provocative sociopolitical elements, but Hill is very good as yet another conflicted hero, and The Wrath of the Wind has a rather bracing "modernist" flair which certainly sets it apart from the three other films in the Arrow collection.

Wrath of the Wind Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Wrath of the Wind is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow's insert booklet offers technical information on all four films in the set in a somewhat haphazard fashion on one page, so I'm "cutting and pasting" as necessary to offer data on each film separately:

Wrath of the Wind / La collera del vento is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with Italian and English mono sound.

Wrath of the Wind [was] restored by Intramovies from the original camera negatives. Additional picture restoration was completed by Arrow Films at R3Store Studios, London.

Audio was sourced from the optical sound negatives. Audio remastering for the English audio of Wrath of the Wind was completed at Lowe Frequency, London.

Additionally, an opening text card (in Italian) states that this had a 4K restoration culled from the original negative. Another text card states that "the little seen alternate Spanish cut of the film contains approximately nine minutes of additional footage, consisting mostly of extensions to existing shots". This has what to my eyes is the most "natural" looking color timing of the entire Arrow set, though that actually may mean it's somewhat less "intense" than some of the other films, without the bright yellow or orange qualities that I mention in some of the other reviews of the offerings in this collection. Detail levels are quite commendable throughout, even in some relatively dimly lit interior scenes. Understandably, some of the sunnier outdoor sequences probably support more visible levels of fine detail. I frankly didn't notice any huge quality differences in the sometimes very minor extensions to scenes that the Spanish language version offers. Grain resolves organically throughout the presentation(s), and I noticed no major signs of age related wear or tear.

Wrath of the Wind Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Wrath of the Wind features LPCM Mono in either Italian, English or Spanish. This is another case where Arrow has authored the disc so that toggling isn't available between the Italian and English versions (it's understandable that the longer Spanish version is its own entity), and so a "side by side" comparison was a bit more difficult than usual, but I'd say that the Italian track is probably just a bit more vibrant, with a clearer high range and slightly fuller sounding midrange. For lovers of minutiae, there are some minor differences in the use of sound effects (listen to the very opening few seconds of all three versions to hear one example). While not significant in any way, both the English and Spanish tracks can show some minor distortion in some of the cues. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Wrath of the Wind Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Three Versions are available (see screenshot 10)


• Commentary by Howard Hughes


• Campesinos: Al Poder! (HD; 16:58) is a newly produced introduction by journalist and critic Fabio Melelli, which gets into some of the allusions the film makes to a Franco led Spain. Subtitled in English.


• The Days of Wrath (HD; 19:07) is a new interview with camera operator Roberto D'Ettorre Piazzoli. Subtitled in English.


• They Call It. . .Red Cemetery! (HD; 9:28) is a short film by Francisco Lacerda, described as a "love letter to the spaghetti western genre".


• Alternate Opening Titles (HD; 3:41) cashes in on Terence Hill's newfound fame as Trinity.


• Image Gallery (HD)

Wrath of the Wind Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are some definite narrative and pacing deficits in this story, but overall I found it to be one of the more enjoyable outings in this Arrow collection. Hill is good as yet another taciturn hero, and he's certainly miles away from the more whimsical Trinity offerings. Technical merits are generally solid, and the supplements very enjoyable. Recommended.