A Sky Full of Stars for a Roof (1968)

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Two drifters, a confidence trickster named Billy who believes in doing things "clever" and the dim-witted Harry who dreams of owning a ranch, journey across the wilderness after Billy has conned Harry out of some gold. The two soon become friends and they travel through the west causing all manner of mayhem. However, a bloodthirsty band of killers are after Billy which means that both men's lives are in danger...Guilio Petroni brings us the peculiarly titled ...And For A Roof, A Sky Full Of Stars. The plot is almost nonexistent and doesn't become clear until nearly halfway through the film. It's very much a Jekyll-and-Hyde effort, the film begins and ends like most Spaghetti westerns but it's really a lighthearted buddy adventure. It just doesn't know what it wants to be, the segments of wisecracking comic relief are punctuated by familiar scenes of brutality that one expects from the genre. Giuliano Gemma and Mario Adorf are our protagonists who give above par performances, the chemistry between them is decent and the movie itself plods along at a reasonable pace. The action scenes are sparse here, we've seen them all before and there is nothing spectacular where they're concerned. Morricone delivers a rousing score which will be instantly recognised by Spaghetti fans. The sequence in which Billy seduces a stunning looking young widow(played by the gorgeous Magda Konopka) who's just buried her husband is definitely the film's highlight, as a matter of fact it's probably the only reason that it is worth another viewing. It is here that the film is at it's funniest and the entire sequence is truly sublime, I was mesmerised watching Billy and the widow eat Turkey as they stare lustfully at each other....And For A Roof, A Sky Full Of Stars is an above average effort that is far from great, but it's entertaining and will put a smile on your face. 7/10

The most interesting thing about this odd spaghetti western is that you can see that it probably was an influence on the wildly successful comic spaghetti western "They Call Me Trinity" that came out two years later. Among other things, the two leads here have some of the trademarks Terence Hill and Bud Spencer sported in the later movie. However, Hill and Spencer's comedies didn't sport some scenes of harsh violence as this film does, which doesn't fit at all with the otherwise lighthearted spirit. Also, the comedy in this movie really isn't all that funny, being mostly simple-minded slapstick and silliness you will have seen in other comedies before. The script also suffers from the fact that there is hardly any plot - for the most part it's just a series of vignettes that have little to no consequence to what comes afterwards. And under the direction of Giulio Petroni, the movie unfolds at a really slow pace. There is some merit to be found here and there, particularly a fine musical score by the ever reliable Ennio Morricone, but as a whole the movie is a really tired and uninspired effort.

This is a spaghetti western that is genuinely funny, but it also has its share of serious action which keeps it from being just another run-of-the-mill light-weight comedy.Adorf and Gemma are great as the protagonists of this film, and I find them much more believable than Terence Hill and Bud Spencer. Federico Boido and Anthony Dawson are even better as the over-the-top father-and-son villains who are hunting for Gemma. They are very entertaining to watch. Boido's character is especially funny, and both are marvelously ruthless. The showdown at the end of the film is classic.The music score by Ennio Morricone is great, as always, even though its far from being one of his best.This is definitely a movie worth watching, especially for Euro-western fans.

Ah, such beautiful music! This film opens with a classic sequence. A stagecoach is attacked by a gang, with all the passengers brutally massacred. Cue Morricone's haunting soundtrack as the camera focuses on the dead, and in particular the face of a blonde girl. A hand brushes the dust from her face,and the camera pans up to show the sorrowful face of Billy (Giuliano Gemma). A truly moving scene, but made particularly so because of Morricone's music.In a way, this opening sequence is quite out of place with the remainder of the movie. The rest is a light-hearted affair, based around the partnership of Billy and Larry (Mario Adorf). Billy is a smart, world-wise man, whilst Larry is not gifted with the greatest amount of intelligence. This is a perfect foil for Billy, who is a convincing conman and successful in getting the better out of his gullible partner throughout the film (including robbing him of his entire life savings).The action really hots up when the character of Roger Pratt (Federico Boido) is introduced properly (until this stage, he is purely the face of the gang leader from the opening ambush). He is a brutal man, tracking down Billy on behalf of his father Samual Pratt (Anthony Dawson). The second half of the movie concentrates on this pursuit, with Samual also arriving on the scene and proving to be as barbaric as his short-fused offspring.Director Giulio Petroni (of "Death Rides a Horse" fame) adopts a similar style to the one used in his later Milian cast "Life is Tough, Right Providence?". It shares its episodic structure, and "clever man/thick man" partnership. Anyone that has read my other reviews will probably have noticed that I do not generally like the more light-hearted westerns. However, I did very much enjoy most of this particular film (the same could not be said of "Providence" incidentally).Gemma does not look as comfortable with the more comedic role as he does to that of an angel-faced gunman. But he still looks and acts the part - as likable in this film as ever. Adorf meanwhile is suitably oafish (in a role that would have been perfect for Bud Spencer), as Boido and Dawson are villainous.A particular highlight of the film is a superb scene as Billy cons his way into the house of a beautiful Widow (played by the frankly gorgeous Magda Konopka). Another very beautiful Spaghetti Western actress, part sorrowful and part sexually teasing.As my review closes, I must dwell further on that opening sequence. The background to this massacre is never fully explained - perhaps those killed have been unfortunate acquaintances of Billy, and suitably punished by the Pratt gang. I don't know. And, in its serious nature, it perhaps feels like a scene that doesn't really belong in this film. But... if you watch it for no other reason, then watch it for this powerful prologue (even close your eyes just to hear Morricone's score). I am also quite confident as you sit through the whole film that you will find other scenes that you will enjoy.