Review: Old Shatterhand (1964)
I would love to say that Old Shatterhand (1964), the first movie included in Eureka's Karl May at CCC box set, is a classic. For me, it falls in line with most other Euro Westerns in having beautiful cinematography and good characters, but not a lot for those characters to do. Old Shatterhand slightly predates Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars by about six months. As such, it lacks all of the pop opera sensibilities that would very soon come to dominate the Euro Western format. Instead, this film seems to be chasing big Hollywood spectacle in the tradition of earlier 1960s westerns like The Magnificent Seven , with widescreen vistas and an emotional orchestral score. The problem is that the characters don't really have anything to do. Trying to summarize what the movie is actually about is a challenge. It follows the relationship between a German traveler who has befriended an Indian Chief, Winnetou, in the American West. There are some bad guys who hurt people, ...