The Black Archer (1959)

Original title: L'arciere Nero

Director: Piero Pierotti

Writers: Giorgio Costantino, Giacomo Gentilomo, Piero Pierotti

Composer: Tarcisio Fusco

Starring: Gerard Landry, Federica Ranchi, Livio Lorenzon, Carla Strober, Nino Marchesini, Franco Fantasia, Tom Felleghy, Andrea Fantasia

More info:  IMDb

Plot: A mysterious archer who dresses in black is out for revenge against the bandits who killed his father.

The Black Archier (1959) from Surf Film on Vimeo.


My rating: 5.5/10

Will I watch it again?  No.

This Italian Zorro-ish swashbuckler wants to hang with the big dogs of the Hollywood adventures.  I'll give the filmmakers points for trying, though.  It looks pretty darn good.  The English dub isn't bad but it does hurt the film somewhat.  I would have preferred the original Italian dub but you take what you can take.  They're not trying to re-invent the swashbuckling costumer wheel but they do a fairly good job at making one.  There's a bad guy to hiss at (complete with a bad leg and a bad arm, plus he's nearly bald and has facial hair that says he's up to no good) and a good guy to root for.  It helps to see this in widescreen.  The print was decent enough to enjoy.  Landry makes a capable hero but he isn't the dashing good looking guy you usually see in these kinds of pictures.  He looks a bit older than you'd expect, too.  I suppose if he were a fun and familiar face this would fare better.  As it is, it's not too bad but it's not good enough to be memorable.