Madron

If you liked Two Mules for Sister Sara, check out Madron. Unfortunately for Richard Boone and Leslie Caron, their version of "the cowboy and the nun" was also released in 1970 - and no one remembers it. The main difference between the two is that Madron is a drama. Perhaps audiences in 1970 only wanted a cutesy story.

I'm sure Richard loved making this movie. He always had to play villains, but in this one, not only did he get to play the lead, he was also the title character! It's practically a two-person story, and even though he's less admirable than his costar, he's hardly a bad guy. Leslie just plays a nun, so anyone's going to look immoral compared to her. He's a tough gunslinger who comes across the remains of a wagon train after an Indian attack. Leslie is the sole survivor, and she tags along with him for safety. They hate each other at first, since they both represent the opposite of what each admires - but as the story progresses, they learn to like each other. I'd definitely recommend this one if you want to see the softer side of Richard. Next up, check out his turn playing a psychiatrist in Lizzie!

Richard Boone and Leslie Caron were great actors in near past and said that the bad movie's copy allowed to me make me extremely unpleasant to wrote something, firstly it was an used VHS transfer into DVD-R and worst dubbed in spanish, under such conditions is hard to make a suitable review, in addition about the storyline, l can write unreserved as it was shooting in Israel's desert and Hollywood, so stays a question that doesn't have an propper answer, why they didn't shooting in desert nearby of Hollywood, will be more easy and for economics reason more relevant, so l will pray so hard in near future to see this interesting picture in a full restoration, and try make a reappraise that l've been write today!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2011 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD-R / Rating: 5.5

Jerry Hopper's Israel-set, savagely sun-baked spaghetti western 'His Name was Madron' (1970) is an amiable adventure with grizzled, gun-happy brigand Madron (Richard Boone) and kindly, but ever resourceful nun Sister Mary (Leslie Caron) making for an engaging ill-matched pair of travellers, fractiously bound together upon their increasingly desperate journey to a save haven beyond the ever encroaching threat of mercilessly vengeful Apache Warrior Sam Red!

Comparisons to Siegal's beloved 'Two Mules for Sister Sarah' are inevitable, but the delightful Riz Ortolani score, and his memorable theme 'Till Love Touches Your Life' certainly lends 'His Name was Madron' some additional appeal. The burly charismatic character actor Paul L. Smith makes the most of his all-too brief cameo, and while the amorous sparks never fully ignite between hard-bitten loner Madron and his nun sexier companion Sister Mary their lively performances are likeable enough, with the tall, crag-faced Boone making for a convincingly capable, sharp-shooting outlaw whose calloused trigger finger is fatefully softened by Mary's healing hands! As a scintillating aside, Leslie Caron's dazzlingly lustrous, delectably dark chestnut hair is a truly ravishing sight; Hell!!?? It's more than enough to lead a God-fearing man like me off the path of righteousness! Amen!!!!!

MADRON is your typical kind of western with one twist: it was shot largely in Israel, in various sun-scorched desert locales which do a good job of standing in for the Old West. Otherwise, it's a middling kind of film that doesn't really have a lot going for it, as the production is kind of sloppy. The photography never really brings out the best of the surroundings and the characters are rather flat.

The protagonist is Leslie Caron, playing an uptight nun who survives an Indian massacre at the film's opening. She's rescued by Richard Boone's titular gunfighter, and the two then go on a trek through the land, fighting off various bad guys all the while. A handful of cheap action scenes prop up MADRON, but they're quite poorly conceived and lacking in excitement. Boone is the best thing in this and is reminiscent of Bud Spencer at times. Paul L. Smith (Bluto in POPEYE) has a minor role. The famous Italian film composer Riz Ortolani supplied the music, but that opening song really has dated in the worst kind of way.

I majored in film in college which means I have watched a lot of movies ... all types of movies made by all types of people in all types of places. I have a very open mind towards movies. But Madron left me speechless. Madron could possibly be the worst film I have ever seen, and I have seen some really bad stuff. The best way I can describe Madron is that it's like a 70's porn film, but without the porn. It's poorly constructed, numbingly boring, and crude. Each scene seems like a repeat of the last. Sometimes I like bad movies, because they are so bad they are funny. Madron is not funny, it's sad. The talent has been in other good films though ... so I'm going to have to blame this feature-length mistake on the director and other behind the scenes folks.

I would say the one redeeming characteristic of Madron it is that this film has made me appreciate good movies that I had started to take for granted.