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The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of
Sergio Leone Sergio Leone (; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter credited as the pioneer of the Spaghetti Western genre and widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cin ...
's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most of these Westerns were produced and directed by Italians. Leone's films and other core Spaghetti Westerns are often described as having eschewed, criticized, or even "demythologized" many of the conventions of traditional U.S. Westerns. This was partly intentional and partly the context of a different cultural background.


Terminology

According to veteran Spaghetti Western actor
Aldo Sambrell Alfredo Sánchez Brell (23 February 1931 – 10 July 2010), known as Aldo Sambrell, was a Spanish actor, director, and producer who appeared in over 150 films between 1961 and 1996. Biography Sambrell was born in Vallecas, Madrid, on 23 Februa ...
, the phrase "Spaghetti Western" was coined by Spanish journalist Alfonso Sánchez in reference to the Italian food spaghetti. Spaghetti Westerns are also known as Italian Westerns or, primarily in Japan,
Macaroni Macaroni (, Italian: maccheroni) is dry pasta shaped like narrow tubes.Oxford DictionaryMacaroni/ref> Made with durum wheat, macaroni is commonly cut in short lengths; curved macaroni may be referred to as elbow macaroni. Some home machine ...
Westerns. In Italy, the genre is typically referred to as western all'italiana (Italian-style Western). Italo-Western is also used, especially in Germany.


Similar concepts

The term Eurowesterns has been used to broadly refer to all non-Italian Western movies from Europe, including the West German Winnetou films or the
Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...
Red Western films. Paella Western has been used to refer to Western films produced in Spain, taking its name from the Spanish rice dish.


Production

The majority of the films in the Spaghetti Western genre were actually international co-productions between Italy and Spain, and sometimes France, West Germany, Britain, Portugal, Greece, Israel, Yugoslavia, or the United States. Over six hundred European Westerns were made between 1960 and 1978. These movies were originally released in Italian or with Italian dubbing, but as most of the films featured multilingual casts and sound was post-synched, most "western all'italiana" do not have an official dominant language. The typical Spaghetti Western team was made up of an Italian director, Italo-Spanish technical staff, and a cast of Italian, Spanish, and (sometimes) West German and American actors.


Filming locations

Most Spaghetti Westerns filmed between 1964 and 1978 were made on low budgets and shot at Cinecittà studios and various locations around southern Italy and Spain. Many of the stories take place in the dry landscapes of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico, hence common filming locations were the Tabernas Desert and the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, an area of volcanic origin known for its wide sandy beaches, both of which are in the
Province of Almería Almería (, also , ) is a province of the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It is bordered by the provinces of Granada, Murcia, and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is the homonymous city of Almería. Almería has an area of . With 701, ...
in southeastern Spain. Some sets and studios built for Spaghetti Westerns survive as theme parks, such as Texas Hollywood, Mini Hollywood, and Western Leone, and continue to be used as film sets. Other filming locations used were in
central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...
and southern Italy, such as the parks of Valle del Treja (between Rome and
Viterbo Viterbo (; Viterbese: ; lat-med, Viterbium) is a city and ''comune'' in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in its early history ...
), the area of Camposecco (next to Camerata Nuova, characterized by a
karst topography Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...
), the hills around Castelluccio, the area around the
Gran Sasso Gran Sasso d'Italia (; ) is a massif in the Apennine Mountains of Italy. Its highest peak, Corno Grande (2,912 metres), is the highest mountain in the Apennines, and the second-highest mountain in Italy outside the Alps. The mountain lies ...
mountain, and the
Tivoli Tivoli may refer to: * Tivoli, Lazio, a town in Lazio, Italy, known for historic sites; the inspiration for other places named Tivoli Buildings * Tivoli (Baltimore, Maryland), a mansion built about 1855 * Tivoli Building (Cheyenne, Wyoming), ...
's quarries and
Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label= Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, aft ...
. '' God's Gun'' was filmed in Israel.


European Westerns before the Spaghetti Western

European Westerns are as old as filmmaking itself. The
Lumière brothers Lumière is French for ' light'. Lumiere, Lumière or Lumieres may refer to: *Lumières, the philosophical movement in the Age of Enlightenment People *Auguste and Louis Lumière, French pioneers in film-making Film and TV * Institut Lumière, a ...
made their first public screening of films in 1895 and already in 1896 Gabriel Veyre shot ''Repas d'Indien'' ("Indian Banquet") for them. Joe Hamman starred as Arizona Bill in films made in the French horse country of Camargue 1911–12. In Italy, the American West as a dramatic setting for spectacles goes back at least as far as
Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini ( Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long ...
's 1910 opera '' La fanciulla del West'' (“The Girl of the West”) it is sometimes considered to be the first Spaghetti Western. The first Western movie made in Italy was ''La voce del sangue'' produced by Turin's film studio Itala Film (1910). In 1913 appeared ''La vampira Indiana''—a combination of Western and vampire film. It was directed by Vincenzo Leone, father of
Sergio Leone Sergio Leone (; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter credited as the pioneer of the Spaghetti Western genre and widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cin ...
, and starred his mother Bice Waleran in the title role as Indian princess Fatale. The Italians also made Wild Bill Hickok films, while the Germans released back-woods Westerns featuring Bela Lugosi as
Uncas Uncas () was a '' sachem'' of the Mohegans who made the Mohegans the leading regional Indian tribe in lower Connecticut, through his alliance with the New England colonists against other Indian tribes. Early life and family Uncas was bor ...
. Of the Western-related European films before 1964, the one attracting most attention is probably Luis Trenker's ''
Der Kaiser von Kalifornien ''Der Kaiser von Kalifornien'' (English: ''The Emperor of California''), is a 1936 film that was the first western film made in Nazi Germany. Some exterior scenes were shot on location in the United States at Sedona, Arizona, the Grand Canyon an ...
'' (1936), about John Sutter. Another Italian western was '' Girl of the Golden West'' (1942). The film's title alludes to the opera '' The Girl of the Golden West'' by
Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini ( Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long ...
, but is not an adaptation of it. It was one of only a handful of Westerns to be made during the silent and Fascist eras. Forerunners of the genre was also Giorgio Ferroni's '' Il fanciullo del West'' (''The Boy in the West'', 1943) and Fernando Cerchio's ''
Il bandolero stanco ''The Tired Outlaw'' (Italian: ''Il bandolero stanco'') is a 1952 Italian comedy western film directed by Fernando Cerchio and starring Renato Rascel, Lauretta Masiero and Lia Di Leo.Curti p.77 The film's sets were designed by the art director ...
'' (1952), starring respectively
Erminio Macario Erminio Macario (27 May 1902 – 25 March 1980), best known as Macario, was an Italian film actor and comedian. He appeared in 42 films between 1933 and 1975. Life and career Born in Turin, Macario made his debut at a young age in the amat ...
and Renato Rascel. After the Second World War, there were scattered European uses of Western settings, mostly for comedy or musical comedy. A cycle of Western comedies was initiated in 1959 with ''
La sceriffa ''La sceriffa'' (''The Sheriff'') is a 1959 Italian Western comedy in black-and-white, directed by Roberto Bianchi Montero. It stars Italian comedy star Ugo Tognazzi. It was released on 16 August 1959. The film starred several comedians and spawne ...
'' and ''Il terrore dell’Oklahoma'', followed by other films starring comedy specialists like Walter Chiari, Ugo Tognazzi, Raimondo Vianello or Fernandel. An Italian critic has compared these comedies to American
Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with ...
vehicles.


Origins

The first American-British western filmed in Spain was ''
The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw ''The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw'' is a 1958 British-American Western comedy directed by Raoul Walsh, starring Kenneth More and Jayne Mansfield. Mansfield's singing voice is dubbed by Connie Francis. It was one of the first Westerns to be shot in ...
'' (1958), directed by Raoul Walsh. It was followed in 1961 by '' Savage Guns'', a British-Spanish western, again filmed in Spain. This marked the beginning of Spain as a suitable film shooting location for any kind of European western. In 1961 an Italian company co-produced the French ''Taste of Violence'', with a Mexican Revolution theme. In 1963, three non-comedy Italo-Spanish westerns were produced: '' Gunfight at Red Sands'', ''
Implacable Three ''Implacable Three'' ( es, Tres hombres buenos) is a 1963 Spanish/Italian mystery western film directed by Joaquín Luis Romero Marchent, written by José Mallorquí and starring Geoffrey Horne, Paul Piaget and Fernando Sancho, it is consider ...
'' and ''
Gunfight at High Noon ''Three Ruthless Ones'', ''Gunfight at High Noon'' or ''Sons of Vengeance'' ( es, El sabor de la venganza) is a 1964 Spanish/Italian western film directed by Joaquin L. Romero Marchent, produced by Alberto Grimaldi, scored by Riz Ortolani, and s ...
''. In 1965, Bruno Bozzetto released his traditionally animated feature film '' West and Soda'', a Western
parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...
with a marked Spaghetti Western-theme; despite having been released a year after Sergio Leone's seminal Spaghetti Western ''
A Fistful of Dollars ''A Fistful of Dollars'' ( it, Per un pugno di dollari, lit=For a Fistful of Dollars titled on-screen as ''Fistful of Dollars'') is a 1964 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood in his first leading role, a ...
'', development of ''West and Soda'' actually began a year earlier than ''Fistfuls and lasted longer, mainly because of the use of more time-demanding animation over regular acting. For this reason, Bozzetto himself claims to have invented the Spaghetti Western genre. Since there is no real consensus about where to draw the exact line between Spaghetti Westerns and other Eurowesterns (or other Westerns in general) one cannot say which one of the films mentioned so far was the first Spaghetti Western. However, 1964 saw the breakthrough of this genre, with more than twenty productions or co-productions from Italian companies, and more than half a dozen Westerns by Spanish or Spanish/American companies. Furthermore, by far the most commercially successful of this lot was Sergio Leone's ''A Fistful of Dollars''. It was the innovations in cinematic style, music, acting and story of Leone's first Western that decided that Spaghetti Westerns became a distinct subgenre and not just a number of films looking like American Westerns.


''A Fistful of Dollars'' and its impact on the Spaghetti Western genre

In this seminal film, Leone used a distinct visual style with large face close ups to tell the story of a hero entering a town that is ruled by two outlaw gangs, and ordinary social relations are non-existent. The hero betrays and plays the gangs against one another in order to make money. He then uses his cunning and exceptional weapons skill to assist a family threatened by both gangs. His treachery is exposed and he is severely beaten, but in the end, he defeats the remaining gang. The interactions in this story range between cunning and irony (the tricks, deceits, unexpected actions and sarcasm of the hero) on the one hand, and pathos (terror and brutality against defenseless people and against the hero after his double-cross has been revealed) on the other. Ennio Morricone's innovative score expresses a similar duality between quirky and unusual sounds and instruments on the one hand and sacral dramatizing for the big confrontation scenes on the other. Another important novelty was
Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the " Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "'' Do ...
's performance as the man with no name—an unshaven, sarcastic, insolent Western antihero set on his own gain, with distinct visuals to boot—the squint, the cigarillo, the poncho. The Spaghetti Western was born, flourished and faded in a highly commercial production environment. The Italian "low" popular film production was usually low-budget and low-profit, and the easiest way to success was imitating a proven success. When the typically low-budget production ''
A Fistful of Dollars ''A Fistful of Dollars'' ( it, Per un pugno di dollari, lit=For a Fistful of Dollars titled on-screen as ''Fistful of Dollars'') is a 1964 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood in his first leading role, a ...
'' turned into a remarkable box office success, the industry eagerly lapped up its innovations. Most succeeding Spaghetti Westerns tried to get a ragged, laconic hero with superhuman weapon skill, preferably one who looked like
Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the " Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "'' Do ...
: Franco Nero, John Garko and Terence Hill started out that way; Anthony Steffen and others stayed that way all their Spaghetti Western careers. Whoever the hero was, he would join an outlaw gang to further his own secret agenda, as in ''
A Pistol for Ringo ''A Pistol for Ringo'' ( it, Una pistola per Ringo) is a 1965 Spaghetti Western, a joint Italian and Spanish production. Originally written and directed by Duccio Tessari, the film's success led to a sequel, ''The Return of Ringo'', later that ye ...
'', ''
Blood for a Silver Dollar ''Blood for a Silver Dollar'' ( it, Un dollaro bucato) is a 1965 Spaghetti Western film directed by Giorgio Ferroni, written by Giorgio Stegani and Ferroni, and starring Giuliano Gemma and Ida Galli. Plot synopsis Gary O'Hara, a Confederate Li ...
'', ''
Vengeance Is a Dish Served Cold ''Vengeance Is a Dish Served Cold'' ( it, La vendetta è un piatto che si serve freddo), also known as ''Death's Dealer'', is a 1971 Italian Western film directed by Pasquale Squitieri and starring Klaus Kinski. Plot Jeremias was 12 years old ...
'', '' Renegade Riders'' and others, while '' Beyond the Law'' instead has a bandit infiltrate society and become a sheriff. There would be a flamboyant Mexican bandit ( Gian Maria Volonté from ''A Fistful of Dollars'', otherwise Tomas Milian or most often Fernando Sancho) and a grumpy old man—more often than not an undertaker, to serve as sidekick for the hero. For love interest, rancher's daughters, schoolmarms and barroom maidens were overshadowed by young Latin women desired by dangerous men, where actresses like Nicoletta Machiavelli or Rosalba Neri carried on
Marianne Koch Marianne Koch (; born 19 August 1931) is a German actress of the 1950s and 1960s, best known for her appearances in Spaghetti Westerns and adventure films of the 1960s. She later worked as a television host and as a physician. Career Betwee ...
's role of Marisol in the Leone film. The terror of the villains against their defenseless victims became just as ruthless as in ''
A Fistful of Dollars ''A Fistful of Dollars'' ( it, Per un pugno di dollari, lit=For a Fistful of Dollars titled on-screen as ''Fistful of Dollars'') is a 1964 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood in his first leading role, a ...
'', or more, and their brutalization of the hero when his treachery is disclosed became just as merciless, or more—just like the cunning used to secure the latter's retribution. In the beginning some films mixed some of these new devices with the borrowed US Western devices typical for most of the 1963–64 Spaghetti Westerns. For example, in Sergio Corbucci's ''
Minnesota Clay ''Minnesota Clay'' is a 1964 Spaghetti Western directed by Sergio Corbucci. Plot The year is 1883. Clay, a gunfighter with health problems, is interned in Drunner Labor Camp. He's determined to prove his innocence since he was framed by Fox, the ...
'' (1964) that appeared two months after ''
A Fistful of Dollars ''A Fistful of Dollars'' ( it, Per un pugno di dollari, lit=For a Fistful of Dollars titled on-screen as ''Fistful of Dollars'') is a 1964 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood in his first leading role, a ...
'', an American style "tragic gunfighter" hero confronts two evil gangs, one Mexican and one Anglo, and (just as in ''A Fistful of Dollars'') the leader of the latter is the town sheriff. In the same director's '' Johnny Oro'' (1966) a traditional Western sheriff and a mixed-race bounty killer are forced into an uneasy alliance when Mexican bandits and Native Americans together assault the town. In ''A Pistol for Ringo'' a traditional sheriff commissions a money-oriented hero played by Giuliano Gemma (as deadly but with more pleasing manners than Eastwood's character) to infiltrate a gang of Mexican bandits whose leader is played typically by Fernando Sancho.


Further developments of the genre

Just like Leone's first Western, the following works in his Dollars Trilogy — '' For a Few Dollars More'' (1965) and '' The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' (1966) — strongly influenced the further developments of the genre, as did Sergio Corbucci's '' Django'' and Enzo Barboni's two Trinity films, as well as some other successful Spaghetti Westerns.


''For a Few Dollars More'' and unstable partnerships

After 1965 when Leone's second Western '' For a Few Dollars More'' brought a larger box office success, the profession of bounty hunter became the choice of occupation of Spaghetti Western heroes in films like ''
Arizona Colt Arizona Colt ( it, Il pistolero di Arizona), also known as The Man from Nowhere ( it, L'uomo venuto dal nulla), is a 1966 technicolor Spaghetti Western directed by Michele Lupo and starring Giuliano Gemma, Fernando Sancho, Corinne Marchand. Syno ...
'', '' Vengeance Is Mine'', '' Ten Thousand Dollars for a Massacre'', ''
The Ugly Ones ''The Ugly Ones'' ( es: ''El precio de un hombre'', lit. "The Price of a Man", it: ''The Bounty Killer'', later ''La morte ti segue... ma non ha fretta'', lit. "Death follows you... but not in a hurry") is a 1966 Spanish- Italian Spaghetti ...
'', '' Dead Men Don't Count'' and ''
Any Gun Can Play ''Any Gun Can Play'' ( it, Vado... l'ammazzo e torno) is a 1967 spaghetti Western starring Gilbert Roland, Edd Byrnes Edward Byrne Breitenberger (July 30, 1932 – January 8, 2020), known professionally as Edd Byrnes, was an American actor, be ...
''. In '' The Great Silence'' and '' A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die'', the heroes instead fight bounty killers. During this era, many heroes and villains in Spaghetti Westerns began carrying a musical watch, after its ingenious use in '' For a Few Dollars More''. Spaghetti Westerns also began featuring a pair of different heroes. In Leone's film Eastwood's character is an unshaven bounty hunter, dressed similarly to his character in ''
A Fistful of Dollars ''A Fistful of Dollars'' ( it, Per un pugno di dollari, lit=For a Fistful of Dollars titled on-screen as ''Fistful of Dollars'') is a 1964 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood in his first leading role, a ...
'', who enters an unstable partnership with Colonel Mortimer ( Lee Van Cleef), an older bounty killer who uses more sophisticated weaponry and wears a suit, and in the end turns out to also be an avenger. In the following years there was a deluge of Spaghetti Westerns with a pair of heroes with (most often) conflicting motives. Examples include: a lawman and an outlaw (''
And the Crows Will Dig Your Grave ''And the Crows Will Dig Your Grave'' ( es, Los buitres cavarán tu fosa) is a 1971 Spanish western film directed by Juan Bosch and starring Craig Hill, Fernando Sancho and Dominique Boschero. It is composed by Bruno Nicolai. Cast * Craig Hil ...
''), an army officer and an outlaw (''
Bury Them Deep ''Bury Them Deep'' ( it, All'ultimo sangue, also known as ''To the Last Drops of Blood'') is a 1968 Italian Spaghetti Western film written and directed by Paolo Moffa and starring Craig Hill. Plot Cast * Craig Hill as Clive Norton * Et ...
''), an avenger and a (covert) army officer ('' The Hills Run Red''), an avenger and a (covert) guilty party (''Viva! Django'' aka '' W Django!''), an avenger and a con-man (''
The Dirty Outlaws ''The Dirty Outlaws'', also known as ''Big Ripoff'', ''King of the West'' and ''The Desperado'' (in original Italian, ''El desperado''), is a 1967 Italian Spaghetti Western starring Andrea Giordana. Quentin Tarantino ranked the film 13th in his ...
''), an outlaw posing as a sheriff and a bounty hunter (''Man With the Golden Pistol'' aka ''
Doc, Hands of Steel ''Doc, Hands of Steel'' ( es, Doc, manos de plata, it, L'uomo dalla pistola d'oro, also known as ''The Man Who Came to Kill'' and ''Man with the Golden Pistol'') is a 1965 Spanish-Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Alfonso Balcázar. ...
'') and an outlaw posing as his twin and a bounty hunter posing as a sheriff ('' A Few Dollars for Django''). The theme of age in '' For a Few Dollars More'', where the younger bounty killer learns valuable lessons from his more experienced colleague and eventually becomes his equal, is taken up in '' Day of Anger'' and '' Death Rides a Horse''. In both cases Lee Van Cleef carries on as the older hero versus Giuliano Gemma and John Phillip Law, respectively.


Zapata Westerns

One variant of the hero pair was a revolutionary Mexican bandit and a mostly money-oriented American from the United States frontier. These films are sometimes called Zapata Westerns. The first was Damiano Damiani's ''
A Bullet for the General ''A Bullet for the General'' ( es, Quién sabe?; original title means "Who knows?", in the Spanish language), also known as ''El Chucho Quién Sabe?'', is a 1966 Italian Zapata Western film directed by Damiano Damiani and starring Gian Maria Vol ...
'' and then followed Sergio Sollima's trilogy: ''
The Big Gundown ''The Big Gundown'' ( it, La resa dei conti, lit=The Settling of Scores) is a 1966 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Sollima, and starring Lee Van Cleef and Tomas Milian. Plot Possessing a reputation for bringing criminals to justice, r ...
'', '' Face to Face'' and '' Run, Man, Run''. Sergio Corbucci's '' The Mercenary'' and '' Compañeros'' also belong here, as does '' Tepepa'' by
Giulio Petroni Giulio Petroni (21 September 1917 – 31 January 2010) was an Italian director, writer, and screenwriter, best known for his spaghetti westerns ''Death Rides a Horse'' (1967), with Lee Van Cleef in one of his first starring roles, '' A Sky Full of ...
—among others. Many of these films enjoyed both good takes at the box office and attention from critics. They are often interpreted as a leftist critique of the typical Hollywood handling of the Mexican Revolution, and of imperialism in general.


''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' and universal betrayal

In Leone's '' The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' there is still the scheme of a pair of heroes vs. a villain but it is somewhat relaxed, as here all three parties were driven by a money motive. In subsequent films like ''
Any Gun Can Play ''Any Gun Can Play'' ( it, Vado... l'ammazzo e torno) is a 1967 spaghetti Western starring Gilbert Roland, Edd Byrnes Edward Byrne Breitenberger (July 30, 1932 – January 8, 2020), known professionally as Edd Byrnes, was an American actor, be ...
'' (which's Italian title, "''Vado... l'ammazzo e torno''", is itself a quote from Leone's masterpiece), ''
One Dollar Too Many ''One Dollar Too Many'' ( it, I tre che sconvolsero il West ado, vedo e sparolit=The three who shook the West go, I see and I shoot}) is a 1968 Spaghetti Western feature film directed by Enzo G. Castellari and starring Antonio Sabàto, John ...
'' and ''
Kill Them All and Come Back Alone ''Kill Them All and Come Back Alone'' (Italian: ''Ammazzali tutti e torna solo'') is a 1968 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Enzo G. Castellari. It stars American actors Chuck Connors and Frank Wolff, and features a film score by Fr ...
'' several main characters repeatedly form alliances and betray each other for monetary gain. '' Sabata'' and '' If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death'', directed by Gianfranco Parolini, introduce into similar betrayal environments a kind of hero molded on the Mortimer character from '' For a Few Dollars More'', only without any vengeance motive and with more outrageous trick weapons. Fittingly enough Sabata is portrayed by Lee Van Cleef himself, while John Garko plays the very similar Sartana protagonist. Parolini made some more Sabata movies while Giuliano Carnimeo made a whole series of Sartana films with Garko.


''Django'' and the tragic hero

Beside the first three Spaghetti Westerns by Leone, a most influential film was Sergio Corbucci's '' Django'' starring Franco Nero. Django was one of the most violent Spaghetti Westerns. The titular character is torn between several motives – money or revenge – and his choices bring misery to him and to a woman close to him. Indicative of this film's influence on the Spaghetti Western style, "Django" is the hero's name in a plenitude of subsequent westerns. Even though his character is not named Django, Franco Nero brings a similar ambience to '' Texas, Adios'' and ''
Massacre Time ''Massacre Time'' ( it, Le colt cantarono la morte e fu... tempo di massacro, lit=The Colt Sang Death and it was... Massacre Time) is a 1966 Italian Spaghetti Western film starring Franco Nero and George Hilton. Plot In New Mexico, Tom Corbett ...
'' where the hero must confront surprising and dangerous family relations. Similar "prodigal son" stories followed, including ''
Chuck Moll ''The Unholy Four'' (Italian: ''Ciakmull (L'uomo della vendetta)'', lit. "Ciakmull (The vengeful man)"), also known as ''Chuck Moll'', is a 1970 Italian Spaghetti Western. The film represents the directorial debut of Enzo Barboni, who was, until ...
'', ''
Keoma Keoma is a hamlet in southern Alberta under the jurisdiction of Rocky View County. Keoma is located approximately 35 km (21 mi) northeast of Downtown Calgary, on Highway 566, 2.0 km (1.2 mi) east of Highway 9 and 19 km (12 mi) north of the ...
'', '' The Return of Ringo'', '' The Forgotten Pistolero'', ''
One Thousand Dollars on the Black ''Blood at Sundown'' ( it, 1000 dollari sul nero, lit=1000 dollars on the black) is a Spaghetti Western film directed by Alberto Cardone. The picture marks the first appearance of the character Sartana, played by Gianni Garko. It is not, however ...
'', ''
Johnny Hamlet ''Johnny Hamlet'' ( it, Quella sporca storia nel West, lit=That Dirty Story in the West is a 1968 Cinema of Italy, Italian film directed by Enzo G. Castellari. The film is a Spaghetti Western version of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Hamlet''. ...
'' and also ''
Seven Dollars on the Red '' Sette dollari sul rosso '' (released in the United States as ''Seven Dollars on the Red'' or ''Seven Dollars to Kill'') is a 1966 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Alberto Cardone. It stars Anthony Steffen as the main character. ...
''. Another type of wronged hero is set up and must clear himself from accusations. Giuliano Gemma starred in a series of successful films carrying this theme – '' Adiós gringo'', ''
For a Few Extra Dollars ''Fort Yuma Gold'' ( it, Per pochi dollari ancora, lit=For a Few Extra Dollars) is a 1966 Italian/Spanish/French international co-production Spaghetti Western film directed by Giorgio Ferroni. Plot Confederate Major Sanders (Jacques Sernas), con ...
'', ''
Long Days of Vengeance ''Long Days of Vengeance'' ( it, I lunghi giorni della vendetta is a 1967 Western film directed by Florestano Vancini. It is the only western directed by Vancini, here credited as Stan Vance. The film is a Spaghetti Western version of Alexandre D ...
'', ''
Wanted Wanted may refer to: Law enforcement * Fugitive, a person wanted by the authorities * Wanted poster, a poster put up to inform the public of one or more criminals whom authorities wish to apprehend Film * ''Wanted!'', a 1937 British comedy film ...
'', and to some extent ''
Blood for a Silver Dollar ''Blood for a Silver Dollar'' ( it, Un dollaro bucato) is a 1965 Spaghetti Western film directed by Giorgio Ferroni, written by Giorgio Stegani and Ferroni, and starring Giuliano Gemma and Ida Galli. Plot synopsis Gary O'Hara, a Confederate Li ...
– ''where most often his character is called "Gary". The wronged hero who becomes an avenger appears in many Spaghetti Westerns. Among the more commercially successful films with a hero dedicated to vengeance – '' For a Few Dollars More'', '' Once Upon a Time in the West'', '' Today We Kill... Tomorrow We Die!'', '' A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die'', '' Death Rides a Horse'', '' Django, Prepare a Coffin'', '' The Deserter'', ''
Hate for Hate ''Hate for Hate'' ( it, Odio per odio) is a 1967 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Domenico Paolella Domenico Paolella (18 October 1915 - 7 October 2002) was an Italian director, screenwriter and journalist. Born in Foggia, between 193 ...
'', ''
Halleluja for Django ''La più grande rapina del West'' (released as ''Halleluja for Django'' in the US and as ''The Greatest Kidnapping in the West'' in Great Britain) is a 1967 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Maurizio Lucidi. It was referred as a film ...
– ''those with whom he cooperates typically have conflicting motivations.


The "Trinity" films and triumph of comedy

In 1968, the wave of Spaghetti Westerns reached its crest, comprising one-third of the Italian film production, only to collapse to one-tenth in 1969. However, the considerable box office success of Enzo Barboni's '' They Call Me Trinity'' and the pyramidal one of its follow-up '' Trinity Is Still My Name'' gave Italian filmmakers a new model to emulate. The main characters were played by Terence Hill and Bud Spencer, who had already cooperated as hero pair in earlier Spaghetti Westerns '' God Forgives... I Don't!'', '' Boot Hill'' and ''
Ace High Allied Command Europe Highband, better known as ACE High, was a fixed service NATO radiocommunication and early warning system dating back to 1956. After extensive testing ACE High was accepted by NATO to become operational in 1964/1965. The fr ...
'' directed by Giuseppe Colizzi. The humor started in those movies already, with scenes with comedy fighting, but the Barboni films became burlesque comedies. They feature the quick but lazy Trinity (Hill) and his big, strong and irritable brother Bambino (Spencer). The stories lampoon stereotypical Western characters such as diligent farmers, lawmen and bounty hunters. There was a wave of Trinity-inspired films with quick and strong heroes, the former kind often called Trinity or perhaps coming from "a place called Trinity", and with no or few killings. Because the two model stories contained religious pacifists to account for the absence of gunplay, all the successors contained religious groups or at least priests, sometimes as one of the heroes. The music for the two Trinity westerns (composed by
Franco Micalizzi Franco Micalizzi (born 21 December 1939 in Rome) is an Italian composer and conductor, best known for his scores in Poliziotteschi films. His first success was for the musical score of the Spaghetti Western '' They Call Me Trinity'', in 1970. He ...
and Guido & Maurizio De Angelis, respectively) also reflected the change into a lighter and more sentimental mood. The Trinity-inspired films also adopted this less serious and often maligned style. Some critics deplore these post-Trinity films and their soundtracks as a degeneration of the "real" Spaghetti Westerns. Indeed, Hill's and Spencer's skillful use of body language was a hard act to follow and it is significant that the most successful of the post-Trinity films featured Hill (''
Man of the East Man of the East ( it, E poi lo chiamarono il magnifico) is a 1972 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Enzo Barboni starring Terence Hill. The film is set in the Wild West during the time of the railway construction. A recurring theme is th ...
'', ''
A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe ''A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe'' ( it, Un genio, due compari, un pollo) is a 1975 Spaghetti Western comedy film directed by Damiano Damiani and Sergio Leone, who directed the opening scene. Plot Joe Thanks ( Terence Hill) is a genius co ...
''), Spencer (''
It Can Be Done Amigo ''It Can Be Done Amigo'' (Italian: ''Si può fare... amigo'') is a 1972 Spanish / Italian / French film directed by Maurizio Lucidi. The film is also known as ''Saddle Tramps'' (English title in Canada) Plot summary Coburn is pursued by the g ...
'') and a pair of Hill/Spencer look-alikes in ''Carambola''. Spaghetti Western old hand Franco Nero also worked in this subgenre with ''
Cipolla Colt ''Cry, Onion!'' ( it, Cipolla Colt, link=no, lit. "Onion Colt", also known as ''The Smell of Onion'') is a 1975 Spaghetti Western comedy film directed by Enzo G. Castellari. It is openly comedic and parodic. Cast Release ''Cry, Onion!'' wa ...
'' and Tomas Milian plays an outrageous "quick" bounty hunter modeled on
Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is conside ...
's Little Tramp in '' Sometimes Life Is Hard, Eh Providence?'' and ''Here We Go Again, Eh, Providence?''


Twilight of the genre

In 1975, Terence Hill still could draw large audiences in the post-Trinity caper story Western ''
A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe ''A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe'' ( it, Un genio, due compari, un pollo) is a 1975 Spaghetti Western comedy film directed by Damiano Damiani and Sergio Leone, who directed the opening scene. Plot Joe Thanks ( Terence Hill) is a genius co ...
'', and the following year Franco Nero achieved likewise as a Django-style hero in ''
Keoma Keoma is a hamlet in southern Alberta under the jurisdiction of Rocky View County. Keoma is located approximately 35 km (21 mi) northeast of Downtown Calgary, on Highway 566, 2.0 km (1.2 mi) east of Highway 9 and 19 km (12 mi) north of the ...
''. However, by the end of the 1970s, the different types of Spaghetti Westerns had lost their following among mainstream cinema audiences and the production had ground to a virtual halt. Belated attempts to revive the genre included the comedy film ''
Buddy Goes West ''Buddy goes West'' ( it, Occhio alla penna, also known as ''A fist goes West'') is a 1981 Spaghetti Western comedy film directed by Michele Lupo. Plot In the Old West, a mysterious man, nicknamed "Doc", arrives in a dusty town. Doc is a ban ...
'' (1981), the Spanish-American coproduction ''
Comin' at Ya! ''Comin' at Ya!'' is a Spanish-American 3D Western film, featuring Tony Anthony, Victoria Abril and Gene Quintano and directed by Ferdinando Baldi. It was produced as a co-production between American company Filmways and The Lupo-Anthony-Quinta ...
'' (also 1981) shot in 3D, and '' Django Strikes Again'' (1987).


Other notable themes in Spaghetti Westerns


"Cult" Spaghetti Westerns

Some movies that were not very successful at the box office still earn a "cult" status in some segment of the audience because of certain exceptional features in story and/or presentation. One "cult" Spaghetti Western that also has drawn attention from critics is Giulio Questi's '' Django Kill''. Other "cult" items are
Cesare Canevari Cesare Canevari (13 October 1927 - 25 October 2012) was an Italian actor, director and screenwriter. Life and career Born in Milan, Canevari began his career shortly after World War II as a stage actor, occasionally also appearing in films in ...
's ''
Matalo! ''Matalo!'' (also spelled as ''Mátalo'') is a 1970 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Cesare Canevari. The film is considered among the most original western ever produced in Italy.Dossier Nocturno n. 31, ''Ai confini del western. Zone ...
'',
Tony Anthony Darrell W. Anthony (born April 12, 1960) is a retired American professional wrestler, also known by his ring name Dirty White Boy. He wrestled primarily for independent promotions in the Southeastern United States. He was most active throughout ...
's ''
Blindman ''Blindman'' (also known in Italian as ''Il Pistolero Cieco'', lit. "The Blind Gunfighter") is a 1971 Spaghetti Western film directed by Ferdinando Baldi and co-written and co-produced by Tony Anthony. The film's protagonist, played by Anthony, i ...
'' and
Joaquín Luis Romero Marchent Joaquín Luis Romero Marchent (26 August 1921 – 16 August 2012) was a Spanish screenwriter and film director. He directed several Spaghetti Westerns during the 1960s. He died on 16 August 2012 at the age of 91 in Madrid Madrid ( , ) is th ...
's ''Cut-Throats Nine'' (the latter among gore film audiences).


Historical backgrounds

The few Spaghetti Westerns containing historical characters like Buffalo Bill,
Wyatt Earp Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman and gambler in the American West, including Dodge City, Deadwood, and Tombstone. Earp took part in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which la ...
, Billy the Kid etc. mainly appear before ''
A Fistful of Dollars ''A Fistful of Dollars'' ( it, Per un pugno di dollari, lit=For a Fistful of Dollars titled on-screen as ''Fistful of Dollars'') is a 1964 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood in his first leading role, a ...
'' had put its mark on the genre. Likewise, and in contrast to the contemporary German Westerns, few films feature Native Americans. When they appear they are more often portrayed as victims of discrimination than as dangerous foes. The only fairly successful Spaghetti Western with a Native American main character (played by Burt Reynolds in his only European Western outing) is Sergio Corbucci's ''
Navajo Joe ''Navajo Joe'' is a 1966 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Corbucci and starring Burt Reynolds as the titular Navajo Indian who opposes a group of bandits responsible for killing his tribe. Plot Having massacred an Indian village with ...
'', where the (supposedly) Navajo village is wiped out by bandits during the first minutes, and the avenger hero spends the rest of the film dealing mostly with Anglos and Mexicans until the final showdown at a Native American burial ground.


Ancient myths and Classic literature

Several Spaghetti Westerns are inspired by classical myths and dramas. Titles like ''Fedra West'' (also called ''
Ballad of a Bounty Hunter ''Ballad of a Bounty Hunter'' (also known as ''Fedra West'' and ''I Do Not Forgive... I Kill!'') is a 1968 Italian-Spanish western film directed by Joaquín Luis Romero Marchent and distributed by Troma Entertainment. Cast * James Philbrook: ...
'') and ''
Johnny Hamlet ''Johnny Hamlet'' ( it, Quella sporca storia nel West, lit=That Dirty Story in the West is a 1968 Cinema of Italy, Italian film directed by Enzo G. Castellari. The film is a Spaghetti Western version of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Hamlet''. ...
'' signify the connection to Greek myth and possibly the plays by
Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars ...
and
Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditi ...
and the play by
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
, respectively. The latter also inspired ''Dust in the Sun (1972)'', which follows its original more closely than Johnny Hamlet, where the hero survives. '' The Forgotten Pistolero'' is based on the vengeance of Orestes. There are similarities between the story of '' The Return of Ringo'' and the last canto of
Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
's ''
Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Iliad'', ...
''. '' Fury of Johnny Kid'' follows Shakespeare's ''
Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...
'', but (again) with a different ending—the loving couple leave together while their families annihilate each other.


Spaghetti Western musicals

Some Italian Western films were made as vehicles for musical stars, like Ferdinando Baldi's ''Rita of the West'' featuring
Rita Pavone Rita Pavone (; born August 23, 1945) is an Italian-Swiss ballad and rock singer and actress, who enjoyed success through the 1960s. Singing career She was born in Turin, Italy. In 1962 she participated in, and won, the first Festival degli Sco ...
and Terence Hill. In non-singing roles were
Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...
as a villain in ''
Blindman ''Blindman'' (also known in Italian as ''Il Pistolero Cieco'', lit. "The Blind Gunfighter") is a 1971 Spaghetti Western film directed by Ferdinando Baldi and co-written and co-produced by Tony Anthony. The film's protagonist, played by Anthony, i ...
'' and French rock 'n' roll veteran Johnny Hallyday as the gunfighter/avenger hero in Sergio Corbucci's '' The Specialists''.


East Asian connections

The story of ''A Fistful of Dollars'' was closely based on Akira Kurosawa's '' Yojimbo''. Kurosawa sued Sergio Leone for plagiarism, and was compensated with the exclusive distribution rights to the movie in Japan, where its hero, Clint Eastwood, was already a huge star due to the popularity of the TV series ''Rawhide'': Leone would have done far better financially by obtaining Kurosawa's advance permission to use ''Yojimbos script. ''
Requiem for a Gringo ''Requiem for a Gringo'' ( it, Requiem per un gringo, es, Réquiem para el gringo, also known as ''Duel in the Eclipse'') is a 1968 Italian-Spanish Spaghetti Western film directed by Eugenio Martín and José Luis Merino and starring Lang Jeffri ...
'' shows many traces from another well-known Japanese film, Masaki Kobayashi's '' Harakiri''. When Asian martial arts films started to draw crowds in European cinema houses, the producers of Spaghetti Westerns tried to hang on, this time not by adapting story-lines but rather by directly including martial arts in the films, performed by Eastern actors—for example Chen Lee in '' My Name Is Shanghai Joe'' or Lo Lieh teaming up with Lee Van Cleef in ''
The Stranger and the Gunfighter ''Là dove non batte il sole'', also known as ''The Stranger and the Gunfighter'' and ''El kárate, el Colt y el impostor'', is a 1974 kung fu Spaghetti Western comedy film directed by Antonio Margheriti and starring Lo Lieh and Lee Van Cleef. Th ...
''.


Political allegories

Some Spaghetti Westerns incorporated political overtones, particularly from the political left. An example of such a film is '' Requiescant'', featuring Italian author/film director
Pier Paolo Pasolini Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, filmmaker, writer and intellectual who also distinguished himself as a journalist, novelist, translator, playwright, visual artist and actor. He is considered one of ...
as a major supporting character. Pasolini's character is a priest who espouses Liberation theology. The film concerns oppression of poor Mexicans by rich Anglos and ends on a call for arms but it does not fit easily as a
Zapata Western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most of ...
, as it lacks the typical hero pair of a flamboyant Latin revolutionary and an Anglo specialist. ''
The Price of Power ''The Price of Power'' ( it, Il prezzo del potere) is a 1969 Spaghetti Western directed by Tonino Valerii. The film stars Giuliano Gemma as the hero Bill Willer who tries to get revenge against the killers of his father while at the same time tr ...
'' serves a political allegory about the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and racism. The movie concerns the assassination of an American president in Dallas, Texas by a group of Southern white supremacists who frame an innocent African American. They are opposed by an unstable partnership between a whistle-blower ( Giuliano Gemma) and a political aide.


Sexuality in the Spaghetti Western

Though the Spaghetti Westerns from ''A Fistful of Dollars'' and on featured more violence and killings than earlier American Western films, they generally shared the parental genre's restrictive attitude toward explicit sexuality. However, in response to the growing commercial success of various shades of sex films, there was a greater exposure of naked skin in some Spaghetti Westerns, among others ''
Dead Men Ride ''Dead Men Ride'' ( it, Anda muchacho, spara!, es, El sol bajo la tierra) is a 1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world ...
'' (1971) and ''
Heads or Tails Coin flipping, coin tossing, or heads or tails is the practice of throwing a coin in the air and checking which side is showing when it lands, in order to choose between two alternatives, heads or tails, sometimes used to resolve a dispute betwe ...
'' (1969). In the former and partly the latter, the sex scenes feature coercion and violence against women. Even though it is hinted at in some films, like '' Django Kill'' and '' Requiescant'', open homosexuality plays a marginal part in Spaghetti Westerns. The exception is
Giorgio Capitani Giorgio Capitani (29 December 1927 – 25 March 2017) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 40 films between 1954 and 2012. He also wrote for 12 films. He was born in Paris, France. Selected filmography * ''The Flame T ...
's ''
The Ruthless Four ''The Ruthless Four'' ( it, Ognuno per sé, lit=Everyone for Himself) is a 1968 Western film directed by Giorgio Capitani and starring Van Heflin. Cast * Van Heflin as Sam Cooper * Gilbert Roland as Mason * Klaus Kinski as Brent the Blonde * G ...
– ''in effect a gay version of
John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered ...
's '' The Treasure of the Sierra Madre – ''where the explicit homosexual relation between two of its male main characters and some gay cueing scenes are embedded with other forms of man-to-man relations through the story.


Reception

In the 1960s, critics recognized that the American genres were rapidly changing. The genre most identifiably American, the Western, seemed to be evolving into a new, rougher form. For many critics,
Sergio Leone Sergio Leone (; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter credited as the pioneer of the Spaghetti Western genre and widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cin ...
's films were part of the problem. Leone's '' Dollars Trilogy'' (1964–1966) was not the beginning of the "Spaghetti Western" cycle in Italy, but for some Americans Leone's films represented the true beginning of the Italian invasion of an American genre. Christopher Frayling, in his noted book on the Italian Western, describes American critical reception of the Spaghetti Western cycle as, to "a large extent, confined to a sterile debate about the 'cultural roots' of the American/Hollywood Western." He remarks that few critics dared admit that they were, in fact, "bored with an exhausted Hollywood genre." Pauline Kael, Frayling notes, was willing to acknowledge this critical ennui and thus appreciate how a film such as Akira Kurosawa's '' Yojimbo'' (1961) "could exploit the conventions of the Western genre, while debunking its morality." Frayling and other film scholars such as Bondanella argue that this revisionism was the key to Leone's success and, to some degree, to that of the Spaghetti Western genre as a whole.


The retrospective of the Venice Film Festival

In 2007 a retrospective took place, as part of the Venice International Film Festival, which wanted to pay homage to the genre. The retrospective included 32 films: *''
The Seven from Texas ''The Seven from Texas'' ( es, Antes llega la muert, it, I sette del Texas, also known as ''Seven Guns from Texas'' and ''Hour of Death'') is a 1964 Spanish-Italian western film directed by Joaquín Luis Romero Marchent. It was shown as part of ...
'' (1964) by Joaquin Luis Romero Marchent *''
100.000 dollari per Ringo ''100.000 dollari per Ringo'' (or ''Centomilla dollari per Ringo'') is a 1965 Spaghetti Western film directed by Alberto De Martino. It was shown as part of a retrospective on Spaghetti Western at the 64th Venice International Film Festival. ...
'' (1965) by Alberto De Martino *'' The Return of Ringo'' (1965) by
Duccio Tessari Duccio Tessari (11 October 1926 – 6 September 1994) was an Italian director, screenwriter and actor, considered one of the fathers of Spaghetti Westerns. Born in Genoa, Tessari started in the fifties as documentarist and as screenwriter of p ...
*''
Savage Gringo ''Savage Gringo'' ( it, Ringo del Nebraska) is a 1966 Western film starring Ken Clark. The film is about a drifter who protects a rancher couple from a ruthless landowner. Under its Italian title, ''Savage Gringo'' was one of numerous Spaghetti ...
'' (1965) by Mario Bava and
Antonio Román Antonio Román (9 November 1911 – 16 June 1989) was a prolific Spanish film director, screenwriter, film producer. Antonio Román was born Ourense, Spain on 9 November 1911. Román began directing films in the later 1930s starting with do ...
*''
Blood for a Silver Dollar ''Blood for a Silver Dollar'' ( it, Un dollaro bucato) is a 1965 Spaghetti Western film directed by Giorgio Ferroni, written by Giorgio Stegani and Ferroni, and starring Giuliano Gemma and Ida Galli. Plot synopsis Gary O'Hara, a Confederate Li ...
'' (1965) by Giorgio Ferroni *'' Django'' (1965) - Full version - by Sergio Corbucci *''
The Ugly Ones ''The Ugly Ones'' ( es: ''El precio de un hombre'', lit. "The Price of a Man", it: ''The Bounty Killer'', later ''La morte ti segue... ma non ha fretta'', lit. "Death follows you... but not in a hurry") is a 1966 Spanish- Italian Spaghetti ...
'' (1966) by Eugenio Martin *''
The Big Gundown ''The Big Gundown'' ( it, La resa dei conti, lit=The Settling of Scores) is a 1966 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Sollima, and starring Lee Van Cleef and Tomas Milian. Plot Possessing a reputation for bringing criminals to justice, r ...
'' (1966) by Sergio Sollima *''
Navajo Joe ''Navajo Joe'' is a 1966 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Corbucci and starring Burt Reynolds as the titular Navajo Indian who opposes a group of bandits responsible for killing his tribe. Plot Having massacred an Indian village with ...
'' (1966) by Sergio Corbucci *''
Sugar Colt ''Sugar Colt'' is a 1966 Italian and Spanish Spaghetti Western directed by Franco Giraldi, produced by Franco Cittadini and Stenio Fiorentini, written by Sandro Continenza, Augusto Finocchi, Giuseppe Mangione and Fernando Di Leo, composed b ...
'' (1966) by Franco Giraldi *'' The Hills Run Red'' (1966) by Carlo Lizzani *''
Yankee The term ''Yankee'' and its contracted form ''Yank'' have several interrelated meanings, all referring to people from the United States. Its various senses depend on the context, and may refer to New Englanders, residents of the Northern United S ...
'' (1966) by
Tinto Brass Giovanni "Tinto" Brass (born 26 March 1933) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. In the 1960s and 1970s, he directed many critically acclaimed avant-garde films of various genres. Today, he is mainly known for his later work in the er ...
*'' Ten Thousand Dollars for a Massacre'' (1967) by
Romolo Guerrieri Romolo Guerrieri, aka ''Romolo Girolami'' (born 5 December 1931) is an Italian film director and screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of scree ...
*''
The Dirty Outlaws ''The Dirty Outlaws'', also known as ''Big Ripoff'', ''King of the West'' and ''The Desperado'' (in original Italian, ''El desperado''), is a 1967 Italian Spaghetti Western starring Andrea Giordana. Quentin Tarantino ranked the film 13th in his ...
'' (1967) by
Franco Rossetti Franco Rossetti was an Italian film director and screenwriter . Life and career Born in Siena, Rossetti started his career as a film critic, then in the early 1950s he entered the film industry as an assistant director. With the rise of the S ...
*''
Il tempo degli avvoltoi ''Il tempo degli avvoltoi'' (also known as ''Last of the Badmen'', ''Time of Vultures'' and ''No Tears for a Killer'') is a 1967 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Nando Cicero. Cast * George Hilton: Kitosch * Frank Wolff: Joshua T ...
'' (1967) by
Nando Cicero Fernando Cicero, better known as Nando Cicero (22 January 1931 – 30 July 1995), was an Italian film director, screenwriter and actor. Born in Asmara, Cicero debuted as an actor, working with directors such as Luchino Visconti ('' Senso'', 195 ...
*''
La morte non conta i dollari ''La morte non conta i dollari'' ( Death Does Not Count the Dollars) 1967 Italian spaghetti western film directed by Riccardo Freda. The film is about Lawrence White who returns to his hometown of Owell Rock with his sister to avenge the father' ...
'' (1967) by Riccardo Freda *'' Django Kill... If You Live, Shoot!'' (1967) - Full version - by Giulio Questi *''
The Ruthless Four ''The Ruthless Four'' ( it, Ognuno per sé, lit=Everyone for Himself) is a 1968 Western film directed by Giorgio Capitani and starring Van Heflin. Cast * Van Heflin as Sam Cooper * Gilbert Roland as Mason * Klaus Kinski as Brent the Blonde * G ...
'' (1967) by
Giorgio Capitani Giorgio Capitani (29 December 1927 – 25 March 2017) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 40 films between 1954 and 2012. He also wrote for 12 films. He was born in Paris, France. Selected filmography * ''The Flame T ...
*'' Django, Prepare a Coffin'' (1967) by Ferdinando Baldi *'' Tepepa'' (1968) by
Giulio Petroni Giulio Petroni (21 September 1917 – 31 January 2010) was an Italian director, writer, and screenwriter, best known for his spaghetti westerns ''Death Rides a Horse'' (1967), with Lee Van Cleef in one of his first starring roles, '' A Sky Full of ...
*''
A Noose for Django ''No Room To Die'' ( it, Una lunga fila di croci, also known as ''Hanging for Django'' and ''A Noose for Django'') is a 1969 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Garrone. It was shown as part of a retrospective on Spaghetti Westerns ...
'' (1968) by
Sergio Garrone Sergio Garrone (born 15 April 1925) is an Italian director, screenwriter and film producer. Life and career Born in Rome, the brother of the actor Riccardo, Garrone began his career in 1948 working as assistant director, documentary filmmaker, ...
*''
And God Said to Cain ''And God Said to Cain'' ( it, E Dio disse a Caino, german: Satan der Rache) is a 1970 Spaghetti Western film directed by Antonio Margheriti and starring Klaus Kinski. The story is about Gary Hamilton, who is granted a free pardon from a prison ...
'' (1969) by Antonio Margheriti *'' The Reward's Yours... The Man's Mine'' (1969) by
Edoardo Mulargia Edoardo Mulargia (10 December 1925 – 7 September 2005) was an Italian director and screenwriter. Life and career Born in Torpè, Nuoro, Mulargia graduated in Law, first working as a journalist, then directing numerous scientific and indu ...
*'' They Call Me Trinity'' (1970) by Enzo Barboni *''
Matalo! ''Matalo!'' (also spelled as ''Mátalo'') is a 1970 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Cesare Canevari. The film is considered among the most original western ever produced in Italy.Dossier Nocturno n. 31, ''Ai confini del western. Zone ...
'' (1970) by
Cesare Canevari Cesare Canevari (13 October 1927 - 25 October 2012) was an Italian actor, director and screenwriter. Life and career Born in Milan, Canevari began his career shortly after World War II as a stage actor, occasionally also appearing in films in ...
*'' Compañeros'' (1970) by Sergio Corbucci *''
Vengeance Is a Dish Served Cold ''Vengeance Is a Dish Served Cold'' ( it, La vendetta è un piatto che si serve freddo), also known as ''Death's Dealer'', is a 1971 Italian Western film directed by Pasquale Squitieri and starring Klaus Kinski. Plot Jeremias was 12 years old ...
'' (1971) by
Pasquale Squitieri Pasquale Squitieri (27 November 1938 – 18 February 2017) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Life and career Born in Naples, Squitieri graduated in law, then was briefly involved in stage, as author ("''La battaglia''") and even a ...
*''
The Grand Duel ''The Grand Duel'' (Italian: ''Il Grande duello''), also known as ''Storm Rider'' and ''The Big Showdown'', is a 1972 Spaghetti Western film directed by Giancarlo Santi, who had previously worked as Sergio Leone's assistant director on ''The Good ...
'' (1972) by
Giancarlo Santi Giancarlo Santi (7 October 1939 – 22 February 2021) was an Italian filmmaker. Born in Rome, Santi began his career as production assistant of Gian Vittorio Baldi, later became assistant director of Marco Ferreri ('' L'ape regina'', '' La Donna ...
*''
The Fighting Fist of Shanghai Joe ''The Fighting Fist of Shanghai Joe'' (Italian: ''Il mio nome è Shanghai Joe'', lit. "My name is Shanghai Joe") is a 1973 Spaghetti Western kung fu film directed by Mario Caiano and starring Chen Lee as Shanghai Joe. The film was released in ...
'' (1973) by Mario Caiano *'' A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die'' (1973) by Tonino Valerii *'' Four of the Apocalypse'' (1975) by Lucio Fulci *''
Keoma Keoma is a hamlet in southern Alberta under the jurisdiction of Rocky View County. Keoma is located approximately 35 km (21 mi) northeast of Downtown Calgary, on Highway 566, 2.0 km (1.2 mi) east of Highway 9 and 19 km (12 mi) north of the ...
'' (1976) by Enzo Castellari


Legacy

Spaghetti Westerns have left their mark on popular culture, strongly influencing numerous works produced in and outside of Italy. In later years there were "return of stories" '' Django Strikes Again'' with Franco Nero and '' Troublemakers'' with Terence Hill and Bud Spencer. Clint Eastwood's first American Western film, ''
Hang 'Em High ''Hang 'Em High'' is a 1968 American DeLuxe Color revisionist Western film directed by Ted Post and written by Leonard Freeman and Mel Goldberg. It stars Clint Eastwood as Jed Cooper, an innocent man who survives a lynching; Inger Stevens as ...
'' (1968), incorporates elements of Spaghetti Westerns. American director
Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...
has utilized elements of Spaghetti Westerns in his films ''
Kill Bill ''Kill Bill: Volume 1'' is a 2003 American martial arts film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars Uma Thurman as the Bride, who swears revenge on a team of assassins ( Lucy Liu, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, and Vivica A. Fox) ...
'' (combined with kung fu movies), '' Inglourious Basterds'' (set in Nazi-occupied France), ''
Django Unchained ''Django Unchained'' () is a 2012 American revisionist Western film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, and Samuel L. Jackson, with Walton Goggins, Dennis C ...
'' (set in the American South during the time of slavery)., '' The Hateful Eight'' (set in Wyoming post-US Civil War), and '' Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'' (about fictional American actor Rick Dalton sometimes working in Spaghetti Westerns). The '' Back to the Future'' trilogy pays homage to Spaghetti Westerns (especially Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy) on a variety of occasions, most notably in the third film. The American animated film '' Rango'' incorporates elements of Spaghetti Westerns, including a character (the mystical "Spirit of the West", regarded as a sort of
deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...
among the characters) appearing to the protagonist as an elderly Man with No Name. The 1985 Japanese film ''
Tampopo is a 1985 Japanese comedy film written and directed by Juzo Itami, and starring Tsutomu Yamazaki, Nobuko Miyamoto, Kōji Yakusho, and Ken Watanabe. The publicity for the film calls it the first "ramen western", a play on the term Spaghetti We ...
'' was promoted as a "
ramen is a Japanese noodle dish. It consists of served in a broth; common flavors are soy sauce and miso, with typical toppings including , nori (dried seaweed), menma (bamboo shoots), and scallions. Ramen has its roots in Chinese noodle di ...
Western". Japanese director
Takashi Miike is a Japanese film director, film producer and screenwriter. He has directed over one hundred theatrical, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. His films run through a variety of different genres, and range from violent a ...
paid tribute to the genre with '' Sukiyaki Western Django'', a Western set in Japan which derives influence from both ''Django'' and the Dollars Trilogy. The
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" ...
film '' Sholay'' (1975) was often referred to as a "
Curry A curry is a dish with a sauce seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. In southern India, leaves from the curry tree may be included. There are many varieties of curry. The choice of spices for each dish in trad ...
Western". A more accurate genre label for the film is the "
Dacoit Western Dacoity is a term used for "banditry" in the Indian subcontinent. The spelling is the anglicised version of the Hindi word ''daaku''; "dacoit" is a colloquial Indian English word with this meaning and it appears in the ''Glossary of Colloqui ...
", as it combined the conventions of Indian
dacoit film Dacoity is a term used for "banditry" in the Indian subcontinent. The spelling is the anglicised version of the Hindi word ''daaku''; "dacoit" is a colloquial Indian English word with this meaning and it appears in the ''Glossary of Colloqui ...
s such as '' Mother India'' (1957) and '' Gunga Jumna'' (1961) with that of Spaghetti Westerns. ''Sholay'' spawned its own genre of "Dacoit Western" films in Bollywood during the 1970s. In the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
, the Spaghetti Western was adapted into the
Ostern The Ostern (Eastern; , ''Istern''; or остерн) or Red Western was a film genre created in the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc as a variation of the Western films that originated in the United States. The word "Ostern" is a portmanteau derived ...
("Eastern") genre of Soviet films. The Wild West setting was replaced by an Eastern setting in the steppes of the
Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historica ...
, while Western stock characters such as "
cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaqu ...
s and Indians" were replaced by Caucasian stock characters such as
bandits Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, and murder, either as an ...
and harems. A famous example of the genre was '' White Sun of the Desert'' (1970), which was popular in the Soviet Union. American heavy metal band
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
has used
Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classi ...
's composition " The Ecstasy of Gold" from ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' to open several of their concerts. The Australian band
The Tango Saloon The Tango Saloon is an Australian experimental tango band from Sydney, Australia. Their self-titled debut, a "tango-flavored album with a twist of spaghetti western", was released in 2006 by Ipecac Recordings, the American record label run by Mik ...
combines elements of Tango music with influences from Spaghetti Western scores. The band
Ghoultown Ghoultown is an American rock band from Dallas, Texas, formed in 1999. They are a cowpunk band, combining elements of Western, heavy metal, punk rock and mariachi music. The band has released six studio albums to date, plus an EP and a live a ...
also derives influence from Spaghetti Westerns. The music video for the song "
Knights of Cydonia "Knights of Cydonia" is a song by English alternative rock band Muse and is the closing track on their 2006 album ''Black Holes and Revelations''. The song's title refers to the Cydonia region of Mars, which gained public attention from the ill ...
" by the English rock band
Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in ...
was influenced by Spaghetti Westerns. The band
Big Audio Dynamite Big Audio Dynamite (later known as Big Audio Dynamite II and Big Audio, and often abbreviated BAD) were an English band, formed in London in 1984 by Mick Jones, former lead guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the Clash. The band mixed various mu ...
used music samples from Spaghetti Westerns when mixing their song " Medicine Show". Within the song one can hear samples from Spaghetti Western movies such as ''A Fistful of Dollars'', ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'', and ''Duck, You Sucker!''. Video game studio Rockstar Games utilized aspects of the Spaghetti Western and paid homage to it in their series '' Red Dead Redemption'' along with its predecessor, '' Red Dead Revolver''.


Notable personalities


See also

*
Cinema of Italy The cinema of Italy (, ) comprises the films made within Italy or by Italian directors. Since its beginning, Italian cinema has influenced film movements worldwide. Italy is one of the birthplaces of art cinema and the stylistic aspect of film ha ...
* List of Spaghetti Western films * Co-productions in Spanish cinema *
Ostern The Ostern (Eastern; , ''Istern''; or остерн) or Red Western was a film genre created in the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc as a variation of the Western films that originated in the United States. The word "Ostern" is a portmanteau derived ...
* Revisionist Western * ZWAM, a youth movement in Madagascar inspired by Spaghetti Westerns *
Bang! (card game) ''Bang!'' is a Spaghetti Western-themed social deduction card game designed by Emiliano Sciarra and released by Italian publisher DV Giochi in 2002. In 2004, ''Bang!'' won the Origins Award for Best Traditional Card Game of 2003 and Best G ...
, inspired by the genre


Notes


References

* * * Frayling, Christopher: ''Sergio Leone: Something to Do with Death'' (London: Faber, 2000) * Fridlund, Bert: ''The Spaghetti Western. A Thematic Analysis''. Jefferson, NC and London: McFarland & Company Inc., 2006. Print. * *Liehm, Mira. Passion and Defiance: Film in Italy from 1942 to the Present. Berkeley: U of California P, 1984. Print. * *Riling, Yngve P, ''The Spaghetti Western Bible. Limited Edition'', (Riling, 2011). Print *Weisser, Thomas, ''Spaghetti Westerns: the Good, the Bad and the Violent — 558 Eurowesterns and Their Personnel'', 1961–1977. (Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1992) *


External links


The Spaghetti Western Database


a book about Spaghetti Westerns made between 1963 and 1973, released under a Creative Commons license by its author
Alex Cox Alexander B. H. Cox (born 15 December 1954) is an English film director, screenwriter, actor, non-fiction author and broadcaster. Cox experienced success early in his career with '' Repo Man'' and '' Sid and Nancy'', but since the release and c ...
{{Authority control Spaghetti Western * Exploitation films Film genres Western Metaphors referring to spaghetti Western (genre) films by genre