Why Spaghetti Westerns?

[Wireworm5]

I recently supscribed to the Lonestar channel. So I've been watching shows like Gunsmoke,Rawhide, Dead or Alive,etc.. So I've been wondering why did the spagehetti westerns became popular. I've seen the earlier movies of Lee Van Cliffe that weren't very good. And these movies I think were made for the Italian market. So what about them made them appealing to the american public?
My friend says they are a comic book. Not based on reality, but the Italians misconceived notion of what the old western frontier was really like and that is their appeal. But that can't be the only reason,thoughts?

[botrytis]

First - your friend doesn't know what he is talking about!!!

They weren't made for the Italian market, but many of them had Italian directors and were made in Italy. They blurred the lines between good and evil - like in the Clint Eastwood trilogy - For a Few Dollars more A Fistfill of Dollars, and The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.

The directors tried to show that no person was wholly good or evil. That was the start of the trend that ended with Unforgiven.

Dave

[Wornears]

Don't forget that trying to get the financing to do a Western in the U.S was very difficult then, too. Italian production costs were minimal compared to U.S. ones IIRC.

[glen65]

Eh Blondie,
Bet you didn't think we'd get this popular.

[outlawmws]

SNIP I've seen the earlier movies of Lee Van Cliffe that weren't very good. SNIP So what about them made them appealing to the american public?
My friend says they are a comic book. Not based on reality, but the Italians misconceived notion of what the old western frontier was really like and that is their appeal. But that can't be the only reason,thoughts?

First, nearly all westerns were based on mythological western history not what really happened, even when they were based on "facts"

Second, like any genre, there were good ones and bad ones. Some of Clint's were on the upper echelon. Lee Van Cleef's weren't.

I’d agree they were comic book like, but that doesn’t necessarily take away from them. It’s an entertainment.

Once Upon a Time in the West was similar, and full of stereotypes. Movies live on these images, and very basic good vs. evil, with the good/bad guys thrown in to intrigue.

[Cleve]

My friend says they are a comic book. Not based on reality, but the Italians misconceived notion of what the old western frontier was really like and that is their appeal.

http://audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=31366&stc=1

"The man who says this thing... he understands nothing about Tuco" :yes:


Ironic that this thread appears today - I just watched "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" this weekend. It remains one of my all time favorite films - and I'm not the only one - it ranks 14th on IMDB's website among the greatest films of all time.

[VinylHanger]

And on DVD it is like watching it for the first time. I had only seen the movie on AMC and the like. Old worn out video. Much better on DVD.

[Mark B]

Have to agree that the Spaghetti Westerns with Clint Eastwood were very entertaining. :yes: Eli Wallach aka "Tuco" was one bad (but funny) hombre. :smoke:

[2DualsNotEnough]

At the time,(early to mid 60's)the Western was becoming an overworked and,due to television westerns,an increasingly less popular genre on the big screen.Hollywood had started in the late 40's and early 50's to mythologize the Western in a big way,the films of John Ford(The Searchers,Fort Apache,She Wore a Yellow Ribbon,Sgt. Rutledge)Anothony Mann(several Jimmy Stewart films,including Winchester 77),High Noon,Shane,etc.By the time that the Italian westerns started to appear,the twisted characters and exagerated violence was just the ticket for an audience tired of the same old western.The spaghetti westerns didnt just revitalize the cowboy genre,it also opened the doors for more frank and shocking uses of violence and sex in all fillms,most notably in Bonnie and Clyde,and in my personal favorite western of the 60's,The Wild Bunch.
Jimmy

[oldhifiguy]

High Plains Drifter with Clint Eastwood tops my list.

[kcollins4]

toooooooeeeeeoooooooeeeeoooo.....wah wah wah :D


Kevin

[Thatch_Ear]

Spagetti Westerns were shot in Spain with some shots done in the US, like Monument Valley to round them out.

Once Upon A Time In The West had some cutting edge cinematography for the times, many that are now used commonly, like the extreme closeup of Bronson's eyes. I see elements in lots of new movies that were first used by Sergio Leone.

Other ground breaking films that elements are commonly used today would be "The Hunger" and "She's Got To Have It".

Of course the greats like "High Noon" and "My Darling Clementine" were great blue prints to base characters on and John Ford's "Red River" was instrumental in the use of lanscape as an intregal part of the story.

I think that the what was then the new breed of cinematographers latched on to the mythos of the American Western because of the operatic values and the bigger than life portrayal of the characters both good and evil. Also there was a built in audience and besides the artistic value you need to sell tickets.

[michael w]

The spaghettis were also the training ground for the new wave of 60's Italian film directors, cinematographers, writers etc.

And also allowed the world to see American traditions and values through non-American eyes.

[mg196]

Lee Van Cleef wasn't that good?! Are you insane?! He is one of the greatest (and most underrated) Western actors of all time. Death Rides A Horse, The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, etc...

Sergio Leone's big movies were filmed in Spain if I am not mistaken.

Spaghetti Westerns (specifiaclly Sergio Leone) took the genre to an entirely new level popularity-wise and story-wise, bringing some of the most original plotlines to the genre. Charles Bronson, Clint, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef...all cut their acting teeth in Spaghetti films (Rawhide was a TV show and I dont count that as true "acting").

Once Upon A Time In the West is one of my all-time faves!

John Woo is sometimes referred to as a modern-day Sergio Leone (and his movies, naturally, have been coined "modern-day" spaghetti westerns). - great analogy I found online.

It may be un-American, but I CANT STAND John Wayne westerns. It is pure post-war American cinema to me. Rigid characters, forced dialogue, complete predictability...it is just condesending to me! Spaghetti's introduced a grittiness that American Westerns were lacking. They are dirtier, angrier, more emotional...and dont forget about THE MUSIC!! Pick up a Sergio Leone soundtrack and drop it onto your TT!! Try doin' that with Hud !

For an excellent American Western with all the qualities of a Spaghetti, you MUST go straight to Clint: High Plains Drifter, Pale Rider, and Unforgiven are excellent examples.

[Cleve]

Fans of "spaghetti" westerns might enjoy this website... I just chanced across it as a result of this thread...

http://www.fistful-of-leone.com/


Enjoy!

[Mike Gibson]

I think one of the biggest reasons for the success of those movies was their introduction of the anti-hero. The times were the late 60's early 70's and young people were questioning a lot of values at the time. They introduced you to a character that was what he was. Neither good nor bad, just human and someone you could relate to in ways. Paul Newman in Hombre is another example of the anti-hero that became popular. One thing I noticed and liked about those movies was the people in them weren't all the beautiful people you found in most movies at the time. They were closer to people you might actually meet.