Their sunburnt faces perfectly illustrated the heat-packed land they traveled through and their unkempt look, with dirty clothing, represented the lack of time to clean themselves as they were either being hunted or were on the hunt. This look was in keeping with the harsh landscape the Spaghetti characters found themselves in. The Spaghetti Western characters also appeared rugged, unshaven and sunburnt, in complete contrast to the clean looking, well dressed heroes of traditional westerns. These anti-heroes often donned black apparel ( Django, Sabata) in the form of a black hat, poncho or vest. As a result, these main characters were not pure heroes but anti-heroes who rode in the grey middle line away from concepts of pure goodness and honesty. However, in Spaghetti Westerns, the main characters displayed no moral compass and were never afraid to kill, either for gold, revenge or political cause. Heroes wore a white hat while the villains a black hat. For example, in Westerns, heroes and villains were clearly identified by the colours of their hats.
In addition, the camera shots, background score, themes and symbols were distinct as well. The selected films also cover the gambit of characters from bounty hunters ( The Bounty Killer, The Big Gundown), a gun-carrying priest (Klaus Kinski in A Bullet for the General), corrupt general, double crossing gunmen to crazed machine gun toting characters.Įxcessive violence, bullets, blood and dynamite, that were central to Spaghetti Westerns, also set them apart from traditional Westerns. The Calgary Cinematheque has included films from two other famous Sergios’, Corbucci and Sollima, while the selections range from the lone wolf ( Django) looking for revenge ( Death Rides a Horse) and money ( The Bounty Killer) to political films ( Compañeros, A Bullet for the General). Even though there were as many as 500 Spaghetti Westerns made between 1964-73, the sub-genre is still mostly associated with Sergio Leone whose A Fistful of Dollars (1964) is the first Spaghetti Western. The Calgary Cinematheque has selected films that give a taste of the sub-genre, depicting its relevant themes and symbols while showcasing some of Spaghetti Western’s famous directors/writers/actors. As a result, Spaghetti Westerns have created a unique and influential place in cinematic history. Also, Spaghetti Westerns injected new life into traditional Westerns which were falling out of fashion in the late 1950’s. In fact, one can draw a line from Spaghetti Westerns to the cinema of John Woo, Johnnie To, Takashi Miike, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriquez. These unique characteristics of the sub-genre have in turn influenced diverse filmmakers over the decades. The films may have been spawned from Westerns but they developed their own visual language, soundtracks, distinct characters, themes and iconography. However, over the decades, the sub-genre has been closely studied and its filmmaking virtues have been acknowledged. American critics looked down upon these films and considered them fake and used the term “Spaghetti Westerns” in a negative manner to differentiate these Cinecittà Studios (Rome) productions from traditional Westerns. The films were looked upon unfavourably when they first came out. Spaghetti Westerns have had a long road to recognition in the film world.
The Calgary Cinematheque is pleased to present a six film spotlight on Spaghetti Westerns, a sub-genre of Westerns.
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