Spaghetti Western
Spaghetti Westerns are a loose sub-genre of Western film that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, so named because most of them were produced by Italian studios. Originally they had in common the Italian language, low budgets, and a recognizable violent, minimalist style that eschewed (some said "demythologized") many of the conventions of earlier Westerns - partly intentionally, partly as a result of the work being done in a different cultural background and with limited funds. The term was originally used disparagingly, but by the late twentieth century many of these films came to be held in high regard.
The best-known and perhaps archetypal spaghetti Westerns were the so-called Man With No Name trilogy directed by Sergio Leone, starring Clint Eastwood and with music composed by Ennio Morricone (all who are now synonymous with the genre): A Fistful of Dollars (1963), For a Few Dollars More (1964), and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). The last is one of the most famed Westerns of all time (although, atypically for the genre, it had a relatively high budget in excess of 1 million USD).
Many of the films were shot in the Spanish desert region of Almería. Because of the desert setting and the readily available southern Spanish extras, a usual theme in Spaghetti Westerns is the Mexican Revolution, Mexican bandits and the border zone between Mexico and the USA.
Sometimes the name chorizo Western is used for similar films financed by Spanish capital. Publicity for the Japanese comedy film Tampopo coined the phrase "noodle Western" to describe the parody made about a noodle restaurant. Robert Rodriguez's westerns have been called "burrito Westerns.". Sometimes Hrafn Gunnlaugsson's Viking movies are called "cod Westerns".
Spaghetti Westerns include:
- 800 balas (2002) is set among former actors and stuntmen in Almería.
Directors:
