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Spaghetti Westerns are a sub-genre of Westerns that originated in Italy, as the name suggests.
Appearing in the 60s, he quickly gained popularity, but also quickly lost it. Perhaps the reason for this was the satiety of the audience with the same type of pictures: for some 10-15 years, in the period from the 60s to the 70s, about 600 films were shot.
The master of the genre is Sergio Leone, who made a splash in 1964 when he directed the cult story A Fistful of Dollars and its sequel.
Now spaghetti westerns are a niche movie, so we will recommend films from the golden era for viewing. Not all of them are widely known, but each will give an hour or two of pleasant emotions.
10 Once Upon a Time in the Wild West | 1968
Let’s start with the work of the already mentioned Leon, which he took off after completing his dollar trilogy. Among all the westerns in the IMDb rankings, it is second only to the director’s previous film, The Good, the Bad, the Ugly.
The plot tells a classic story: the Wild West, a lonely attractive woman is killed by a mercenary husband and his three children from his first marriage, and a dishonest businessman who ordered the murder wants to get her farm and land by all means.
The Cheyenne bandit stands up to protect the woman and her own interests, on whom they try to hang the murder of her husband, as well as a mysterious man who constantly plays the harmonica.
9. And the Lord said to Cain | 1970
The events of the film by Antonio Margheriti unfold over the course of just one night, which turned out to be just hellish for the main characters.
Gary Hamilton receives a free pardon in a prison labor camp and goes to visit the people who framed him. There will be a stormy night in the city when Hamilton will begin to take revenge.
The main role was played by Klaus Kinski, a popular actor of those years, as well as the father of the model and actress Nastassja Kinski.
8. Rope and colt | 1969
Director Robert Hossein was inspired by the films of Sergio Leone when working on the picture, so don’t be surprised that there is a similar style here. Hossein even managed to persuade Leone to shoot one of the episodes, so there is no doubt that the master approved the western.
As for the plot, everything here is a little more interesting than it was before: a widowed woman, with the help of her lover, avenges her husband’s death by kidnapping the daughter of his killers. It seems to her that with such a trump card in her hands she will be able to play a winning game, but in reality everything turns out to be much more complicated and confusing.
7. Face to face | 1967
A former teacher comes to Texas for a vacation, but instead falls into the hands of a notorious thug who is wounded.
Under the threat of death, the teacher heals his wounds, and also suddenly begins to feel a craving for a life outside the law. As a result, he turns from an insecure intellectual into the leader of a gang that pulls off a daring robbery.
Watching “Face to Face” directed by Sergio Sollima is worth at least two reasons: the excellent acting of Gian Maria Volonte and, as always, the brilliant music of Ennio Morricone.
6. Matalo! | 1970
The film is considered one of the most original works of the West in Italy. A distinctive feature is the superiority of psychology over action, the almost complete absence of dialogue, an innovative soundtrack and the use of a boomerang by the protagonist as the only weapon.
Well, the excellent game of the star of that time, Corrado Pani.
5. Keoma | in 1976
1976 film directed by Enzo G. Castellari and starring Franco Nero. It is often listed as one of the best Twilight spaghetti westerns as it is one of the last films of its genre and is known for incorporating the latest cinematic techniques of the time (slow motion that became the progenitor of slow-mo and close-up shots). medium pan), as well as the vocal soundtrack by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis.
4. Partners | 1970
And again, Franco Nero in the title role and Morricone as a composer, and Sergio Corbucci in the director’s chair.
The story is not about classic robbers, but about criminals in military uniform: during the Mexican Revolution, a peasant named El Vasco starts an uprising in his city, killing an army colonel.
The rebel leader and self-styled General Mongo soon arrives on the scene and recruits El Vasco into his revolutionary gang. However, Mongo is more interested in getting good luck for himself than for his country.
Further, mercenaries, pacifists and, of course, beautiful women are woven into the narrative.
3. Great silence | 1968
Here again are familiar names and faces: Sergio Corbucci, Ennio Morricone and Klaus Kinski.
The direction of the plot is also familiar to all fans of the genre: due to a snow storm, many people are starving, so the most desperate gather in gangs and begin to hunt for robberies. A bounty is placed on their heads, which attracts bounty hunters, including Loco, a psychopath who rejoices in the opportunity to kill with impunity.
Relatives of the dead seek help from the shooter with the nickname Silent, who has his own claims against Loko.
2. Bullet for the general | 1967
Cold-blooded American William Tate joins a gang of train robbers led by Chuncho, but his goal is not the booty from the raids. With the help of bandits, he wants to get to the general who was at the helm of the revolution and kill him, having received a solid reward from Mexico for this.
The proof that it was he who killed the general will be a golden bullet, which he has only one and he saves it for his victim.
1. Django | 1966
This spaghetti western by Sergio Corbucci with Franco Nero had a big impact on the genre, spawning many unofficial remakes and sequels.
The protagonist, who avenges the death of his beloved and helps good people, two gangs that share influence in the city, a corrupt sheriff – all in the best traditions of the genre.
The “chip” of the picture, which distinguishes it from the general flow, is the transcendent level of cruelty shown on the screen. Now this is no surprise to anyone, but in 1966 it was a scandalous release. The scene in which the monk’s ear is cut off and forced to eat was a nightmare for impressionable viewers of the 60s.