Spaghetti Westerns is a subgenre 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 paintings: for some 10-15 years, between the 60s and 70s, about 600 films were made.
Sergio Leone, who made a splash in 1964 when he shot the cult story “For a Fistful of Dollars” and its sequel, is considered the master of the genre.
Nowadays, 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 ranking, he is second only to the previous film directed by Good, Bad, Evil.
The plot tells a classic story: Wild West, in a lonely attractive woman, a mercenary kills a husband and his three children from his first marriage, and an unclean businessman ordering a murder wants at all costs to get the farm and land that she inherited.
The Cheyenne thug, who is trying to hang the murder of her husband, as well as a mysterious man who constantly plays the harmonica, defends the woman and her own interests.
9. And the Lord said to Cain | 1970
The events of the film Antonio Margheriti unfold over the course of just one night, which turned out to be simply hellish for the main characters.
Gary Hamilton receives a free pardon at the prison labor camp and goes to visit the people who framed him. The city will have a stormy night when Hamilton begins to take revenge.
The main role was played by Klaus Kinsky - a popular actor of those years, as well as the father of the model and actress Nastasya Kinsky.
8. Rope and Colt | 1969
Director Robert Hossein was inspired by the films of Sergio Leone when working on the film, so do not be surprised that there is a similar style. 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 the death of her husband 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 the 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 to rest, 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 for himself begins to feel a craving for life outside the law. As a result, he turns from an insecure intellectual into the leader of a gang that cranks out a daring robbery.
Watching “Face to Face” directed by Sergio Sollima stands for at least two reasons: excellent acting by Gian Maria Volonta and, as always, brilliant music by Ennio Morricone.
6. Matter! | 1970
The film is considered one of the most original works about the West in Italy. A distinctive feature is the superiority of psychology over actions, the almost complete absence of dialogue, an innovative soundtrack and the use of the main character of a boomerang as the only weapon.
Well, the excellent game of the star of that time, Corrado Pani.
5. Keoma | 1976
1976 film directed by Enzo G. Castellari with starring Franco Nero. He is often considered one of the best “twilight” spaghetti westerns, as he is one of the last films of his genre and is known for incorporating the latest cinematographic techniques of the time (the slow motion that became the progenitor of “slowum” and shots from a close / medium pan), as well as the vocal soundtrack of Guido and Maurizio De Angelis.
4. Companions | 1970
And again, Franco Nero in the title role and Morricone as a composer, and in the director's chair Sergio Corbucci.
The story is not about classical robbers, but about criminals in military uniform: during the Mexican revolution, a peasant named El Vasco begins an uprising in his city, killing an army colonel.
The rebel leader and self-proclaimed General Mongo soon arrives at the scene and hires El Vasco in his revolutionary gang. However, Mongo is more interested in getting luck for himself than for his country.
Then mercenaries, pacifists, and, of course, beautiful women are woven into the story.
3. Great silence | 1968
Here again familiar names and faces: Sergio Corbucci, Ennio Morricone and Klaus Kinsky.
The plot direction is also familiar to all fans of the genre: because of the blizzard, many people are starving, so the most desperate get together in gangs and begin to hunt by robberies. A reward is appointed for their heads, which attracts bounty hunters, including Loko, a psychopath rejoicing at the opportunity to kill with impunity.
Relatives of the deceased turn to the shooter with the nickname Silent, who has his claims to 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 to raid. He wants with the help of bandits 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 Sergio Corbucci with Franco Nero has had a great influence on the genre, spawning many unofficial remakes and sequels.
The main character, avenging the death of his beloved and helping good people, two gangs who shared influence in the city, a corrupt sheriff - all in the best traditions of the genre.
The “trick” of the picture that sets it apart from the general stream is the prohibitive level of cruelty shown on the screen. Now it’s no surprise to anyone like that, but in 1966 it was a scandalous release. A scene in which a monk's ear is cut off and forced to eat for a long time in nightmares was left to impressionable 60s spectators.