The Spanish Spaghetti Western ghost town where abandoned
Hollywood film sets are still standing in the desert almost 50 years on
Despite forming huge chunk of Western film history, these
amazing photographs show the iconic spots in ruin
Spaghetti Western was initially handed down as a
derogatory term for low-budget films directed by Italians
Over time it became a badge of honour thanks to conveyor
belt of talent like Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood
But despite its iconic status within the Western film
world, many deserted sets have been left to rot in Spain
Daily Mail
By Gareth Davies
June 1 2017
Despite having formed a huge chunk of Western film
history, these amazing photographs show how the iconic Spaghetti Western sets
have fallen into decay after decades of neglect.
The initially derogatory name was handed down to films
directed and produced by Italians and filmed in the Spanish countryside to save
on budget costs.
Over time, the term became less of a term used to devalue
the work and more a badge of honour as the movies' popularity and reputation
grew through a conveyor belt of talent both in front and behind the camera
including the legendary Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood.
Among the iconic Spaghetti Westerns - filmed in a handful
of sites including Fort Bravo/Texas Hollywood, Mini Hollywood, Western Leone
and El Condor - are The Good The Bad and The Ugly, Django and Once Upon A Time
In The West.
In recent times sets have been used for modern
productions, including Netflix's Penny Dreadful and the BBC's Dr Who, but
portions of the area near the Spanish city of Almería lies in ruin.
Remains of Nueva Frontera. This Western set was originally
constructed for the 1973 film Chino, starring Charles Bronson. It sits alongside
the A-92 highway to Granada, directly across from Mini-Hollywood and Fort
Bravo,Texas Hollywood. By 1984, when director Alex Cox used it as the main
location for Straight to Hell, the site was looking suitably distressed. In
recent years, the set has been reduced to little more than a pile of rubble.
Sign along the dirt road leading to Fort Bravo/Texas
Hollywood - one of a handful of Spaghetti Western film sets. Over time, the
term became less of a term used to devalue the work and more a badge of honour
as the movies' popularity and reputation grew through a conveyor belt of talent
both in front and behind the camera including the legendary Sergio Leone and
Clint Eastwood. Among the iconic Spaghtetti Westerns are The Good The Bad and
The Ugly, Django and Once Upon A Time In The West. In recent times sets have
been used for modern productions, including Netflix's Penny Dreadful and the
BBC's Dr Who, but portions of the area near the Spanish city of Almería lies in
ruin.
A cowboy tips his hat to a girl during the daily western
show at Fort Bravo/Texas Hollywood. Stuntman Rafa Molina bought the site in the
1970s for $6,000 and began charging visitors to tour it. The set appears in a
number of more recent productions, including Netflix's Penny Dreadful and the
BBC's Dr Who.
A western fan
dressed up during the 2016 Almeria Western Film Festival takes aim at the
Justice of the Peace sign in Fort
Bravo/Texas Hollywood. The set was constructed in the mid 1970s under an
agreement with Sergio Leone and an Italian producer. By the time it was
completed, however, the film industry in Almeria was on the wane.
This Western set
was originally constructed for the 1973 film Chino, starring Charles Bronson.
It sits alongside the A-92 highway to Granada, directly across from
Mini-Hollywood and Fort Bravo,Texas Hollywood. By 1984, when director Alex Cox
used it as the main location for Straight to Hell, the site was looking
suitably distressed. In recent years, the set has been reduced to little more
than a pile of rubble.
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