What is a Spaghetti Western?

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By Liam Gaughan

January 11, 2023

What Is a Spaghetti Western?

The term “Spaghetti Western” refers to the Western films that were shot in Italy, but generally featured American movie stars and adhered to the genre templates established in the golden age. While the popularity of Italy as a production center is where the genre derived its name, many well-known “Spaghetti Westerns” were actually international coproductions, and thus the term can apply to a broader subsection of international cinema. However, it’s not just the location of the production that exemplifies what “Spaghetti Westerns” are; it was also an important stylistic movement that brought to light cutting edge filmmaking techniques. We still see the influence of Spaghetti Westerns today through direct and indirect homages by filmmakers who love the era.

Sergio Leone Shaped the Spaghetti Western Genre

Unquestionably, the most important figure within the Spaghetti Western movement was the brilliant Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone. Leone had tried his hands at “epic filmmaking” with The Colossus of Rhodes, but he announced himself as a filmmaker to watch with his 1964 Western A Fistful of Dollars. The film featured a young Clint Eastwood in his breakout role as “The Man With No Name.” Despite its relatively low budget and association with pulpier material, A Fistful of Dollars actually drew inspiration from Akira Kurosawa’s classic yakuza film Yojimbo, and featured a similar story placed in a Western context. The influence of Eastern morality within a stylized Western fable made for an interesting diversion from the earlier Westerns of the golden age.

A Fistful of Dollars can be described as “economic,” but not just because of its budget. The film expertly uses a combination of stark wide shots and intimate close ups to create suspense, with dialogue that is spare and often memorably stern. While some of the later films within the golden age were a tad darker than the earliest Western heroes, Eastwood’s unnamed gunslinger (referred to in the film as “Joe”) offers little information about his story, morality, or interests. Similar to Kurosawa’s heroic yakuzas, he simply wanders into the story like a character out of mythology, and leaves with legends being told about him. Music was also an integral component to the film, with Ennio Moricone’s propulsive score adding even more energy.

A Fistful of Dollars was followed by two sequels, For A Few Dollars More and The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, both of which are considered classics as well. While the films can be viewed individually without the context of the trilogy, they collectively map the journey of “The Man With No Name” through an anthology narrative. The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly in particular had a huge impact on pop culture, made Eastwood a household name, and delved into anti-war themes.

Eastwood would go on to become a popular Western star back in America, and Leone crafted another Spaghetti Western masterpiece with 1968’s Once Upon A Time in The West, which recently cracked the Sight and Sound list of the 100 greatest films ever made. Although it shared stylistic similarities with “The Man With No Name” trilogy, Once Upon A Time In The West was essentially the Spaghetti Western version of an epic, as it chronicled the history of the American rail system and its impact on the end of the cowboy era. The film also notably cast against type, with the typically gruff Charles Bronsan as the heroic hero “Harmonica” and the Hollywood favorite Henry Fonda as a cold-hearted gunslinger.

The Spaghetti Western's Modern Influence

While Leone is certainly the most pivotal figure in the history of Spaghetti Westerns, the success of A Fistful of Dollars inspired other European filmmakers to create similar films. Other stars like Franco Nero, Terrence Hill, and John Garco attained popularity during the time by emulating Eastwood’s demeanor, and Eastwood’s For A Few Dollars More and The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly co-star Lee Van Cleef rose in prominence, and starred in many Spaghetti Westerns of his own. Similar to Leone’s focus on Kurosawa, many Spaghetti Westerns drew inspiration from classic works of literature; Ballad of the Bounty Hunter was based on Greek mythology, Johnny Hamlet took inspiration from the Shakesperean play, and The Return of Ringo follows similar story beats to Homer’s The Odyssey.

The other significant auteur to emerge from this era was Sergio Corbucci, whose 1966 film Django leaned closer to the pulpy side of Spaghetti Westerns than any of Leone’s films did. While it also paid tribute to Yojimbo, Django was much more violent, featured much bolder musical cues, and was unafraid to get sexually explicit. The “Django” character has appeared in over 30 sequels, but only a few are official. Corbucci went on to make many other Spaghetti Westerns, including The Great Silence, The Mercenary, Navajo Joe, and Minnesota Clay.

The influence of Spaghetti Westerns can still be seen today, as the genre’s hallmarks of tense shootouts, minimalistic framing, and striking music have influenced many other genres. Quentin Tarantino has made it no secret that he’s a massive fan of the genre, and frequently includes both tributes and homages to the genre’s classics in both his Western and non-Western films. Vince Gilligan has often drawn inspiration from Spaghetti Westerns as well; El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie features a shootout in the style of Leone, and the Better Call Saul episode “Bagman” is essentially an extended tribute to the genre. Spaghetti Westerns continue to engage younger viewers, and it's worth exploring their history to see how prominent they remain.