CBR
By Serena Wong
March 3, 2025
A spaghetti western is defined as a low-budget Western film created by European directors, and for the most part, they were primarily produced in Italy during the 1960s. In addition to a long list of different filming techniques, spaghetti Westerns were unique in the fact that they often focused on the negative aspects of Westerns, such as the corruption and violence at the center of many of it its storie
As many Western fans are likely aware, Clint Eastwood famously starred in three spaghetti westerns: A Fistful of Dollars in 1964, The Good, the Bad and The Ugly in 1966, and For a Few Dollars More in 1965. Though he is considered a figurehead within the genre of Spaghetti Westerns, there are a wide variety of Spaghetti Westerns that are just as fantastical but do not star Eastwood.
10 Viva Zapata! Took Inspiration From Historical
Conflicts
Starring Marlon Brando, Anthony Quinn, Jean Peters
[Sorry NOT a Spaghetti western]
9 Companeros Remains a Highly Underrated Remake
Starring Jesus Fernandez, Franco Nero, Tomas Milian
Companeros was released in 1970 and is in actuality a remake of director Sergio Corbucci's film The Mercenary. Shot in context to the Cold War tensions at the time, Companeros was also Corbucci's response to the failed Parisian student uprisings in 1966; the film contemplates how to live as an honest person in a world that is filled with deception. Critics also consider Companeros to be Carbucci's last great film as well as one of the last great spaghetti westerns to be produced.
Critics are split on whether Companeros is superior to The Mercenary; some believe that Companeros is better due to the chemistry between Franco Nero and Tomas Milian and the film's score. Viewers also appreciated that they were able to have fun with Companeros instead of being required to take it seriously. Though Companeros never won any awards, viewers consider it to be a cult classic.
8 Django Was a Hit Long Before It Was Remade
Starring Franco Nero, Loredana Nusciak, José Bódalo
Django is considered one of the best Spaghetti Westerns to be produced. Critics emphasized director Sergio Carbucci's pointed political stance, pointing out that Carbucci's anger was very clear in Django. Carbucci's anger also made for a dark, gritty film. Django was so dark and gritty that it was also considered one of the most violent films of its time, and the United Kingdom refused to classify Django until 1993, when it was classified with an 18 rating.
Django's influence lives on in the number of unofficial sequels the film has produced, including other Spaghetti Westerns. Django Kill... If You Live, Shoot!, directed by Giulio Questi, was released in 1967, Django, Prepare A Coffin, directed by Ferdinando Baldi, was released in 1968 and Django the Bastard, directed by Sergio Garrone, was released in 1969. None lived up to Django's influence; however, and the official sequel, Django Strikes Again, was only released in 1987.
7 My Name Is Nobody Was Predominately Shot in the United States
Starring Henry Fonda, Terence Hill, Jean Martin
When My Name Is Nobody was released to Italian audiences in 1973, it was the third highest-grossing film that year in Italy, grossing over 3.6 billion lire. Contemporarily, critics praised director Tonino Valerii's style, lauding it as an intriguing analysis of the Western film genre and noting My Name Is Nobody's soundtrack, slapstick comedy, and experimental methods. My Name Is Nobody was also noted by critics as a farewell to the spaghetti genre as a whole.
Despite its title as a spaghetti western, 80% of the outdoor scenes in My Name Is Nobody were shot in Acomo Pueblo, New Mexico, and in New Orleans, Louisiana. There were also directorial disputes over the film, with some cast and crew claiming that Valerii was the true director of My Name Is Nobody; others claim that Sergio Leone became the true director after taking over a second unit of shooting to finish the film on time. Nevertheless, Valerii remains listed as the director of My Name Is Nobody in film listings.
6 Lemonade Joe References Many Western Works
Starring Olga Schoberová, Kveta Fialová, Rudolph Deyl
Lemonade Joe was the most well-known Spaghetti Western filmed in the Czech Republic (formerly part of Czechoslovakia.) It was based on the stage play written by Jiří Brdečka and considered a parody of the American Western. Many silent film actors receive reference in Lemonade Joe as well, from Western silent film actors Thomas Hart to Tom Mix. Director Oldrich Lipský also pays homage to Looney Tunes, Stagecoach, Arizona Bill, Destry Rides Again and My Darling Clementine.
In addition to being the most well-known Spaghetti Western filmed in the Czech Republic, Lemonade Joe was also the country's best-selling film of the 60s. Lemonade Joe was also the first Western to be screened in Cuba after the government had banned the screening of Westerns three years earlier. In 1965, Lemonade Joe was also nominated as Czechoslovakia's selection for Best Foreign Language Film but it ultimately did not earn an Oscar nomination. Today, Lemonade Joe possesses cult-film status in the Czech Republic.
[Sorry a Euro-western NOT a Spaghetti western.]
5 The Big Gundown Ranks Among the Most Well-Produced Spaghetti Westerns Ever
Starring: Lee Van Cleef, Tomas Milian, Walter Barnes
The Big Gundown was released in Italy in 1967, and audiences found merit in every corner of The Big Gundown's production: from the ability to execute comedy bits in the middle of tense moments to the authenticity given to the set designers, costumes and props. Audiences also praised Lee Van Cleef's role in The Big Gundown, noting his gritty deliveries and his excellence in the role of Jonathan Corbett, even more so because it was a rare lead role for Van Cleef.
When The Big Gundown was originally released, the runtime for its Italian version was 105 minutes. Upon the release of The Big Gundown in 1968, the versions shown in the United States were shortened twice: once to 89 minutes to fit the typical duration of a dubbed movie and another to 85 minutes to remove content related to rape and murder. It was only in 2013 that Grindhouse Releasing released an expanded 95-minute cut and the full 110-minute version of The Big Gundown.
4 They Call Me Trinity Remains One of Italy's Most Successful Films
Starring Terence Hill, Bud Spencer, Farley Granger
When They Call Me Trinity was released in 1970, it gained a wide audience abroad, including in Spain, where They Call Me Trinity was the second highest-grossing Spaghetti Western in the country under For A Few Dollars More. Much of what pleased audiences was that They Call Me Trinity did not hold itself to the expectations of a 'serious' movie and rather emphasized the comedy featured in the film. They Call Me Trinity was also a landmark film for actor duo Terence Hill and Bud Spencer, who would go on to star together in numerous more films.
As of 2004, They Call Me Trinity is still considered one of the most successful Italian films to be produced. Numerous films inspired by They Call Me Trinity were also produced in the time following the film, such as the film Two Sons of Trinity, They Call Me Hallelujah, They Call Me Cemetary and They Call Me Holy Ghost. Director Enzo Barboni even decided to direct a contemporary version of They Call Me Trinity, and titled it They Call Me Renegade.
3 Duck, You Sucker! Marked Sergio Leone's Exit From the Western Genre
Starring Rod Steiger, James Coburn, Romolo Valli
Duck, You Sucker! was the last Western by director Sergio Leone and was also unofficially the second film in Leone's trilogy of Once Upon A Time films. Audiences considered the film to be overlooked and underrated, citing that Leone took a more wry tone than he had in his previous films and took a more aptly political stance. Viewers also noted that Ennio Morricone's soundtracking on Duck, You Sucker! was one of his most notable.
When Duck, You Sucker! was originally released in Italy, it was considered the third highest-grossing film that year; in its release in France in 1972, Duck, You Sucker! was considered the fourth highest-grossing film that year. Leone also won the David di Donatello in 1971 for Duck, You Sucker!. In 2009, the film was shown in Cannes as part of the Cannes Classics, and in 2014, MGM Studios released Duck, You Sucker! for Blu-Ray.
2 The Great Silence Influenced Many Modern Films
Starring Jean-Lous Trintignant, Klaus Kinski, Frank Wolff
Viewers often argue that The Great Silence to be one of Sergio Corbucci's best films as well as one of the greatest Spaghetti Westerns of all time. The Great Silence was released in 1968 in Italy as a political allegory, with Corbucci being inspired by the deaths of revolutionaries Che Guevara and Malcolm X. Audiences found The Great Silence to be beautifully bleak, with Corbucci's attitude towards the death of radical leaders clear in the shaping of the film's characters. The Great Silence was also an influence on Quentin Tarantino's work, so much so that he paid homage to it in both Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight.
Even though it was released in the late sixties in Italy, audiences in the United Kingdom and United States did not see The Great Silence until 1990 and 2001, respectively. The Great Silence has been re-released in theatres twice, once in 2012 and again in 2017. It was also re-released on DVD over five different times worldwide, ranging from 2001, when it had its first release in the United States, to 2021, when it was re-released in Britain.
1 Once Upon a Time In the West Is Sergio Leone at His Best
Starring Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale, Charles Bronson
Considered the best spaghetti western to be produced,
Once Upon A Time In the West is hailed by critics in every category, from set
and costume design to director Sergio Leone's cinematography. Audiences view
Once Upon A Time In the West as a culmination of Leone's greatest work,
grandiosely diving into the foundations of what a Western consists of.
Once Upon A Time In the West was France's most successful
film in 1969, ranking overall as the seventh most successful film. In Germany,
Once Upon A Time In the West was also the most successful film of the year,
ranking third overall in success. To date, the film has been re-released in
various formats globally a total of six times, ranging from restoration reasons
to releasing the full uncut version to audiences.
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