View Full Version : American Western or the Spaghetti Western
"Once Upon a Time in the West" was released on DVD yesterday. A two DVD set for $22 (JB Hifi Canberra), which is amazing value. The picture and sound quality is also the best I've seen for this film. The second disk contains three documentaries about the making of the film totaling around 80 minutes, a featurette on the History of the railways, original trailer and picture gallaries.
What are your favourite Westerns. Do you prefer the American Western or the darker Spaghetti Westerns.
For me, the Spaghetti Western win hands down. I think most of the ones I love are Italian. They are more sylised and more violent, also I don't think the American Indian is treated as poorly in the Spaghetti Westerns.
My Favourites are:
Once Upon a Time in the West
The Good the Bad and Ugly
For a Few Dollars More
Fist Full of Dollars
Vengence
Texas Across the River
They call me Trinty
Trinty is still my Name
Boot Hill
Django
High 'em High (I think this one is American)
Captain Sensible
12 Nov 2003, 12:27
Both for me.
Shane and The man who shot Libertry Vallence are american westerns that hold up to repeated viewing.
What would you define unforgiven as?
Porthos
12 Nov 2003, 12:36
The Outlaw Josie Wales
Paint Your Wagon
...both rate, IMO.
dreampolice
13 Nov 2003, 10:01
My all time favorite is Terence Hill and Peter Fonda in
'My name is nobody'
Great story - definitive Terence Hill and great spaghetti western sound track. Dying to get it on dvd.
CarterS
13 Nov 2003, 21:06
My favourite is definitely 'BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID'. Destroyed the conventions of a western movie (what other western has a musical sequence for instance?).
Another good one is 'UNFORGIVEN', and the only real modern one of any deceny, although i do like 'WILD BILL' a bit (by modern i mean 90s onwards). Great movie. 'JOSIE WALES' is another top western as are a lot of Eastwood's work. Most of the western's i like are American Western's as I have yet to really explore the spaghetti western genre.
The Western is a sadly forgotten genre. Very rarely a new one comes out, there is one with Kevin Costner ('OPEN RANGE' I think it's called) out now or coming soon, i'd be a big skeptical about how it turns out though.
I like the Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Westerns but that's probably because I'm an Eastwood fan. The Outlaw Josey Wales is one of my all time favourite films.
I'll watch a John Wayne film on telly but I wouldn't go to the video shop and hire one.
As for more recent westerns, I loved Young Guns, Unforgiven was good, Dances With Wolves was a typical Kevin Costner yawn and the only good thing about The Quick and The Dead was Sharon Stone's topless scene.
Western Comedies are usually good value. I like Shanghai Noon and Back to the Future 3 but in this genre nothing can beat Blazing Saddles.
I love watching Westerns.
Spaghetti are probably my favourite.
Once Upon a Time in the West is a classic. One of the all time great movies in my opinion.
Blues4Life
15 Nov 2003, 18:28
Originally posted by DEVO
The Good the Bad and Ugly
Not a huge fan of this genre, but that's probably my favourite though I haven't seen it for a fair few years now. Might be worth a trip to the video shop.
Mooster7
15 Nov 2003, 19:36
Spaghetti all the way. In the US, I'm viewed as a heretic when I say Eastwood could kick John Wayne's ass.
I'm right though.
BTW: Now I have the screaming/whistling theme from 'The Good, the Bad & the Ugly' going through my head. I'm loving it.
I watched The Good, the Bad and the Ugly on the weekend (for about 1000th time). I just can't get enough of this film, it's absolutely brilliant. After watching the film I always play the song "Exctasy of Gold" (from the scene where Tuco (The Ugly) is running through the cemetry looking for Arch Stanton's grave) over and over. The woman's vocals and the use of procusion and bells just blows me away. For mine it's one of teh greatest movies I've ever seen.
Just out of interest, has anyone noticed that one of the tunes from Kill Bill (The Grand Duel - I think) sounds remarkably like it was lifted off the Good, the Bad and the Ugly soundtrack??
sandeano
17 Nov 2003, 13:21
Originally posted by DEVO
Just out of interest, has anyone noticed that one of the tunes from Kill Bill (The Grand Duel - I think) sounds remarkably like it was lifted off the Good, the Bad and the Ugly soundtrack??
The composer of "The Grand Duel" was Luis Bacalov, yet for some reason he was using the pseudonym of Sergio Bardotti for that film. Bacalov was a superb composer. He did the score for Django and two of my favourite italian westerns, The Price of Power (which virtually tells the exact tale of the Kennedy assasination, patsy gunman and all!) and Bullet for the General with Gian maria Volonte, Lou Castel and a nutty Klaus Kinski in a truly epic tale set during the Mexican revolution. Both outstanding movies have sublime soundtracks which are available on import from Japan under the Spaghetti Western Encyclopedia of Music series.
As for The Gran Duel, it used to play prety regularly here on Channel 10 in the late 1970s under the title of The Big Showdown. It also did well commercially on Aussie cinema screens under that name (playing for 6 weeks at The Albany theatre). Sort of a detective story set in the west, it is not high on the usual spagheti flourishes, being more concerned with its intricate plot, but it is unusual and quite engrossing. It stars Lee Van Cleef, but if you are looking for the video, don't mistake it for The Big Gundown in which he also stars. That one also had a fine soundtrack - by Ennio Morricone - and is actually a far better film. One of the very best spaghetti westerns in my humble opinion so if you pick up the wrong film, never fear. All is good.
Woodson
17 Nov 2003, 13:43
For those who live in Melbourne, get along to the Astor Theatre and catch Sergio Leone's A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS and FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE from Feb 15th 'til March 6th next year. Already the GOOD, the BAD and The UGLY has been shown with never before seen extra footage all in Dolby Digital.
A double feature not to be missed !!! I too, have the main theme from the Good The Bad and the UGLY whistling going thru my head...
waah waaah waaah...