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Books
ONCE UPON A
TIME IN THE ITALIAN WEST:
THE FILMGOERS' GUIDE TO SPAGHETTI WESTERNS
By Howard Hughes
(London: I.B. Tauris, 2009)
266 Pages
Illustrated
Paperback
ISBN: 978-1850438960
$26.41
Review by Dr.
Kirk Bane,
Central Texas Historical Association
December 1, 2022 |
"The
term 'spaghetti western' was a derisive label," film scholar Howard
Hughes observes, "applied by American critics to describe westerns
made in Italy and Spain between 1963 and 1977. The most famous spaghetti
westerns (of the 500-plus made) are Sergio Leone's amoral, trend-setting
'Dollars Trilogy'—A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS (1964), FOR A FEW DOLLARS
MORE (1965) and THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (1966)—which made
an icon of Clint Eastwood's poncho-clad gunfighter, 'the man with
no name,' and brought international recognition to composer Ennio
Morricone. The spaghetti western is a cinema of contradictions, with
abstract cartoon title sequences and black humor contrasting with
striking religious imagery, blood-drenched violence and echoing, ethereal
music."
In this superb volume, Hughes explores twenty motion pictures. In
addition to the aforementioned Leone films, they include A PISTOL
FOR RINGO (1965), THE RETURN OF RINGO (1965), DJANGO (1966), THE HILLS
RUN RED (1966), NAVAJO JOE (1966), A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL (1966),
DJANGO KILL (1967), THE HELLBENDERS (1967), THE BIG GUNDOWN (1967),
DEATH RIDES A HORSE (1967), FACE TO FACE (1967), DAY OF ANGER (1967),
THE BIG SILENCE (1967), A PROFESSIONAL GUN (1968), SABATA (1969),
THEY CALL ME TRINITY (1970), and MY NAME IS NOBODY (1973).
Sergio Leone, of course, is the most famous director of spaghetti
westerns. But Hughes also discusses such noted filmmakers as Duccio
Tessari, Sergio Corbucci, Carlo Lizzani, Damiano Damiani, Giulio Questi,
Sergio Sollima, Giulio Petroni, Tonino Valerii, Gianfranco Parolini,
and Enzo Barboni.
Spaghetti western enthusiasts know that many American actors starred
in these productions. Among these are Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Burt
Reynolds, Joseph Cotten, Henry Fonda, Henry Silva, Dan Duryea, Jack
Palance, Farley Granger, and Lee Van Cleef. The latter, who appeared
in numerous spaghetti westerns as a deadly gunman and played Angel
Eyes in THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY, once asserted, "When I was
at school, my teachers always thought I was unhappy, but this face
has let me play some great characters…I look mean without even trying."
Interestingly, Hughes spends little space on two major Leone efforts,
ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1968), which featured Fonda, Charles
Bronson, and Jason Robards, and 1971's A FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE (also
known as DUCK, YOU SUCKER), starring James Coburn and Rod Steiger.
Although Hughes admits that ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST was "critically
revered," he argues that it lacks the "energy of the 'Dollars' films…
[Leone's] career never recovered the impetus of 1964-66." Moreover,
Hughes avers that "Steiger's overbearing performance as Juan, a peasant
bandit (who predictably becomes a revolutionary) ruins" A FISTFUL
OF DYNAMITE.
Hughes offers his "Spaghetti Western Top Ten List." His favorite pictures
are THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY, DJANGO, THE BIG GUNDOWN, FOR A
FEW DOLLARS MORE, THE BIG SILENCE, SABATA, NAVAJO JOE, THEY CALL ME
TRINITY, A PROFESSIONAL GUN, and THE HILLS RUN RED. The former movie,
he declares, "is the quintessential Italian western—the genius
of Leone, Morricone and Eastwood distilled." Hughes also includes
the "Top Ten Lists" of spaghetti western authorities Christopher Frayling,
Alex Cox, and Tom Betts.
A prolific author, Hughes has written such books as CINEMA ITALIANO:
THE COMPLETE GUIDE FROM CLASSICS TO CULT, AIM FOR THE HEART: THE FILMS
OF CLINT EASTWOOD, and MARIO BAVA: DESTINATION TERROR. Fans of western
movies, especially of the spaghetti variety, will appreciate Hughes's
entertaining and informative ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE ITALIAN WEST.
Two thumbs up!
"You never had a rope around your neck. Well, I'm going to tell
you something. When that rope starts to pull tight, you can feel the
Devil bite your ass!"--Tuco Ramirez (Eli Wallach) in THE GOOD, THE
BAD AND THE UGLY |
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