Why Are Spaghetti Westerns Called Spaghetti Westerns?

Key Takeaways on Spaghetti Westerns

Let’s wrangle up some highlights about these pistol-packin’ Italian stallions of cinema:

• What are they? A subgenre of westerns made in Italy/Spain in the 1960s-70s that put a stylish twist on Hollywood cowboy flicks.

• How did they get the name? >The term “Spaghetti western” was coined by a Spanish journalist named Alfonso Sanchez to describe Italian-made Western movies.

• Who were the key players? Directors like Sergio Leone and stars like Clint Eastwood in films like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Westerns often featured non-American actors speaking English with heavy accents or dubbed dialogue.

• What were they like? Gritty, violent, used antiheroes and creative cinematography/scores by Ennio Morricone. Very stylistic. Directors like Sergio Leone developed a distinct visual language for these movies – long shots capturing desolate landscapes, extreme close-ups emphasizing the intensity in characters’ eyes, and dynamic editing techniques creating suspenseful narratives.

• Why were they influential? Showed Hollywood that audiences appreciated more mature westerns. Inspired “revisionist” trends and modern directors. Spaghetti Westerns have left an indelible mark on cinema history because they redefined traditional western tropes by introducing morally ambiguous characters navigating lawless landscapes.

• Are they still around? Not produced often anymore but saw periodic revivals like Tarantino’s Django Unchained that incorporate Spaghetti style.

So in essence: Italian-made westerns + iconic Italian food = “spaghetti westerns”! An odd name for a bold, unconventional, and influential film movement.

Introduction

Bang! The cracking shot of a pistol. The lonely howl of a harmonica. The harsh, unforgiving landscape of the desert. These iconic scenes come straight from the heyday of the “spaghetti western” film genre. But what’s with the odd name? Why call these gritty Italian-made westerns “spaghetti” films?

It may seem like an odd moniker, but the name actually gives a nod to the origins of these unconventional horse operas. Though they often starred Hollywood actors like Clint Eastwood, spaghetti westerns stemmed from a bold film movement halfway around the world. They featured flinty gunslingers and epic landscapes, yet traded the tumbleweeds and campfires of the American West for the sunbaked vistas of Spain.

So how did these meditative, violent tales of drifters, bandits, and sharpshooting strangers get such a pasta-filled name? Saddle up and get ready to learn the history behind the heat as we explore why everyone calls them spaghetti westerns. From their rise in Italian studios to their lasting impacts on Hollywood, this is the story behind the legendary films with the funny nickname. We’ll gallop through the goods, bads, and uglies of the genre to unravel the origins of this quirky, cinematic label.

The History of Spaghetti Westerns

In the early 1960s, a new flavor of cowboy movie started simmering in Italy. Filmmakers were hungry to put their own spin on Hollywood’s tried-and-true western genre.

The Origins

• Italian directors like Sergio Leone grew up watching American westerns, but wanted to add more grit and realism to the familiar tales of gunslingers and saloons.
• Leone’s 1964 film A Fistful of Dollars, starring Clint Eastwood, kicked off the spaghetti western movement. It was a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s samurai film Yojimbo set in a fictional American border town.
• Other early influencers were Sergio Corbucci’s bleak Django (1966) and Damiano Damiani’s political A Bullet for the General (1966).

The High Noon of Spaghetti Westerns

Leone’s subsequent “Dollars Trilogy” cemented the subgenre:

• For A Few Dollars More (1965) – Eastwood teams up with Lee Van Cleef.
• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) – Perhaps the most iconic spaghetti western with its epic scope and Ennio Morricone score.

** Additional influential spaghetti westerns included:

• Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) – Leone’s epic starring Charles Bronson and Henry Fonda.
• Sabata (1969) – Lee Van Cleef stars as a master gunfighter.
• They Call Me Trinity (1970) – An early comedy western starring Terence Hill.

Filmed in Spain

• Italian filmmakers shot in Spain as it was cheaper and had landscape similar to America’s Southwest.
• Sets were built to resemble Mexican pueblos and American frontier towns.

Multinational Casts

• Films often featured ensemble casts of Italian, Spanish, German and American actors.
• Dialogue was usually dubbed in post-production which gave the movies an otherworldly feel.

The Spaghetti Era Wanes

• Popularity declined in early 70s as tastes changed.
• Some later entries parodied the genre’s excesses.
• A few elements seeped into Hollywood westerns of the era.

So how did these unconventional flicks get such a goofy moniker? Read on to learn more about the trademark traits and lasting impacts that led to the amusing label of “spaghetti western.”

Characteristics of Spaghetti Westerns

Beneath their dust-caked exteriors, spaghetti westerns had some key traits that separated them from their Hollywood cousins. Let’s look at what gave these unconventional oaters their distinctive flavor:

Grittier Tone

• Spaghetti westerns had a grittier, more violent tone compared to Hollywood westerns of the time.
• Antiheroes and morally ambiguous characters were common.
• Themes often focused on death, brutality, and cynicism about civilization spreading to the frontier.

Stylized Violence

• Gunfights were key scenes built for maximum visual impact.
• Violence was depicted in a more bloody and unromanticized way.
• Directors used extreme close-ups and edited shootouts to make them seem almost abstract or unreal.

Eclectic Scores

• Ennio Morricone and other Italian composers created evocative western scores that became just as iconic as the films.
• Scores introduced sounds like electric guitars, mouth harps, and haunting vocals that gave the movies an otherworldly atmosphere.

Cinematic Style

• Cameras captured landscape vistas and character close-ups in creative new ways.
• Extended shots and careful framing built tension and mood.
• Creative use of zoom lenses and blurring effects.

Dubbed Dialogue

• Multinational casts meant dialogue was usually dubbed in post-production. This gave the movies a disconnected, surreal feel.

Lesser Focus on Cowboy Culture

• Spaghetti westerns didn’t glorify cowboy culture like traditional westerns. The frontier life was shown as dirty and unromantic.

It was this unique blend of ingredients that created the distinct flavor of the spaghetti western. But how did this unconventional fusion cuisine get labeled with a pasta-filled name? Read on to finally uncover the origins behind the quirky moniker.

Why “Spaghetti”? Explaining the Quirky Name

So where did this odd label come from? Why do we call them spaghetti westerns?

The name refers to the primary ingredient – these films’ Italian origins.

Spaghetti is considered Italy’s national dish. So calling them “spaghetti westerns” was a tongue-in-cheek way to point out that these gritty shoot ’em ups came from Italian filmmakers, not Hollywood.

The nickname started as a dig:

• But why the name ‘spaghetti western’? The term ‘spaghetti western’ was actually coined by a Spanish journalist named Alfonso Sanchez. In the 1960s, he used the term to describe a new wave of low-budget films coming out of Italy, which were inspired by and often imitated the popular American Western genre. You see, during that time, Italy became a hub for producing these films due to its lower production costs and unique creative vision. Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Westerns as well as the Spaghetti Westerns from other Italian directors, including Sergio Corbucci, often featured non-American actors speaking English with heavy accents or even dubbed dialogue. The phrase ‘spaghetti western’ may have initially been intended as a derogatory term, but it has since become an endearing label for this subgenre of Western cinema.
• The word “spaghetti” hinted they were churned out quickly with little substance, like quick cooking pasta.
• Italians eventually embraced the name, though it originated as a slight.

Why it stuck:

• The alliteration just flowed off the tongue better than “Italian westerns”.
• “Spaghetti” lampooned how Italian directors “westernized” their own country to portray the American frontier.
• As the films gained critical respect, the name shed its derisive connotations.

Other theories:

• Low production budgets meant crews often ate inexpensive spaghetti on set.
• Stars like Clint Eastwood seemingly appeared in “one spaghetti western after another.”

So while it began as a mocking label, “spaghetti western” stuck as the perfect descriptor for these unconventional films from across the pond. The name nods to their Italian origins – the secret ingredient that made them so flavorful.

The Legacy and Influence of Spaghetti Westerns

While their pistols may be holstered decades ago, spaghetti westerns continue to leave their mark on cinema. Let’s look at the lasting impacts these unconventional horse operas had on film:

Inspired Grittier Hollywood Westerns

• Spaghetti westerns showed Hollywood that audiences appreciated more cynicism and moral ambiguity.
• This paved the way for grittier American westerns in the 1970s like The Wild Bunch and High Plains Drifter.

Sparked Revisionist Westerns

• With their raw outlook, spaghetti westerns fueled a “revisionist” movement to deconstruct and update traditional western tropes.
• Films like Little Big Man and McCabe & Mrs. Miller offered anti-heroes and commentary on American myths.

Influenced Modern Directors

• Sergio Leone’s visual flair inspired directors like Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and Alex Cox.
• Leone’s heavy use of close-ups became a trademark of Tarantino’s directorial style.

Revived the Western Genre

• Though no longer dominant, spaghetti westerns kept interest in westerns alive through the 1960s and 70s.
• Led to periodic revivals of the genre like Tarantino’s Django Unchained.

Introduced American Audiences to Foreign Talent

• Made stars out of Italian actors like Franco Nero and Giuliano Gemma.
• Allowed American audiences to discover Sergio Leone’s masterful filmmaking.

Reinterpreted Familiar American Stories

• By remixing the standard western format, spaghetti westerns provided a new lens to view quintessentially American genres.

Though their run was relatively brief, spaghetti westerns made an indelible impact on the western genre and cinema as a whole. Their unconventional style and cynical outlook still informs today’s takes on the American West.

Conclusion

As we ride off into the sunset, let’s recap why this quirky film genre got saddled with such a goofy moniker.

The short answer: These gritty Italian-made westerns were dubbed “spaghetti westerns” as a nod to their origins in Italy, a land known for its iconic pasta.

The longer answer: In the 1960s, Italian directors put a new spin on Hollywood westerns, adding more violence, morally ambiguous antiheroes, and striking visual styles. Films like Leone’s “Dollars Trilogy” starring Clint Eastwood came to define this bold new genre.

Dubbed “spaghetti westerns” by a Spanish journalist named Alfonso Sanchez, the name originally poked fun at their Italian pedigree. But as the films gained acclaim, “spaghetti western” stuck as an apt descriptor for their unconventional style.

These renegade oaters may have faded into the sunset, but they left behind a lasting impact. Their arthouse approaches informed Hollywood’s grittier westerns of the 70s. They inspired modern auteur directors with their visual flair. And they kept the genre alive when traditional westerns waned.

So while the name may seem odd today, “spaghetti western” is actually the perfect label for this unconventional breed of galloping cowboy flicks with a foreign twist. The moniker nods to the Italian ingredients that made them so savory – and so memorable.