The Spaghetti Western

A Thematic Analysis

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by Bert Fridlund

Type

Studies

Subject

Genre > Western

Keywords

Italian westerns, Italy, western

Publishing date

2006

Publisher

McFarland & Co

Language

English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Paperback • 304 pages
6 x 9 inches (15 x 23 cm)

ISBN-10
ISBN-13

0-7864-2507-5
978-0-7864-2507-5

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Book Presentation:
The 1960s and 1970s were the heyday of spaghetti westerns—low-budget films about the early American West mostly filmed in Italy. Though sometimes derided as excessively violent imitations of American-made westerns, they attracted a substantial following that has endured. With its classic elements of gunfights, gambling, heroes, sidekicks, love, and death, the genre is now perceived by critics as an intriguing object of study.

This book analyzes the construction of the stories presented in spaghetti westerns. It examines the content of the Italian western using concepts and constructs borrowed from scholars studying “pre-industrial” narratives. Plot, the constellation of characters, their relationship to each other, and their motives are studied. Films examined in detail include the seminal A Fistful of Dollars as well as Django, For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. There is also a discussion of the early spaghetti westerns. The study then probes the elements of bounty hunters, the deprived hero, partnerships, betrayal, and comedy. An appendix details the top grossing Italian westerns between 1964 and 1975, including title, director, lead actor and intake. A second appendix provides a list of films quoted by Italian title and then by English title.

About the Author:
System analyst Bert Fridlund lives in Uppsala, Sweden. His essays on popular cinema and popular culture has been published in Swedish journals and anthologies.

Press Reviews:
"aficionados will find much to interest them between the covers of this book"—Wrangler’s Roost.

See the publisher website: McFarland & Co