A huge portion of the modern idea of what a western is can be traced back to an Italian director with an appreciation for samurai films, Sergio Leone. Today Alex and Jonathan look at his influence on the spaghetti western sub-genre with For a Few Dollars More (1965), Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), Duck, You Sucker! (1971). We discuss how Leone uses backstory and pacing to build tension, the specific tropes and identifiers of the spaghetti westerns, and the increasing scale of the themes that underlie the common elements.
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Skip to: For a Few Dollars More (21:18), Once Upon a Time in the West (47:21), Duck, You Sucker! (1:04:38), Overall (1:21:46), Coming Attractions (1:40:48)
Resources referenced in this episode:
- Previous Episodes Referenced:
- Episode 24. WORLD TOUR: Italia Infelice (on Bicycle Thieves)
- Episode 14. Samurai and Sombreros Vol. 2 (on A Fistful of Dollars)
- Episode 60. Wild Westerns (on The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly)
- Episode 49. Bibliographic Bogdanovich
- Follow us on Twitter @TheFilmlings
Coming Attractions – Modern Westerns
- Rango (2011)
- Slow West (2015)
- Hell or High Water (2016)
Intro/outro music:
Ash by Mike Braudrick
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