The spaghetti westerns that came out of the 1960s and 70s are able to provide a differing point of view from what we are traditionally used to seeing in classic westerns. The Italian directors such as Sergio Leone and Sergio Corbucci who directed The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and Navajo Joe, are a departure from the John Fordesque representation of life in the west. Most notably is the Italian directors’ use of violence in their films. When it is shown, the action is brutal and bloody. Gun fights are loud long and seem to always result in a death. The tough guys are always asserting their force on anyone that they see. They burn, punch, shot, and steal. Acts like these often didn’t appear in the classic western. The violence that existed in those films were much more subdued and controlled. Violence only seemed to be used when needed by a John Wayne character whereas the spaghetti western cowboys have an easy trigger finger. With the spaghetti westerns we are seeing what Europeans think and feel about Americans. Culturally this suggest that Americans are viewed as a violence society at the time. They are quick with the gun and lack the ability to properly reason. And it can be seen in the foreign policy that of the United States at the time. The Korean and Vietnam Wars showed the United States preference of force over diplomacy. Both resulted in brutal and bloody wars like what is played out in the spaghetti westerns.
American greed also appears in these two films. Both films are centered on groups seeking to rob seek richest quickly. Navajo Joe shows the outlaws wanting to pull off a big train robbery while The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Blondie, Tuco, and Angel Eyes all competing for the fortune that was buried in the cemetery. Both films stress on the need for getting rich quick by any means necessary. The Europeans are criticizing the American lust for money. To get that money, unnecessary and brutal force is always used. The classical western doesn’t often compete over money but rather territory or ideas. Money tends to be a secondary issue in the classical western. But in the spaghetti western it is in the forefront suggesting Americans love of money is a very powerful but brutal force. Monetary issues give American’s a negative appearance since they drive individuals to undesirable actions. And actions over money appear all throughout the spaghetti westerns.
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The spaghetti westerns that came out of the 1960s and 70s are able to provide a differing point of view from what we are traditionally used to seeing in classic westerns. The Italian directors such as Sergio Leone and Sergio Corbucci who directed The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and Navajo Joe, are a departure from the John Fordesque representation of life in the west. Most notably is the Italian directors’ use of violence in their films. When it is shown, the action is brutal and bloody. Gun fights are loud, long, and almost always result in a brutal death. The tough guys are always asserting their force on anyone that they see. They burn, punch, shoot, and steal. Acts like these often didn’t appear in the classic western. The violence that existed in those films were much more subdued and controlled. Violence only seemed to be used when needed by a John Wayne character whereas the spaghetti western cowboys have an easy trigger finger. With the spaghetti westerns we are seeing what Europeans think and feel about Americans. Culturally this suggests that Americans are viewed as a violence society at the time. They are quick with the gun and lack the ability to properly reason. And it can be seen in the foreign policy that of the United States at the time. The Korean and Vietnam Wars showed the United States preference of force over diplomacy. Both resulted in brutal and bloody wars like what is played out in the spaghetti westerns.
ReplyDeleteAmerican greed also appears in these two films. Both films are centered on groups seeking to rob and get rich quick. Navajo Joe shows the outlaws wanting to pull off a big train robbery while in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Blondie, Tuco, and Angel Eyes all competing for the fortune that was buried in the cemetery. They are essentially bounty hunters trying to strike it big quick. Both films stress on the need for getting rich quick by any means necessary. The Europeans are criticizing the American lust for money. To get that money, unnecessary and brutal force is always used. The classical western doesn’t often compete over money but rather territory or an idea. Money tends to be a secondary issue in the classical western. But in the spaghetti western it is in the forefront suggesting the American love of money is a very powerful but brutal force. Monetary issues give American’s a negative appearance since they drive individuals to undesirable actions. And actions over money appear all throughout the spaghetti westerns.