Sergio Leone mi ricorda mio papà, grandissimo appassionato dei suoi spaghetti western, di cui conosceva ogni battuta. Picture this: paesino di provincia, cinema e due adolescenti al loro primo appuntamento che vanno a vedere lo stesso film di Leone…per ben due volte, e che finiscono per passare i successivi cinquant’anni insieme. Grazie d’avermi fatta sorridere e un po’ commuovere.
For those who don't read Italian, Elena said her parents went to one of Sergio Leone's films on their first date as teenagers, watched it twice in a row, and were together for 50 years! Her father remained a fan of the genre his whole life.
Che storia dolce... mi ha fatto commuovere un po'! Che meraviglia! I film non sono esattamente romantici, ma immagino che il romanticismo dipenda più alla coppia che alle circostanze! Grazie per aver condiviso questa bella storia.
My dad also loved the films, and Morricone. He said Clint Eastwood was his favorite actor. He liked him so much he said he would ignore Eastwood's politics, which were diffenent than from my dad.
Absolutely! I still own them on DVD and re-watch them yearly. Modern movie series like "Equalizer" and "John Wick" would not exist without the foundation laid by the "Spaghetti Westerns."
I don't know if I've ever met anyone who doesn't appreciate Morricone's work. It can me goosebumps. Have you seen the Danish symphony's rendition of the theme from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly? If you haven't, do yourself a favor and watch and listen to it. The link is in the footnote to the article.
I read about the documentary when it came out but had forgotten about it. Now I see I can steam it on Amazon Prime. I'm going to watch it soon. Thanks for the reminder!
You're right -- Terrence Hill and Bud Spencer definitely deserved a mention. Their absense was a question of space.
With topics I know well, have written about in the past, and am passionate about -- like this one, or my posts on Italian wines, the phrase "la dolce vita," over-tourism, and others -- there’s a risk I’ll go on too long. The rough draft on this post was 2,900 words.
In the end, I decided to focus on the figures who helped defined the genre rather than those who stood out within it and carried it forward.
It's a shame: I even have a funny anecdote from an interview with Spencer: he said that they worked such long days, and he was so overweight, that his poor horse would try to hide whenever it saw him coming!
If I had had unlimited space, I would have also liked to mention Sergio Leone’s huge debt to Japanese cinema, the influence of the "third Sergio," Sergio Sollima, Dino De Laurentiis’s role in expanding and financing the genre, and Lee Van Cleef’s menacing presence in the Leone (he at least made it into a photo and caption).
Thank you for the comment!
P.S. You had a typo: Terrence Hill's given name was Mario Girotti.
I never thought about how many ways these films influenced cinema in general. If you think about it, "Star Wars" is like a western set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
P.S. I do think the original Django would have won. He was a monster who had nothing to lose.
The original Django was pretty heartless. I was surprised when I met him to find out that Franco Nero is a pretty nice guy.
It's not just Star Wars. Mad Max was like a Spaghetti Western set in a dystopian future, Gladiator is from the Spaghetti Western revenge sub-genre, the showdown between the two main characters in Apocalypse Now feels like a cowboy showdown, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood has Spaghetti Western-style violence with the flame thrower/vicious dog scene. The films really had a wide ripple effect.
I missed a couple of your stories. Been so incredibly busy but I set aside some time to read your take on the Italian westerns, more famously known as the Spaghetti Westerns. I've always been a big fan of them. I'm pretty sure I've seen each of them at least five times. I never gave much thought to the influence they had on Modern Cinema. I mostly recognized them for launching the international career of Clint Eastwood, probably my favorite Western actor.
Another terrific read Eric. Also, I always thought that the chanting/grunting heard on the soundtrack of Ennio Morricone's instantly recognizable theme song for The Good The Bad and The Ugly, was inspired by the castle guards towards the end of The Wizard of Oz. Apparently also known as the Winkie guards
It's International Dog day? I must create a post to honor my pet
Do you remember watching some of these films as kids? We were too young to have seen the Sergio Leone/Clint Eastwood one in cinemas and so I guess we saw them on TV. Is that possible? If so, I'm sure we got sanitized versions of them, since the films are way too bloody to show on TV.
Sergio Leone mi ricorda mio papà, grandissimo appassionato dei suoi spaghetti western, di cui conosceva ogni battuta. Picture this: paesino di provincia, cinema e due adolescenti al loro primo appuntamento che vanno a vedere lo stesso film di Leone…per ben due volte, e che finiscono per passare i successivi cinquant’anni insieme. Grazie d’avermi fatta sorridere e un po’ commuovere.
For those who don't read Italian, Elena said her parents went to one of Sergio Leone's films on their first date as teenagers, watched it twice in a row, and were together for 50 years! Her father remained a fan of the genre his whole life.
Che storia dolce... mi ha fatto commuovere un po'! Che meraviglia! I film non sono esattamente romantici, ma immagino che il romanticismo dipenda più alla coppia che alle circostanze! Grazie per aver condiviso questa bella storia.
Questa è una storia davvero bella!!!
My dad also loved the films, and Morricone. He said Clint Eastwood was his favorite actor. He liked him so much he said he would ignore Eastwood's politics, which were diffenent than from my dad.
Your stories are definitely food for thought! Wow!
Thank you, Steve!
What's your personal relationship with the Spaghetti Western genre. Did you enjoy them growing up?
Absolutely! I still own them on DVD and re-watch them yearly. Modern movie series like "Equalizer" and "John Wick" would not exist without the foundation laid by the "Spaghetti Westerns."
Yup, I agree! I bet half of all films made in my lifetime have significant Spaghetti Western DNA.
Great read. I’m a great admirer of Ennio Morricone’s work.
No doubt. He's great.
I don't know if I've ever met anyone who doesn't appreciate Morricone's work. It can me goosebumps. Have you seen the Danish symphony's rendition of the theme from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly? If you haven't, do yourself a favor and watch and listen to it. The link is in the footnote to the article.
I will take a look at it. I recently saw a screening of that documentary that came out about him a couple years ago called “Ennio.” Stunning film.
You'll love it ... the link's there.
I read about the documentary when it came out but had forgotten about it. Now I see I can steam it on Amazon Prime. I'm going to watch it soon. Thanks for the reminder!
When mentioning Italy and spaghetti westerns, you'd be hard pressed to ignore Bud Spencer (Carlo Pedersoli) and Terence Hill (Mario Girotti)
You're right -- Terrence Hill and Bud Spencer definitely deserved a mention. Their absense was a question of space.
With topics I know well, have written about in the past, and am passionate about -- like this one, or my posts on Italian wines, the phrase "la dolce vita," over-tourism, and others -- there’s a risk I’ll go on too long. The rough draft on this post was 2,900 words.
In the end, I decided to focus on the figures who helped defined the genre rather than those who stood out within it and carried it forward.
It's a shame: I even have a funny anecdote from an interview with Spencer: he said that they worked such long days, and he was so overweight, that his poor horse would try to hide whenever it saw him coming!
If I had had unlimited space, I would have also liked to mention Sergio Leone’s huge debt to Japanese cinema, the influence of the "third Sergio," Sergio Sollima, Dino De Laurentiis’s role in expanding and financing the genre, and Lee Van Cleef’s menacing presence in the Leone (he at least made it into a photo and caption).
Thank you for the comment!
P.S. You had a typo: Terrence Hill's given name was Mario Girotti.
Oops. Thanks for pointing out the typo.
I never thought about how many ways these films influenced cinema in general. If you think about it, "Star Wars" is like a western set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
P.S. I do think the original Django would have won. He was a monster who had nothing to lose.
The original Django was pretty heartless. I was surprised when I met him to find out that Franco Nero is a pretty nice guy.
It's not just Star Wars. Mad Max was like a Spaghetti Western set in a dystopian future, Gladiator is from the Spaghetti Western revenge sub-genre, the showdown between the two main characters in Apocalypse Now feels like a cowboy showdown, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood has Spaghetti Western-style violence with the flame thrower/vicious dog scene. The films really had a wide ripple effect.
I missed a couple of your stories. Been so incredibly busy but I set aside some time to read your take on the Italian westerns, more famously known as the Spaghetti Westerns. I've always been a big fan of them. I'm pretty sure I've seen each of them at least five times. I never gave much thought to the influence they had on Modern Cinema. I mostly recognized them for launching the international career of Clint Eastwood, probably my favorite Western actor.
Another terrific read Eric. Also, I always thought that the chanting/grunting heard on the soundtrack of Ennio Morricone's instantly recognizable theme song for The Good The Bad and The Ugly, was inspired by the castle guards towards the end of The Wizard of Oz. Apparently also known as the Winkie guards
It's International Dog day? I must create a post to honor my pet
Do you remember watching some of these films as kids? We were too young to have seen the Sergio Leone/Clint Eastwood one in cinemas and so I guess we saw them on TV. Is that possible? If so, I'm sure we got sanitized versions of them, since the films are way too bloody to show on TV.