In the mid-sixties, a new genre of western films came about that were drastically different from the classic westerns. These “spaghetti” westerns were filmed in Europe, and were primarily directed by Italians (hence the name). Characteristics included descriptive and distinctive music, poor voice dubbing (as they were originally filmed in a different language), excessive violence, and a new take on the alpha male. They posed an outsider’s view of the American ideal that classic westerns upheld, and therefore a critique of America itself. Spaghetti westerns make statements about America’s violence, greed, and racism.
Merciless violence is the most defining trait of a spaghetti western. It can be seen in Navajo Joe from the very opening scene. The movie starts with Duncan and his gang raiding an Indian village, killing and scalping as they go. Vivid brutality can be seen throughout the rest of the movie as well: Joe killing off the gang like they were flies, or Duncan killing every witness on board the train. Callous murder and violence are also part of what make the film The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly so memorable. Each main character shows a complete lack of compassion for others, killing anyone in their way without a second thought. Among the countless shoot outs, there are even more graphic scenes - such as when Tuco is being grotesquely tortured at the labor camp by Angel Eyes. The emphasis on violence can be seen as Europe’s view of America’s reliance on brutality for problem solving. Specifically, in 1966 when the films were made, the Vietnam War was going on. The films present the idea that American’s would rather fight than talk, rather shoot than find amiable solutions.
These films also depict white American males as greedy and financially oriented. In both movies, the main object of desire and battle is a large sum of money. In Navajo Joe, half a million dollars is on board the train. It is the American Dr. Lynne who comes up with the scheme to steal it. In The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, the buried treasure in the cemetery is what each of the three men is fighting over. Blondie, the main white male, uses many schemes and ploys to get money. These include collecting ransom and then freeing the outlaw to repeat it, and giving Tuco the wrong grave site name. Both Blondie and Dr. Lynne only care about themselves and their goal of financial gain – the casualties are not even a blip on their radar. In classic westerns, usually morals and duties made up the alpha’s motivation. In spaghetti’s, money and revenge for wrongs committed against them are the only motivators. This is seen as an Italian critique on America as a whole – specifically though, the capitalist and free-market system.
In the act of re-defining the alpha-male role, spaghetti westerns make a statement about racism in America. In most classic westerns, the alpha was a white male, and minorities were purely on the outskirts as “others”. In Navajo Joe, the main character and alpha male is an Indian. In The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Tuco is not white, but he does have a prominent role. In Navajo Joe, race and discrimination are a focal point. The Americans are the ones raiding innocent villages, and turning in scalps for money. They are the ones who are too weak to fight their own battles, and yet still look down on Indians as inferior. Joe, a Navajo, is the only one who can save them. He makes a strong point about how he is truly more American than any of them, as his ancestors were all born on the land. All of these statements can tie in to racism in America in the mid sixties. The battle for civil rights was in full swing, but there was still an overwhelming oppression of minorities. All of these critiques to classic western roles and American society are part of what define the spaghetti western as a genre.
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