Sergio Leone (1929-1989), master of the spaghetti western, highlights the railroad and its impact in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly / Il Buono, il Brutto, il Cattivo (1966/1967), Once Upon a Time in the West / C'era una volta il West (1968/1969), and Duck, You Sucker /Giù la testa/ A Fistful of Dynamite / Once Upon a Time . . . The Revolution (1971/1972).
In the first of these three films, the train is used mainly for troop movements and logistics, and for moving prisoners of war down the line. In the second, the arrival of the railroad signals the coming of twentieth century themes. And in the third, that twentieth century has arrived fully -- with a bloodbath (The Mexican Revolution). From his modern European perspective, Leone unflinchingly sees and shows the unfolding of history. And he tells damned good stories in the process.
See also Christopher Frayling, Spaghetti Westerns: Cowboys and Europeans from Karl May to Sergio Leone (1981, 1998, 2000+).
Today's Rune: Gateway.
11 comments:
Once upon a time in the west is my favorite movie. I see they used this theme also in Blazing Saddles.
I adore films " spaghetti" e I attend today until, if possible that it has Clint in the cast. Already I made text on this 'http://luzdeluma.blogspot.com/2008/06/cinema-msica-arte-e-um-amor-de-clint.html ' debtor for 'nostalgia'!
*nostalgia tem tradução para o inglês? (rs*)
Beijus
This links to a whole bunch of molvies with rail figuring in:
http://www.goletadepot.org/rr_movies.php
I'm not sure I've ever watched a western all the way through. Does Maverick with Mel Gibson and Wild Wild West count?
I wonder how the ultra conservative John Wayne would have fared under the tutelage of Leone in Italy.
Great raincoats!--Mr. Peterman
I love those spaghetti westerns and the close-up shots of Clint Eastwood's squinty eyes, but don't you find some irony in his latest movie where his character preaches (or implies) that we should buy American?
I HATE westerns--spaghetti or otherwise. Too many macho men with mostly chauvanistic roles for women! EWWWWwwwww
Thanks all for the comments!
Charles, cool. Any particular reason that makes this your fave?
Luma -- rock out. And check out the link, I will.
AD and Jodi -- macho they are. If you want to get men in all their primal nature, a good place to see it.
And tres hombres, indeed.
John Wayne would not have stood for it after directing The Alamo.
What Jodi...you never saw Gunsmoke?
i could never get into watching westerns
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