Review by Roger Carpenter
It is arguable exactly when the first so-called spaghetti western was filmed (some critics go all the way back to 1943), but there isn’t much argument about when the genre was popularized, and that was with Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars, released in 1964 and quickly followed by even more commercial success with 1965’s For a Few Dollars More. Of all the Italian film genres, spaghetti westerns may have been the most popular worldwide, and literally hundreds were produced, spawning subgenres like Zapatas (political films that criticized imperialism), gunslingers (featuring bounty hunters), betrayal stories, tragic heroes, and even comedy westerns.
The height of the spaghetti western craze was 1968, with 1969 seeing a marked decrease in these types of films being produced. Even though the cycle lasted well into the 1970’s—and some of the best of the genre were produced during that time—the genre was...
It is arguable exactly when the first so-called spaghetti western was filmed (some critics go all the way back to 1943), but there isn’t much argument about when the genre was popularized, and that was with Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars, released in 1964 and quickly followed by even more commercial success with 1965’s For a Few Dollars More. Of all the Italian film genres, spaghetti westerns may have been the most popular worldwide, and literally hundreds were produced, spawning subgenres like Zapatas (political films that criticized imperialism), gunslingers (featuring bounty hunters), betrayal stories, tragic heroes, and even comedy westerns.
The height of the spaghetti western craze was 1968, with 1969 seeing a marked decrease in these types of films being produced. Even though the cycle lasted well into the 1970’s—and some of the best of the genre were produced during that time—the genre was...
- 11/9/2017
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Review by Roger Carpenter
Italian directors have always had a penchant for jumping on the cinematic bandwagon whenever a popular film is released. And we aren’t talking about just a couple of directors and a couple of films, but nearly all directors and, depending upon the genre, sometimes hundreds of films. Thus, we have the pepla of the 1950’s and 1960’s, the poliziotteschi and gialli of the 1970’s, the spaghetti westerns of the 1960’s and early 1970’s, the Jaws-inspired rip-offs, the Alien-inspired ripoffs, and the zombie and jungle/cannibal epics of the 1980’s. But, with the international sensation of the Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis vehicle entitled The Vikings in 1958, Italians were quick to jump on this particular bandwagon as well, resulting in a seven-year cycle of Viking films. And Mario Bava, best known for his proto-slashers and horror vehicles, was not averse to climbing on the bandwagon occasionally himself.
Italian directors have always had a penchant for jumping on the cinematic bandwagon whenever a popular film is released. And we aren’t talking about just a couple of directors and a couple of films, but nearly all directors and, depending upon the genre, sometimes hundreds of films. Thus, we have the pepla of the 1950’s and 1960’s, the poliziotteschi and gialli of the 1970’s, the spaghetti westerns of the 1960’s and early 1970’s, the Jaws-inspired rip-offs, the Alien-inspired ripoffs, and the zombie and jungle/cannibal epics of the 1980’s. But, with the international sensation of the Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis vehicle entitled The Vikings in 1958, Italians were quick to jump on this particular bandwagon as well, resulting in a seven-year cycle of Viking films. And Mario Bava, best known for his proto-slashers and horror vehicles, was not averse to climbing on the bandwagon occasionally himself.
- 10/3/2017
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Back in May, The Quad Cinema in New York celebrated the diverse works of director Larry Cohen, and they're now devoting the big screen to filmmaker Mario Bava in a massive retrospective series featuring screenings of 21 of the influential Italian director's films. Currently underway and running until July 25th, the Bava retrospective is highlighted by 35mm screenings of films such as Black Sabbath and Black Sunday, a 4K restoration of Planet of the Vampires, and much more.
Details on the Bava screenings can be found below, and to learn more, visit the Quad Cinema's official website.
"The Quad celebrates the Italian maestro of the macabre with a near-complete retrospective of his work—21 titles with 13 on 35mm—plus the U.S. Premiere of a new 4K restoration of Planet of the Vampires
Over the course of more than two dozen features, Mario Bava’s distinctive style developed from baroque manipulation of...
Details on the Bava screenings can be found below, and to learn more, visit the Quad Cinema's official website.
"The Quad celebrates the Italian maestro of the macabre with a near-complete retrospective of his work—21 titles with 13 on 35mm—plus the U.S. Premiere of a new 4K restoration of Planet of the Vampires
Over the course of more than two dozen features, Mario Bava’s distinctive style developed from baroque manipulation of...
- 7/15/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
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