What Is a Spaghetti Western?

The Western is one of the oldest genres in the history of cinema. 1903’s The Great Train Robbery served as one of the earliest examples of the possibilities within the cinematic medium as a whole, and ever since, American filmmakers have been fascinated by the mythology of the Old West. We still see Westerns today because the genre is not monolithic, and there are many ways for it to be diversified by new generations. Due to the flexibility within the Western genre, such subgenres as Sci-fi Westerns, Punk Westerns, Comedic Westerns, Neo-noir Westerns, Revisionist Westerns, Acid Westerns, and even Martial Arts Westerns have emerged. However, none have been more popular or influential in the industry than Spaghetti Westerns. Westerns Grew More Self-Reflective as Hollywood Matured Western filmmaking in the United States was in its golden age from the early 1930s to the late 1950s. During this period, many great American auteurs such as William Wyler, John Ford, John Huston, George Stevens...