Customer Reviews

Spaghetti Westerns: Cowboys and Europeans from Karl May to Sergio Leone (Cinema and Society)

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I have very incidentally came across to this book when there was no internet, or any of these technological virtual capabilities. It was the spring of 1986, when a friend of mine called me up and said "there's something I saw in the bookshop at the film theatre, which is just for you. You must not miss it". It was the Istanbul Film Festival days, and the `thing' I must not miss was a book, called `Spaghetti Westerns - Cowboys and Europeans from Karl May to Sergio Leone' by Christopher Frayling. I went and saw the book on the shelf. I was stunned when I turned the cover page to see what's inside. There it was a two page wide picture of Lee Van Cleef, in `Colonel Mortimer' costumes. That famous artistic Van Cleef pose, looking out deadly with his Angel Eyes, waiting for Indio for `La Resa Dei Conti'. As soon as I saw that picture, even without reading the book, I said to myself this guy must have the same feelings as I have towards Leone's movies. Eversince then I have been reading that huge 284 pages book with full of interesting details and analysis. Every time I read it, I feel as if I am learning new things. I still refer that book quite often. He has also done television documentaries on Leone and Morricone for BBC. Christopher Frayling is very well known academician in the UK. He is the rector and the provost of famous Royal College of Art in London. I personally had the chance to meet with him, and had in-depth interviews on Sergio Leone. . There's no doubt that he is one of the most knowledgable people on Leone. He has also just finished a bulky book on Sergio Leone's biography. He is planning the release around the fall of 98. He has years of deep experience about the Spaghetti Western genre. This book is the second edition to the first one, and a "must have" for all spaghetti western genre with lots of interesting details, profound analysis, and stills. I believe that it satisfies both theoratical scholars as well as film buffs. It is a book that sc! ientifically, and emotionally justifies the quality of Spaghetti Western film genre, which has been humilitated and overlooked by many film critics as ersatz film genre. Get the book, read it, read it once more, and then evaluate the genre afterwards. A lot of vista is waiting for those who hadn't read it yet. The book also contains details on the cut scenes of Leone's westerns, as well as their box office revenues. The section I must enjoy is the one on the influence of Spaghetti Westerns on American Western films. And, a last recommendation is: reserve one of the best spots of your library, which can be easily accessable for your future references. Get this book quickly, and wait for the soon-to-be-published "la grande finale": "SOMETHING TO DO WITH DEATH - The Life and Films of Sergio Leone"

VIVA LEONE !! VIVA FRAYLING!!!

As the prior reviewer says this is "Spaghetti Western 101." It would be a good text for a film class focusing on the genre. It reviews the history of the western in Italy, the pertinent biographical information on the most prominent artists, and gives an overview of the artistic and thematic concerns of the films. It's great for its analysis of Sergio Leone's work, and analysis of his ouevre in comparison to the westerns that had come before and those that would follow. It's limited number of color pictures, and its scholarly focus seem to make it less than ideal as a reference for the casual fan.