Go West: An introduction to the Spaghetti Western

Spaghetti Westerns dominated European cinema in the 60s and early 70s with over 600 Western films being made during this period. These mainly Italian produced Westerns have a sense of style that outshines their low budgets. The Spaghetti Western is action-packed, featuring stunning and innovative cinematography, iconic imagery, creating a genre that has gone on to influence the work of directors such as Quentin Tarantino. 

This course will help introduce a new audience to the unique world of the Spaghetti Western, a more cynical and often violent world than the traditional Hollywood Western. 

We'll look at key works within the genre, focusing on the director Sergio Leone who helped to cement the popularity of the Spaghetti Western with his ‘Dollars Trilogy’, and supported Clint Eastwood to become a household name. 

In this course we will also consider the important work of directors such as Sergio Corbucci and Damiano Damiani, exploring how their films were made and contextualising some of the political messages within their work. 

And finally, no introduction to the Spaghetti Western would be complete without an examination of Ennio Morricone, whose film scores were an integral element in helping Spaghetti Westerns leave such a lasting mark on popular culture.  

Tutor: Joey Bell

Duration: 1 x 3 hour session

When: Sunday 15 June, 2pm-5.15pm (includes 15-min break) 

Price: £15 full / £12 members & concessions / £10 under 25s