History
Who was one of the most popular Spaghetti Western film directors?
Sergio Leone
Why were Spaghetti Westerns popular in Italy?
American culture and films had a presence and influence over post-war Italy.
Rojos and Baxters
True or false: the music plays a very prominent role in spaghetti westerns?
True
Which Italian composer revolutionized the way music was used in Western films?
ennio morricone
Name one of the most popular films.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966); Once Upon a Time in the West (1968); Django (1966)
When were Spaghetti Westerns popular?
1960s
Who directed a fistful of dollars?
Sergio Leone
What was the standard instrumentation for film scores before spaghetti westerns?
Orchestras
What are the names of the movies in the famous spaghetti western trilogy that all have music by Ennio Morricone?
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, For a Few Dollars More, and A Fistful of Dollars.
Why did the Spaghetti Westerns disguise themselves as American productions?
The American film industry was the most dominant in the field, so if the films looked like American productions, they would be more commercially successful.
For what are Spaghetti Westerns known? Name any feature.
Traditional story of the American Wild West; Ennio Morricone's film scores; Italian directors and actors; anti-hero; violence and moral ambiguity
How does the man with no name survive the gunshots at the end of the movie?
He put a metal plate under his shirt
In For a Few Dollars More, the duel scene features music that mimics what object, emphasizing the critical timing of the shootout?
pocket watch
What did morricone pursue before he began scoring films?
He arranged pop music and composed for radio stations.
Where were the Spaghetti Westerns filmed?
Almeria and the Tabernas Desert, and the indoor locations in Cinecitta.
How exactly did Spaghetti Westerns earn their name?
Critics coined the term when they exposed them as truly being low-budget Italian films, after they tried to disguise themselves as real American productions.
Where does the movie take place?
Between the United States and Mexico
One reason Spaghetti Western music is so effective is that these films often have long stretches with little of which common movie feature
dialogue/speech
Around how many films did morricone score?
Over 400
What are some aspects of Leone's filming style?
Extreme closeups, emphatic pauses, close collaboration with Morricone's score.
When and why did Spaghetti Westerns decline in popularity?
Political turmoil and general social unrest of late 1960s, particularly 1968; labor strikes; terrorist attacks, protests
What is the name of the innkeeper in a fistful of dollars?
Silvanito
Name at least one unique instrument/sound used in Spaghetti Western Scores
Electric Guitars, whistling, harmonicas.
In Once Upon a Time in the West, Morricone often used this technique—rather than fast, dramatic music—to create suspense.
What is minimalism?