The Magic of Sergio Leone and The Spaghetti Western

4 min readJun 13, 2020

From the 1930s to the 1960s, studios in the U.S. produced numerous acclaimed western movies, such as The Searchers or Stagecoach. While many of these westerns have entertaining elements, I find myself most drawn to the westerns of Sergio Leone from the 1960s. Leone was a pioneer in the genre and brought about the rise of the Spaghetti Western (westerns directed and produced by Italians). His Dollars Trilogy and singular film Once Upon a Time in the West are some of the most iconic westerns ever created, with some even considering them to be amongst the greatest films of all time. To this day, they are exciting, suspenseful, and worth a watch.

Suspense

It is often said that the key to suspense is to make everything happen slow. Alfred Hitchcock is cited as the master of suspense, but it is hard to find better use of the slow burn than with Sergio Leone. He stretches mere moments into minute long feats of anticipation. Every little movement from a character becomes a potential killing blow, they are always one draw, one flick of the wrist, one whip of the eyes from being wasted away. His work is so brilliant that it is imitated in modern movies from the likes of Quentin Tarantino and The Coen Brothers.

In Once Upon a Time in the West, the opening scene sets the tone. Three suspicious men await the arrival of a train out in the middle of nowhere. The creak of a windmill disturbs the silence. A buzzing fly floats around until caught in a trap by one of the men. The wretched waiting consumes you for minutes until the train arrives. No one appears to get off, but, just as the men are about to walk away, the eerie echo of a harmonica reverberates from the other side of the train. The man with the harmonica asks if they brought him a horse, to which one of the three other men responds, “looks like we’re shy one horse.” But the man with the harmonica shakes his head and says “you brought two too many,” leaving no other outcome than a shootout.

In The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Leone sets up a grand standoff between the warring characters of the movie. He pulls you in with close ups on the eyes and the hands, minor movements that hold the screen. Then, he draws you back away, surrounding the characters with a vast expanse of death and emptiness. You have to sit in the moment, waiting for more destruction to soon ensue. Finally, you are brought back in. The pace quickens. Eyes jolt between opponents. Fingers twitch. Sweat drips off their foreheads. Then bam! They draw and take another life. The editing and the contrast between grandiose wide shots and supreme closeups create incredible suspense when combined with my next topic, the music.

Music

If you are a fan of movie compositions, or just like to check out different types of music, then Ennio Morricone has a magnificent lineup, including these four westerns. His line of work includes some of my favorite pieces used on the screen and it is likely you have heard parts of “Ecstasy of Gold” or “The Trio” before, as they are used and referenced in many other mediums. Although you may have heard some of them, the songs do not receive true justice until they are watched with their intended scenes. Much like the strategic camera and editing work, the music follows a similar pattern of suspense that drives the movie forward and will have your heart leaping out of your chest.

Innovation

Leone may not be the first director to challenge the western, but he did a lot to change up the genre. For one, A Fistful of Dollars, the first in the Dollars Trilogy, introduces an irony to the conflict. The main character is not a hero, just a gunslinging stranger who wants to make some money, which involves pitting two gangs against each other. However, he does grow into a hero of sorts when he tries to save a family caught between the two gangs. A Fistful of Dollars is a wonderful movie, but it must be stated that it is really a recreation of Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo. Still, Kurosawa is one of the greatest directors of all time and his material made for an incredible western adaptation.

The second movie in the Dollars Trilogy is For a Few Dollars More. Here, Leone introduces some more original elements and continues to diversify the western genre. Opposed to the traditional heroism and sidekicks of older westerns, Leone brings together a duo who fight together in a more circumstantial sense, which is a nice change from tradition.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly further pushes the narrative of conflicting partnerships, culminating a grand finale. Likewise, the film also takes time to address a greater anti-war message. While it may not be the most well written portion of the movie, it is nice to see a western go beyond the hero and villain trope. In reality, the western is a genre built around using another time period to discuss the issues of the modern day, and Leone did just that.