The spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's filmmaking style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most of these Westerns were produced and directed by Italians.
Sergio Leone was an Italian filmmaker, credited as the pioneer of the spaghetti Western genre. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cinema.
A Fistful of Dollars is a 1964 spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood in his first leading role, alongside Gian Maria Volonté, Marianne Koch, Wolfgang Lukschy, Sieghardt Rupp, José Calvo, Antonio Prieto and Joseph Egger. The film, an international co-production between Italy, West Germany and Spain, was filmed on a low budget, and Eastwood was paid $15,000 for his role.
Bruno Bozzetto is an Italian cartoon animator and film director, creator of many short pieces, mainly of a political or satirical nature. He created his first animated short "Tapum! the weapons' story" in 1958 at the age of 20. His most famous character, a hapless little man named "Signor Rossi", has been featured in many animated shorts as well as starring in three feature films: Mr. Rossi Looks for Happiness (1976), Mr. Rossi's Dreams (1977), and Mr. Rossi's Vacation (1977).
The Great Silence is a 1968 revisionist spaghetti Western film directed and co-written by Sergio Corbucci. An Italian-French co-production, the film stars Jean-Louis Trintignant, Klaus Kinski, Vonetta McGee and Frank Wolff, with Luigi Pistilli, Mario Brega, Marisa Merlini and Carlo D'Angelo in supporting roles.
Allegro non troppo is a 1976 Italian animated film directed by Bruno Bozzetto. Featuring six pieces of classical music, the film is a parody of Walt Disney's 1940 feature film Fantasia, two of its segments being derived from the earlier film. The classical pieces are set to color animation, ranging from comedy to deep tragedy.
Mr. Rossi is a cartoon character created by Italian animator Bruno Bozzetto. He was first seen in several short films, about ten minutes each. The show had a life span of 15 years with 6 episodes, 3 movies and 11 skits.
Tony Anthony is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and director best known for his starring roles in Spaghetti Westerns, most of which were produced with the aid of his friends and associates Allen Klein and Saul Swimmer. These films consist of The Stranger series - A Stranger in Town (1967), The Stranger Returns (1967), The Silent Stranger (1968) and Get Mean (1975) - and the Zatoichi-inspired Blindman (1971). Anthony also wrote, produced and starred in Comin' at Ya! (1981) and Treasure of the Four Crowns (1983), the first film being largely credited with beginning the 1980s revival of 3D films in Hollywood.
Stelvio Cipriani, also known as Viostel, was an Italian composer, mostly of motion picture soundtracks, conductor and pianist.
Grasshoppers (Cavallette) is an Italian animated short by Bruno Bozzetto which condenses the whole of human civilization into 9 minutes, focusing primarily on the human race's predilection for warfare and the vanity of war. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1990, but lost to Aardman's Creature Comforts.
VIP my Brother Superman, often known in English as The SuperVips, is a 1968 Italian animated superhero musical directed by Bruno Bozzetto. It is a parody of superheroes and enjoyed a good commercial and critical success. In 2008 it was produced a spin-off TV-series in 3D animation, PsicoVip.
A Stranger in Town, released in the UK as For a Dollar in the Teeth, is a 1967 Italian-American Spaghetti Western film directed by Luigi Vanzi.
Ferdinando "Nando" Gazzolo was an Italian actor and voice actor.
Get Mean, also known as Beat a Dead Horse, Vengeance of the Barbarians and The Stranger Gets Mean, is a 1975 Italian-American Spaghetti Western film directed by Ferdinando Baldi and starring Tony Anthony, Lloyd Battista, Raf Baldassarre, Diana Lorys and Mirta Miller. It is the final sequel to A Stranger in Town, with Anthony reprising the role of "The Stranger."
The Stranger Returns also known as Shoot First... Laugh Last!, is a 1967 Italian-West German-American Spaghetti Western film directed by Luigi Vanzi. It is a sequel to A Stranger in Town.
The Silent Stranger, also known as The Horseman and the Samurai and The Stranger in Japan, is a 1968 Spaghetti Western jidaigeki film directed by Luigi Vanzi. It is the second sequel to A Stranger in Town, with twenty minutes excised for its 1975 release. The film is the third in a series of four western films starring Tony Anthony as "The Stranger". Despite being produced in 1968 for MGM, the film was never given an official release until 1975, nearly a decade after the previous film in the series. Tony Anthony stated that he believed the film became the victim of a power struggle at MGM, and the film was re-edited when it was later released by a different studio.
Mr. Rossi Looks for Happiness is a 1976 traditionally animated Italian feature film directed by Bruno Bozzetto. It is the first feature film of Mr. Rossi.
Mr. Rossi's Dreams is a 1977 traditionally animated Italian feature film directed by Bruno Bozzetto. Is the second feature film of Mr. Rossi.
Mr. Rossi's Vacation is a 1978 traditionally animated Italian feature film directed by Bruno Bozzetto. It is the third and last film featuring Mr. Rossi.
The Spaghetti Family is an Italian animated television series created by Bruno Bozzetto and produced by The Animation Band, Mondo TV and Rai Fiction, and animated by SEK Studio. It debuted on Rai 3 in December 2003.
