February 2023 recap

Welcome to the slightly delayed February 2023 :incoming_envelope: newsletter from the Spaghetti Western Database, your regular newsletter of what happened last month in the world of European westerns.

How to receive this newsletter automatically: Read instructions here on how to receive this to your inbox or notifications :mailbox_with_mail: newsletter. Contact us if you have any questions or news/rumors/contributions.


:newspaper: NEW STUFF IN AND AROUND THE SWDB IN :spiral_calendar: FEBRUARY 2023:

:rotating_light: WANTED:

  • We’re still trying to get in touch with the person who ran the Altervista website SPAGHETTI WESTERN DATABASE if anyone knows, please send us a message.
  • We’re also trying to locate our friend from Finland who went by the name of Shobary (with the popular SW website with that title).
    Why? We want to rescue and preserve the remnants of these two websites, like we’re currently doing with A Fistful of Pasta (still a work in progress).

:card_file_box: New in the forums:

We made some changes to this forum, which are kind of exciting:

  • There is now a dark mode, which you can toggle in the top right menu bar, and it will also activate automatically if your browser or operating system goes into dark mode. Try it out!
  • We brought back movie polls! The first post in each movie topic will include a poll so you can rate the movie from 1 to 5 stars. Trust level 1 required, so if you haven’t been very active in the forums yet, now is the time to do so :slight_smile:
  • The forums how have live chat functionality. This means both private chats, group chats, public chats and an archive of these chats as well. You need to be TL1 or agove to see this. Please have a look at this topic to learn more about the chat.

:film_strip: New around the SWDb:

  • Let us know if you want to help with our new master calendar Calendar - The Spaghetti Western Database and company directory Company directory - The Spaghetti Western Database. We still need help to fill those with information, please get in touch!
  • We are collecting spaghetti western themed podcast episodes from around the world, please point us to more of them.
  • @Phil_H , @Ulukai and myself continue to fill the database with info on interview featurettes from home video releases. This is ongoing but starting to take shape. Let us know if you want to contribute.
  • The last few weeks have been particularly active behind the scenes, are we are improving the quality of information in the SWDb, fixing dead links, uploading better pictures, bringing some order to lost information, cleaning up dusty corners of the site and clearing out the cobwebs. There are also some technical glitches to be fixed in the near future. We continue to fix the reliability of home video information in the SWDb in all respects, technical specifications, extras, and so forth but we do need help from you all to make sure that the SWDb offers all the info is out there so please reach out and contribute. The most visible change is of course the rising number of film entries that receive the 3.0 layout, thanks to mostly @Carlos the lonely gunman.

:clipboard: … as always: join the SWDb, help out, it will make it better :slight_smile: You don’t have to become a full time editor or official staff member to contribute. Anything from being active in the forum over correcting spelling mistakes to joining entire improvement projects is more than welcome. From all over the world, in all languages, we welcome help!

:cowboy_hat_face: SWDb 3.0 is here…

The major overhaul of the SWDb is progressing. We are now working on the visual improvements of the SWDb, notably the film pages, with the most popular movies already migrated to a new look and feel. If you’re interested in seeing what we’re doing or if you want to join and help, click here to read about it: Testing SWDb 3.0

SWDb :heart: Letterboxd

If you’re a Letterboxd user, we hope you’re as excited as we are about the official SWDb Letterboxd HQ account. Click here to learn more about that (long story short: follow us on LB).
Also: all the revised film pages in the SWDb have a direct link to their respective LB entry.

:dvd: Home video news:

There were many home video releases in February


The highlight was of course the UK release of The Big Gundown, but there is also a much welcomed Fulci/Castellari double feature in France, a UK UHD release of the relatively new European western Sisters Brothers and a few other noteworthy titles. There are a few titles we can look forward to in March, such as Plaion’s new title, a US release for the Belle Starr Story, and an old friend, the Seven from Texas:

And we have learned that Arrow Video might announce their next titles at the end of this month potentially. So keep checking our calendar, and if you learn of any releases or even rumors, no matter which country, let us know!
:calendar: Visit the SWDb home video release calendar

:church: Obituaries

Our head of obits, the spaghettiologist @Tom_B had to update the boot hill cemetery with an unfortuante 12 new obituaries over the course of the last four weeks.
:arrow_right: Check out “Cemetery with crosses”

:balance_scale: Reviews:

No new reviews were published on the SWDb this week. That is too bad. Please get in touch if you can or want to review movies, BluRays, soundtracks or books, in any language. We could use more reviews in Italian, Spanish, French and other languages, too!

:desert: Locations

Discussions have started on how to improve location information within the SWDb. If this is your area of interest and/or expertise, please join the discussion as we try to find a workable concept for this, HERE.

:moneybag: :dollar: Those of you who feel inclined to donate a dollar or euro or two, head here. Payplal has improved the donation experience, check it out.

Also, whenever you shop at Amazon, click on one of the SWDb’s Amazon links first, it doesn’t matter which one. Special thanks for those who donated last month!
The SWDb has also signed up for the Amazon Poland partner program, so if you live there and want to shop, please do use this link.

:arrow_double_up: Many thanks to everyone who contributed this month.


See you next month!