The Hellbenders / I crudeli (Sergio Corbucci, 1967)

[stanton]

@hammerfist

Only the setting really, nothing beyond that that isn’t stuff that’s common across genres. Even the aesthetic is very different despite sharing the setting. The spaghetti western is closest to a samurai film, but even then it has many major differences, but not as much differences as it has when compared to american westerns.

Having watched every important western of both types I can’t agree.

Well stylistically it’s an american western, so it would only be a logical conclusion.

I think it’s the other way round, the plot is not typical Spag, but the directing is.
Antonini’s similar The Tramplers is both, a simple US clone in style and story, and is the more coherent film. But also the less interesting one cause it has nothing to offer in both departments. I crudeli is more fun to watch for the Corbucci factor, but as I said as a whole also not really interesting for me. (It’s a “Dean Frisbee” film. )

Yes, inherently so. Basically all american movies during hays code hollywood have deliberately simplistic writing to abide by the ridiculous rules hollywood had at the time.

The typical average western is that kind of film, and some great US westerns too (like the westerns s by De Mille or the ones with Erroll Flynn), but there are enough US westerns before the 60s which are neither simplistic nor basic. And even many more of the 60s, if we remember that the Hays code was still at work until 1967, if that is the year you are talking about.

[hammerfist]

Hays code did exist up until 67 but it was not enforced as much in the 60s… regardless you can see a clear shift after it was removed with films like the wild bunch and dirty harry… films that would not be allowed to exist under code/mccarthy era hollywood.