Greetings, I was looking to educate myself more on the “eras” of the Spaghetti Western genre. What they were, when they were, what defines them, and so on. I also thought that it might make for an interesting topic of discussion.
Two eras that I’m somewhat familiar with would be the “Twilight Era” and the “Comedy Era.” If I’m understanding correctly, Twilight Westerns are set during the end of the Wild West, the point where it was being uprooted by the introduction of advancing technology and innovation, the presence of motor vehicles can be seen as symbolic of this transition. Notable examples of this era would be Sergio Leone’s “Once Upon a Time in the West” and “Duck, You Sucker.” I’m not sure if the “The Great Silence” would also fall into this category, but its finale does result in the abolishment of bounty hunting which could be seen as reflective of the era coming to its end. I’m also not sure if it would be considered a proper defining characteristic of the era, but these films often seem to be more cynical and deconstructive of the genre as a whole.
The Comedy Era is the most straightforward, the Wild West setting is more of a backdrop for silly antics and the tropes associated with the genre are the subject of parody. They Call Me Trinity is probably the most famous example of this, but films like Rita of the West would also fall into this category. My Name Is Nobody is an interesting case because while it clearly a comedy, it’s also contains aspects of a Twilight Western, putting it somewhere between the two. Does a name for more standard Spaghetti Western exist? Perhaps something like the “Golden Era” in reference to when the genre was at its peak in popularity, or films that depicted a more idealized image of the Wild West?