re: Spaghetti Westerns: overrated?

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What exactly is a Spaghetti Western?

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Westerns of the late '60s and early '70s produced by Italians and generally shot in Southern Spain

These films tend to be earthier - clothes get dirty, emphasis on people eating, etc.

Often protagonists are not so much heroes or even anti-heroes but more like the less-reprehensible villain. Outlaws are frequently sympathetic.

But the most obvious aspect has got to be the genre's treatment of violence. Violent acts are often shown in a darkly comic way, with wildly overdone sound effects. The overall filmaking style is "operatic", stressing emotional impact over realism.

Spaghetti westerns, along with the James Bond franchise, were both major influences on the evolution of the modern action film.

Here is a fascinating contemporary documentary on the genre:

Western, Italian Style (1968)

Features interviews with directors as well as Chuck (The Rifleman) Connors, whose comments on the differences between characters in US westerns and those made in Europe are quite interesting.