Histories & Contexts of Cinema: Spaghetti westerns - the good, the bad and the beautiful

We very much look forward to welcoming both new and returning students to the University of Southampton. Unless otherwise stated, all courses will be taught in person at our Avenue Campus.

We would like to advise that you will need to have the appropriate technology and suitable internet connection in place, as we will be making use of online materials. At Southampton, we use a virtual learning environment (VLE) called Blackboard which is used to deliver learning materials and real-time online teaching for our students.

The Spaghetti Western: The good, the bad and the beautiful 

This course is perfect for both the devoted fans of the genre and complete newcomers.

Initially criticized for being a cheap imitation of the American western, the 1960s Italian western subverted and revolutionized the genre. Introducing irony, cynicism, black humour, sadistic violence, cartoonish action, and leftist overtones, it became a world phenomenon. It kept on surprising the public with its gradually increasing eccentricity, while also mirroring its troubled historical times, defined by growing crime and unemployment rates, riots, police brutality and corruption scandals.

This course evaluates the spaghetti western in all its glory. It focuses on its unusual evolution and historical context, but also enormous flexibility which resulted in the production of truly peculiar hybrids, combining the western with the elements of gothic horror or the kung-fu film. We will discuss the most famous and the most obscure spaghetti westerns in equal matters, using numerous film extracts to illustrate the analysed content.

This course will take place on Wednesday evenings from 7pm to 9pm starting on 30 April 2025 and finishing on 04 June 2025.

Please see our price list below:

Standard price - £115.00
Staff/student/alumni price - £100.00

Please note: if you select the staff/student/alumni price option, you must use an online store account that has been set up with your University email address and fill out your University staff, student or alumni ID number when prompted as part of the questionnaire data section.

When booking a course please do consult our Terms and Conditions which set out our cancellation and refund policy.

(Photo credit - Taylor Brandon, Unsplash)

Course Description