Leone’s Spaghetti

Leone’s Spaghetti

The “spaghetti” western, Sergio Leone’s conscious departure from what had come to be known as the “classic” western formula, became a modification of the conventions of the traditional genre. In the film For A Few Dollars More (Per qualque dollaro in piщ, 1965), Leone’s formula is developed through a reformed narrative structure, slight changes in the traditional characters, his unique style, and the simple use of language, which revolutionized the western.

The American “classic” western formula, according to Peter Bondanella in his essay A Fistful of Pasta: Sergio Leone and the Spaghetti Western, employed “a combination of narrative possibilities generated by three central roles: the townspeople (agents of civilization); savages or outlaws, who threaten the first group; and heroes, men who share certain characteristics of the second group, but who act ultimately on behalf of the representatives of civilization” (Bondanella, 255).

Leone’s modification of the traditional narrative structure removed the townspeople, and in doing so eliminated civilization. He kept the outlaws, headed by an evil man with some sort of psychological scarring. Instead of one hero, there are two, who act not on behalf of society and order but their own personal gain. For A Few Dollars More revolves around these three main characters.

The first character introduced by Leone to the audience is Colonel Douglas Mortimer (Lee Van Cleef), “a retired soldier and bounty hunter motivated not only by profit but also the thirst for revenge” (Bondanella, 257) of his sister’s rape and death. He is a professional, who stalks his target from a distance with an assortment of rifles rolled up in his saddlebags; but to contrast with this cold delusion, Mortimer dresses in his black preacher’s costume and is a habitual reader of the Bible. He represents the older, wiser generation, which is destined to be extinct. Next, Leone introduces Mortimer’s competition and opposite, Manco (Clint Eastwood), a young stranger with his cigars and poncho, who blends with his surroundings. He is a bounty hunter who kills purely for profit and approaches his victims directly. Finally, the audience is introduced to a doped-up Mexican killer, Indio (Gian Maria Volontй), whose degenerate pleasure in violence is linked to the moment, years before, when the death of Mortimer’s sister traumatized him sexually, and is constantly reminded of the incident by the chiming of the musical watch he carries, which matches Mortimer’s. (Bondanella, 257)

Mortimer and Manco, at first in competition with each other, join forces against Indio and his gang of criminals in order for each to achieve their goal through a partnership. One of the elements of Leone’s unique style is the use of flashbacks, which in this case he utilizes to link the emotions of Mortimer and Indio through the chimes of the watches they both carry. This prepares the audience for the inevitable showdown and settling of accounts between them that will conclude the film. Furthermore, the initial hostility between Mortimer