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One of the best-known niches in the Western genre is the movies made in Italy during the height of Western film popularity, commonly known as Spaghetti Westerns. Highly influential thanks to their political discussions, historical relevance, and boundary-pushing gore, Spaghetti Westerns have inspired great filmmakers of many genres, particularly those who have made contemporary Westerns. One of the most famous modern directors of Westerns and well-known for his violent stories, Quentin Tarantino, makes movies for audiences who would respond well to the classic genre.

Many of Quentin Tarantino's best movie characters share traits with the iconic anti-heroes found in classic Spaghetti Westerns. Grappling with the role of isolation and justice in the so-called "lawless" West, these characters are often forced to interrogate their own positions as forces for good or evil. While the graphic imagery and fast-paced fight sequences are definitive aspects of Tarantino's filmography, that's not all these Spaghetti Westerns have to offer.

When I first heard about this list this morning I could have sworn it was old news, but as it turns out, this list of Quentin Tarantino's top 20 spaghetti westerns is a new thing as presented to us bt Spaghetti-Western.net. What I must have been thinking of was a list of spaghetti westerns that influenced Tarantino's Django Unchained, some of which are repeated here such as Sergio Corbucci's The Great Silence (read an essay I wrote on this one here) and the obvious, Django, and Giulio Petroni's Death Rides a Horse. However, this list is more than that and more than just Sergio Leone and Corbucci titles, though those two do make up eight of the twenty films on Tarantino's list. I haven't looked to see how many of the more obscure titles listed here are available on Netflix, but I have a feeling now that...

Django Prepare A Coffin

Stars: Terence Hill, Horst Frank, George Eastman | Written by Ferdinando Baldi, Franco Rossetti | Directed by Ferdinando Baldi

When Tarantino wrote “the D is silent, hillbilly” in his screenplay for Django Unchained I can only imagine he had the same rueful wish that Django Prepare A Coffin had been a silent picture instead of being as woefully dubbed as it is. The film’s a curious lesson in thievery: first and most obviously in its title character Django, first appearing in Sergio Curbucci’s Django as played by Franco Nero; and secondly in its frequent use and abuse of the techniques perfected by Sergio Leone in The Good, The Bad And The Ugly two years previous.

Perhaps I’m starting on a sour note. The premise of the film is actually rather promising: mysterious Django works as a hangman, executing framed criminals for the bad guy, except...

Chicago – The great cult movie studio Blue Underground continues their pattern of excellent Blu-ray releases for unheralded horror gems with the recent releases of the Lucio Fulci zombie film “City of the Living Dead” and one of the most underrated westerns ever made in “Django”. While they don’t have much in common outside of studio and cult status, both are worth a look.

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.0/5.0

“City of the Living Dead”

Even though I admire some of his technique and willingness to do whatever inspired him, I was never a huge Lucio Fulci fan. The man has often been called the Italian Herschell Gordon Lewis and is probably most well-known for “Zombi II” and “The Beyond,” two films from the late-’70s and ’80s that earned Fulci a reputation for extreme gore. A large number of his films have been banned around the world and his “The New York Ripper...

ROME -- With director and Italian film buff Quentin Tarantino on hand as a co-presenter, the fourth edition of the Venice International Film Festival's popular Secret History of Italian Film sidebar will examine more than 40 years of spaghetti Westerns.

Venice organizers said that Tarantino -- who also participated in the inaugural Secret History event in 2004 -- will be one of directors, producers, actors and writers honoring the genre of Italy-based westerns launched by Sergio Leone's 1964 classic "A Fistful of Dollars".

The program, selected in part by scholars, will feature some 40 completely restored classic features. Among the films scheduled to screen are "El Desperado" from Franco Rossetti, Sergio Corbucci's "Djanco", "Blood for a Silver Dollar" from Girgio Ferroni, and "Shoot the Living and Pray for the Dead" by Giuseppe Vari.

Other films inspired by the genre will screen in various parts of the festival, including at least two world premieres.

The 64th annual Venice International Film festival will take place Aug.