There is no shortage of places on the web where you can get curated lists of the best films in any genre (including here), but few of them can match the encyclopedic cinematic mind of Quentin Tarantino. A walking library of movie trivia, anecdotes, and much more, the filmmaker’s video store roots are apparent anytime he shares his passionate wealth of knowledge. So today, dive deep with the director and his love of spaghetti westerns.
Open Culture dug up the list Tarantino provided SWDB circa the filming of "Inglourious Basterds" of this 20 favorite spaghetti westerns. Perhaps he already had "Django Unchained" on the brain. Certainly, many of the film’s we surmised as likely influences are found here, including "Navajo Joe," "The Great Silence," and "Tepepa." And it’s not a shock that Tarantino is a big fan of Sergio Leone and Sergio Corbucci.
Check out the full list below and let us know which ones you’ve seen.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Sergio Leone, 1966)
For a Few Dollars More (Sergio Leone, 1965)
Django (Sergio Corbucci, 1966)
The Mercenary (Sergio Corbucci, 1966)
Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone, 1968)
A Fistful of Dollars (Sergio Leone, 1964)
Day of Anger (Tonino Valerii, 1967)
Death Rides a Horse (Giulio Petroni, 1967)
Navajo Joe (Sergio Corbucci,1966)
The Return of Ringo (Duccio Tessar, 1965)
The Big Gundown (Sergio Sollima, 1966)
A Pistol for Ringo (Duccio Tessari, 1965)
The Dirty Outlaws (Franco Rossetti, 1967)
The Great Silence (Sergio Corbucci, 1968)
The Grand Duel (Giancarlo Santi, 1972)
Shoot the Living, Pray for the Dead (Giuseppe Vari, 1971)
Tepepa (Giulio Petroni, 1968)
The Ugly Ones (Eugenio Martin, 1966)
Viva Django! (Ferdinando Baldi, 1967)
Machine Gun Killers (Paolo Bianchini, 1968)