10,000 Ways to Die

October 1, 2009
Spaghetti Westerns, which took shape in Europe in the 1960s, are violent, misogynistic, antiestablishment, and often in love with the idea of the American West's wide open spaces. Cox ("X Films: True Confessions of a Radical Filmmaker"), maverick director of such films as "Sid and Nancy" and "Repo Man", covers over 50 spaghetti Westerns in chronological order, providing extensive plot summaries and commentaries. He pays particular attention to godfathers of the genre Sergio Leone and Sergio Corbucci, who revitalized the form with stylized languid silences and a highly developed visual sense, as well as Americans Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef, who gave the steely-eyed, menacing face to some of the best Westerns. Enlivened with humor, vivid descriptions, and an infectious enthusiasm, this book is an informative take on an offbeat, short-lived genre. VERDICT With its explorations of recurrent themes (some might say obsessions) found in the films and the enriching director-author anecdotes and insights to the craft and improvisation on the set, this book is likely to remain a standard reference for film buffs.Stephen Rees, Levittown Lib., PA

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