The Western has always been inextricably linked to the USA, and studies have continually sought to connect its historical development to changes in American society and Hollywood innovations. Focusing new critical attention on films produced in Germany, Italy and Britain, this timely book offers a radical rereading of the evolutionary history of the Western and brings a vital international dimension to its study. Lee Broughton argues not only that European films possess a special significance in terms of the genre's global development, but also that many offered groundbreaking and progressive representations of traditional Wild West 'Others': Native Americans, African Americans and so-called 'strong women'. European Westerns investigates how the histories of Germany, Italy and Britain - and the idiosyncrasies of their respective national film industries - influenced representations of the self and 'Other', shedding light on the broader cultural, historical and political contexts that shaped European engagement with the genre.

Lee Broughton is a Lecturer in Film and Media in the School of Media and Communication at the University of Leeds, UK. He also teaches on the Arts and Humanities programme that is offered by the University's Lifelong Learning Centre. Lee is the author of The Euro-Western: Reframing Gender, Race and the 'Other' in Film (Bloomsbury, 2016) and the editor of Critical Perspectives on the Western: From A Fistful of Dollars to Django Unchained (2016) and Reframing Cult Westerns: From The Magnificent Seven to The Hateful Eight (Bloomsbury, 2020).

Introduction

Part I Indians in Europe: Indianthusiasm and the Representation of American Indians in West German Westerns

1 West German Westerns: International Reception and Local Influences
2 The Representation of Indians in American Westerns
3 The Representation of Indians in West German Westerns

Part II Emancipation All'Italiana: The Representation of African Americans in Italian Westerns

4 Italian Westerns: International Reception and Local Influences
5 The Representation of Blacks in American Westerns
6 The Representation of Blacks in Italian Westerns

Part III Funny Men and Strong Women: The Representation of Frontier Femmes in British Westerns
7 British Westerns: International Reception and Local Influences
8 The Representation of Women in American Westerns
9 The Representation of Women in the British Western Parodies Produced Between 1939 and 1966
10 The Representation of Women in British Westerns Produced During the Early 1970s

Conclusion