Review by C.J. Bunce
I am quickly becoming a fan of Amazing Améziane. His graphic novel Quentin by Tarantino (reviewed here at borg) is an autobiographical tour of sorts of the life of the director, as if the director participated in the graphic novel. Or closer yet, it’s as if Tarantino starred in his own movie about himself. At first it may seem a bit disconcerting, but is a story by French fan and writer-artist Améziane Hammouche aka Amazing Améziane, who quickly makes readers feel like they are in good hands. His latest book looks into another filmmaker with a small but memorable filmography. Sergio Leone: The Revolution of the Western looks at the creator of 1960s “spaghetti Western” (aka Westerns made in Italy with American actors). Growing up in fascist Italy, Leone had an interesting upbringing that became infused in his work. The revolution in the title serves a double meaning–yes, Leone revolutionized what we think of as the Western motif, but his ideas reflected a reality where fascism proved to bring down his nation only for revolution to save the day. Coming to bookstores next month, Sergio Leone: The Revolution of the Western is available now for pre-order here at Amazon.
Beginning with Leone’s family, Améziane spins readers through the 20th century via in-depth, well-researched text and quotations, using his brilliant colors and pop art style. Only in a few places (a few directors I could not recognize) his work is nearly photo-real. He uses various tricks that mimic a documentarian. At one point he introduces pages of a script that reflect an interview with Leone and his wife about their first meeting. The style of the presentation should probably be called “autobiographical mockumentary.” But there’s little “mock” about it–Améziane’s words and art speak with authority.
As another storytelling element, Améziane splices in interviews with the likes of his contemporary directors and fellow industry fans. You’ll find contributions from Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Sam Peckinpah, and a brief discussion of Leone’s equally famous composer partner, Ennio Morricone. He also discusses the casting process (including people like Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson, who came in and out of projects) for A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, and Once Upon a Time in America.
In his early days Leone worked with Robert Wise, Raoul Walsh, and Orson Welles. Beginning with epic history films like Colossus of Rhodes, Leone established himself as what he called the #1 assistant director in the business. For his first film Leone took on adapting Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo into For a Fistful of Dollars. Améziane discusses the legal rollercoaster Leone went through with Kurosawa over the years because of this. It’s a long story because Leone would utilize his star character, played by a then little-known TV actor named Clint Eastwood, in a loose trilogy. Some good comedy is involved, because (as Tarantino points out to readers) Eastwood wore the same poncho in each film and it was always intended to be the same guy, although apparently filmed in reverse chronological order (Tarantino parses that out, too).
The book posts upfront Améziane’s bibliography, since it’s full of quotes by both Leone and his contemporaries. To enlightened readers, this book will be a wake-up call. Leone recounts he and his friends in a school with books full of the national propaganda of Italy of the era. Fortunately for him and his friends, they all saw right through it. His generation rebeled against what was going on around him, including the blacklisting of his father who was also a filmmaker. As much as any TCM Library book we’ve reviewed at borg, this book digs into the politics that shaped Hollywood and international contributors to popular movies from the 1920s through the 1980s. Améziane appears to meet the director’s criticisms head on, including defending that women actors playing characters who were attacked in his movies were never actually harmed. Critics have called Leone a misogynist–his movies had few women characters, and Leone defends his decisions in his work (which may or may not be adequate for every moviegoer). Leone died in 1989 at age 60.
I found Sergio Leone: The Revolution of the Western an even better filmmaker biography than Améziane’s book on Tarantino. It’s a great read for film buffs, historians, and fans of Leone’s brief filmography of works as a director and writer. Consider this graphic novel highly recommended. Add it to your pull list at Elite Comics or your local comic shop, and look for Sergio Leone: The Revolution of the Western in bookstores November 4, 2025–it’s available now for pre-order here at Amazon.
