Play Morricone For Me: Ep.3 - East Meets West

In this episode of Play Morricone for Me, host Jack Criddle explores the rich cinematic fusion of Eastern and Western genres, spotlighting films that blend traditional spaghetti western tropes with Asian martial arts, Bollywood musicals, and Japanese tokusatsu. From the 1969 spaghetti western *The Five Man Army*—featuring a Japanese samurai played by Tetsuro Tamba—to the absurdly comedic *The Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe*, Criddle traces the cross-cultural evolution of genre cinema. He highlights quirky hybrids like *The Drifting Avenger*, a Japanese film shot in Australia, and *Kaito Tsutsu Zubat*, a tokusatsu cowboy detective series, before diving into Indian 'curry westerns' like *Sholay* and *Kodama Simham*. The episode culminates with modern examples such as *Shanghai Noon* and *The Good, the Bad, and the Weird*, celebrating how global influences have enriched storytelling and music in film. Criddle’s affection for nostalgic Western scores and cross-genre experimentation shines throughout.