In its own way, the spaghetti western reflects the countercultural rejection through its inversion of the standard morality of the "white hat/black hat" westerns, preferring instead to mire its characters in a largely amoral landscape. Certainly the American barbershop in many respects stood for the "traditional" values of small town America in a period of social turmoil, and it is perhaps not surprising that barbershops have been on the decline ever since. Still, I don't know that it's fair to blame either the Beatles or Clint Eastwood for their woes. Each event simply reflects a different facet of the evolution of the American cultural zeitgeist, and is but a small part of a larger shift in perception and understanding (whether for better or worse). In any event, Barberland is an entertaining reflection of a fascinating slice of American history, and an illuminating portrait of the engaging characters who live to cut hair.
Alternate Take: The Modern Pea Pod's Blogcritcs review of Barberland.
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