The main difference between classic westerns and spaghetti westerns is the fact that spaghetti westerns are Italian films made by Italian film crews. Thus, the narrative of the film will be a little bit different than if it were made by an American film maker. For example, Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Sergio Corbucci’s Navajo Joe, are both very critical of the Vietnam War, which America was in the midst of at the time the movies were made. This is not to say that there were not Americans that were against the war, but the foreign factor gives a different perspective than a domestic director would. An American director would more likely stand by his country and support their operations. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, however, condemns the war, and really any war, all together. When The Man with No Name, known as Blondie in this film, and Tuco meet the Union army after escaping from Angel Eyes and his posse, the Captain of this company is visibly distraught by the horrors he has witnessed during the Civil War. At this point, he has basically given up on humanity with men killing their fellow countrymen and brothers, he has taken to drinking right before a battle he is reasonably sure is coming. He has become obsessed with blowing up a bridge that is strategically necessary for both the Union and the Confederacy, because he knows that it is the only way for large groups of people to cross the river. Without this bridge, people will be unable to kill each other. When Blondie and Tuco finally destroy the bridge, a smile crosses the Captains face as he dies knowing that the killing has been deterred, at least for a little while.
When talking about Navajo Joe from a cultural studies perspective, the motives of the war itself is not necessarily criticized, but the complete apathy and lack of emotion for someone who has fought for them in a place where they cannot see what is going on is. The people of the town Duncan holds hostage do not even think twice about what may have happened to Joe when his horse returns with the money. When responding to a question of where he is, one of the townspeople simply says, “Who cares? The money is all that matters.” What Corbucci is really trying to say is that people should care about each and every one of the soldiers that fight for them and that they should recognize the sacrifices these soldiers make.
The main difference between classic westerns and spaghetti westerns is the fact that spaghetti westerns are Italian films made by Italian film crews. Thus, the narrative of the film will be a little bit different than if it were made by an American film maker. For example, Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Sergio Corbucci’s Navajo Joe, are both very critical of the Vietnam War, which America was in the midst of at the time the movies were made. This is not to say that there were not Americans that were against the war. There were millions against it, but the foreign factor gives a different perspective than a domestic director would. What The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly really condemn, however, is American racism. When The Man with No Name, known as Blondie in this film, and Tuco meet the Union army after escaping from Angel Eyes and his posse, the Captain of this company is visibly distraught by the horrors he has witnessed during the Civil War. Of course, many people believe that the chief reason for the Civil War was because of slavery. At this point, he has basically given up on humanity with men killing their fellow countrymen and brothers, he has taken to drinking right before a battle he is reasonably sure is coming. He has become obsessed with blowing up a bridge that is strategically necessary for both the Union and the Confederacy, because he knows that it is the only way for large groups of people to cross the river. Without this bridge, people will be unable to kill each other. When Blondie and Tuco finally destroy the bridge, a smile crosses the Captains face as he dies knowing that the killing has been deterred, at least for a little while. Of course the American racism that Leone provokes is that while all three of the main characters do despicable things, the most American looking one is the only one deemed “The Good.”
ReplyDeleteWhen talking about Navajo Joe from a cultural studies perspective, the motives of the war itself is not necessarily criticized, but the complete apathy and lack of emotion for someone who has fought for them in a place where they cannot see what is going on is. The people of the town Duncan holds hostage do not even think twice about what may have happened to Joe when his horse returns with the money. When responding to a question of where he is, one of the townspeople simply says, “Who cares? The money is all that matters.” What Corbucci is really trying to say is that people should care about each and every one of the soldiers that fight for them and that they should recognize the sacrifices these soldiers make.