The classic Western always portrays the alpha male cowboy as the hero. The alpha male cowboy can do no bad. In spaghetti westerns, the alpha male cowboy is the villain. The films are saying that while we think that non-Americans are the enemy, people outside of the United States believe that we are the villains. In Navajo Joe, Duncan was the leader or a bandit gang that caused havoc on every town they invaded. Duncan and his gang were almost all white men. Having the villains be white Americans is a shift away from the traditional Western villain. Navajo Joe is the hero in the movie. We almost never see the hero being someone other than an alpha male cowboy. When Duncan rides into town with the scalps of the Native American, the owner of the store says that they used to sell the scalps of the Native Americans when they were the enemy but now that they are peaceful they no longer accept the scalps. This shows the acceptance of immigrants within the culture. In The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Blondie and Tuco partner up which symbolized the American and immigrant becoming one. By having the prize that they are after being gold, it symbolizes the greed that Americans embody. Both movies were made the year after the national origins quota system was abolished. This shows that America was opening up to letting immigrants into the culture.
The classic Western always portrays the alpha male cowboy as the hero. The alpha male cowboy can do no bad. In spaghetti westerns, the alpha male cowboy is the villain. The term spaghetti western comes from that fact most of the films were financed by Italians. This type of film emerged in the nineteen sixties. These films depict a foreigner’s view of America.
ReplyDeleteIn Navajo Joe, Duncan is the leader or a bandit gang that caused havoc on every town they invaded. Duncan and his gang are almost all white men. The villains being white Americans are a shift away from the traditional Western villain. Navajo Joe is the main character and hero in the movie. He is constantly saving people from Duncan and his gang. In classic Westerns, Native Americans are generally considered the “other” and play small, mundane roles. When Duncan rides into town with the scalps of the Native American, the owner of the store says that they used to sell the scalps of the Native Americans when they were the enemy but now that they are peaceful they no longer accept the scalps. During the time this film was produced, the Civil Rights Movement was taking place and minorities were finally getting equal rights.
In The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, the three main characters are all driven by the potential personal gain and greed is the sole motivator. The Good is Blondie. He is not a good person but because of his physical appearance we as Americans would define him as good. Tuco, a Mexican, is the ugly. This is stressing the stereotype that Americans have of Mexicans as being grungy, stealing, ugly people. Angel Eyes is the bad. He is a hired killer and has a distinct mustache that provokes the viewer to think suspiciously of the character. The Civil Rights movement was taking place, showing American how prejudice they are towards immigrants. In classic Westerns, the bad guy is not driven by money. The three main characters are all out for each other stressing that the United States only really does what it good for itself. Finally, the prize of gold that all the men are seeking depicts the theme of greed in America. American society is viewed as very stuck up and snobby due to money.