Analysis of the Western genre

8/13/2019 Analysis of the Western genre

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Contents:

INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................5

I. WESTERN GENRE ANALYSIS.....................................................................................7

1. Possible Pathways..........................................................................................................7 2. Guns, Horses and Cactuses – Definin the Genre.......................................................1!

". #hite Cowboys and $ther %ey &eatures.....................................................................15

'. (he )ilestones in Hollywood #estern*s History –

+ hort Genealoy of the #estern..................................................................................17

5. (he tructure of #estern fil-s – Plot ariations........................................................2!

/. tereoty0es...................................................................................................................2"

/.1. (he Hero..............................................................................................................2' /.2. (he +ntihero.......................................................................................................25

/.". (he illain...........................................................................................................2/

/.'. (he #o-an..........................................................................................................27

II. COWBOYS ENTER THE EUROPEAN CONTINENT...........................................2

1. 3uro0ean #estern &il-...............................................................................................2

2. C4echosloa6ia............................................................................................................"5

2.1. #esterns and the (radition of +-erican #est in C4echosloa6ia....................."5

2.2. i89 rde;6a and the C4ech #estern )oies......................................................."7

2.2.1. Árie prérie...................................................................................................."<

2.2.2. =e-onade oe – a Hero or a ales-an>......................................................'1

2.2.2.1. (he $riins..........................................................................................'1

2.2.2.2. Parody as a Genre................................................................................'1

2.2.2.". ?arratie tructure...............................................................................''

2.2.2.'. oe, Hor@c, #innifred, (ornado =ou and $ther tereoty0es............. .'5

2.2.2.5. (he tyle..............................................................................................51

2.2.2./. CritiAue of Ca0italis-..........................................................................55

2.2.2.7. Critics and +wards...............................................................................5

". $ther 3uro0ean Parody #esterns – Manitou’s Shoe.................................................../1

CONCLUSION.................................................................................................................../7

APPENDIX........................................................................................................................../

PRIMARY SOURCES.......................................................................................................7!

SECONDARY SOURCES............................................................................................71

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INTRODUCTION

(he i-0ulse to do a research on the C4ech 0arody of western Limonádový Joe B1/' ca-e

fro- the e0erience which E had durin -y 3ras-us stay in Greece. Limonádový Joe was

shown in the +ristotle Fniersity cine-a and E was sur0rised by the hih attendance and

reactions to the fil-. (he Gree6 students li6ed the -oie and understood its satirical o6es.

$biously, the -oie has so-e uniersal -essae which could be a00reciated not only in the

country of its oriin but also by the international audience. (his function is 0ossible because

Limonádový Joe is a 0arody of +-erican westerns of which the clichs are 6nown worldwide.

En -y thesis E a- oin to analy4e Limonádový Joe and suest the 0ossible

inter0retations of the -oie. (o understand the features that are s0oofed in the -oie, the

basic 6nowlede of the western enre is necessary. (hat is why E a- first oin to outline the

theoretical a00roaches to western fil-s and define the western enre and its stereoty0es. +

brief enealoy of western fil-s will hel0 to reali4e how the enre has chaned since its

beinnins in the early 2!th

century. (his deelo0-ent 0re0ared the round for the arrial of

0arody of western.

(he second 0art of the thesis will introduce the 0ossible inter0retations of Limonádový Joe.

En the I0arody inter0retationJ, the -ain oal will be the identification of 0articular stereoty0es

and western clichs Limonádový Joe 0arodies. En order to do this E a- oin to carry out the

structural analysis of Limonádový Joe and co-0are this 0attern with the structure of classical

+-erican westerns. (hen it will be shown how the established clichs and stereoty0es in

Limonádový Joe function in connection with the 0arody. &or this de-onstration it will be

a00ro0riate to discuss 0arody as a enre and introduce its basic tools.

3ce0t bein a 0arody, Limonádový Joe can be IreadJ as an anti+-erican critiAue of

ca0italis-. (o su00ort this idea, E a- oin to analy4e the -oie with 0articular attention to

the ca0italist ideas it adocates and show how the authors of Limonádový Joe critici4e the-.

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(his will be illustrated on concrete ea-0les. E a- also oin to suest the 0ossible reasons

for the antica0italist -otif in the fil-.

(o enable a co-0arison with other 0arodies of western, one cha0ter will be dedicated to

Ger-an 0arody western Manitou’s Shoe B2!!1. (his Ger-an 0arody chose the ro-antici4ed

childli6e westerns based on the boo6s by Ger-an writer %arl )ay as its taret of hu-orous

critiAue. E a- also oin to show how the clichs la-0ooned in Manitou’s Shoe are different

fro- those in Limonádový Joe.

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-ythL at least in the early stae of the enre. efore enterin the world of Hollywood cine-a

the -yth of the #est was widely 0o0ular in the di-e noels. ?eertheless, only on the screen

has this -yth found its ideal 0ortrayal because its isual as0ect could be fully e0ressed. (he

western as a -yth a00roach is best characteri4ed in the 0o0ular Auote fro- a fa-ous western

-oie The Man $ho Shot Li%erty &a!ance B1/2: I#hen the leend beco-es fact, 0rint the

leend.J" (his is eactly what ha00ened in the case of Hollywood western. (he idea of the

#est 0resented in the classical western fil-s was hihly ro-antici4ed and often had ery

little in co--on with the historical reality. (he other thin is that the audience li6ed this

I6ind of #estJ and they wanted to beliee in itL they belieed in the -yth.'

(he net theoretical a00roach, which follows the -ythic a00roach diachronically, is called

the auteurism. Et was s0read in the 1/!*s and it can be characteri4ed by its focus on the

auteur .5 Auteurism clai-s that the director 0lays the crucial role in for-in the structure of

the -oie and that director*s own uniAue style is i-0rinted within each of his fil-s.

)oreoer, it is 0ro0osed that within director*s fil-ora0hy the critic can trace a certain

deelo0-ent. En the case of western, this a00roach is usually narrowed down to one fiure,

director ohn &ord.

En the 17!*s there was a -aor chane in all cultural theories fields which was caused by

the arrial of a new theory – structura!ism. tructuralis- see6s 0ossible uniersal structures

within the westerns. Et does so with the hel0 of binary o00ositions. (he -ost Ifa-ousJ ones

are followin dichoto-ies: #estN3ast, wildernessNciili4ation, outsideNinside, oodNbad,

-aleNfe-ale etc.

(here is an i-0ortant structuralist tet in connection with western studies which should be

0ointed out here: #ill #riht*s Si' (uns and Society B175. #riht*s 0lot theory brouht a

" Coyne 17, 0. <.' (o learn -ore about the #estern -yth see -ith, H. ?. &ir)in Land* The American $est as Sym%o! and Myth+ Harard Fniersity Press, Ca-bride 17<.5 Coyne 17, 0. .

<



sinificant asset to western studies. #riht identified four 6inds of narraties within the wide

scale of western -oies: the classical 0lot, the transition the-e, the eneance ariation and

the 0rofessional 0lot. (his theory will be analy4ed in detail in the cha0ter dealin with the

structure of western fil-s.

(he structuralist a00roach is so-eti-es critici4ed for its tendency to create artificial

cateories, in other words to 0refer structure to idea. En his effort to find a uniersal structure,

the scholar can co-e u0 with ideas which fit in the 0attern well, but do not reflect the reality

of the fil- at all. #riht hi-self faced a serious critiAue for tryin to 0lace so-e westerns in

the classical 0lot cateory by force./

En -y analysis of the structure of Limonádový Joe E will a00ly so-e ele-ents fro- the

structuralist theory, -ainly the o00ositions which hel0 to define the stereoty0es of the enre.

+nother 0athway to analysis of western fil-s was introduced by Phili0 &rench and is

called po!itica!,a!!e)ory a00roach. &rench 0resu-es that 0articular western fil-s reflect the

0olicy of indiidual +-erican 0residents or senators and the 0olitical era durin which they

were in chare. En this contet &rench defined e.. IGoldwater westernJ. 7 (his ty0e of

western starred ohn #ayne, a dedicated su00orter of Oe0ublican enator erry Goldwater.

Coyne declares that there are si-ilarities between Goldwater*s rhetoric and the -orality of the

westerns with ohn #ayne.<

E definitely aree with the idea that westerns can sere as a 6ind of -irrors of the 0olitical

-ilieu in which they were 0roduced. $ut of the Cold #ar era ca-e the so called Oed

#esterns or $sterns B3ast westerns which were shot in the countries of 3ast 3uro0ean bloc. E

will 0artly use &rench*s a00roach in connection with the shootin of the C4ech 0arody

/ Co-0. (us6a, on. The American $est in -i!m+ Critica! Approaches to the $estern. Fniersity of ?ebras6a

Press, =incoln 1<5, 0. 1".7 Ebid.< Coyne 17, 0. 121.



western Lemonade Joe B1/' which was released in a 0olitically difficult ti-e and e0resses

certain ideoloical thouhts connected with that rei-e.

(he last a00roach E will a00ly in -y thesis is the )enre theory. (us6a uses followin

citation to e0lain this a00roach*s ai-: Iit encouraes the critic to e0lore an indiidual

-otion 0icture in the broadest 0ossible eneric contet and to show how the fil- enlares and

alters the for- or ty0e to which it 0ro0erly belons.J (he alternation of the western enre in

3uro0ean westerns will be the 0ri-ary focus of -y research. (he enre theory will be of reat

i-0ortance also in case of the analysis of Lemonade Joe. Parody can e-ere only in

0articular 0hase of the enre – when the enre ehausted itself. +nd this was the case of

Lemonade Joe.

(he -ain 0roble- of this a00roach is of course the definition of the enre itself. (his issue

will be discussed -ore thorouhly in the net cha0ter.

#. G$%s& Ho'ses a%( Ca)t$ses * De+i%i%, te Ge%'e

(o co-e u0 with a decent definition of such a co-0le and aried 0heno-enon as western

a00ears to be a 0roble- for -ore than one scholar. (hrouhout its deelo0-ent the enre has

one throuh so -any transfor-ations – horse o0eras, e0ics, ro-ances, classics, IJ

westerns, 0arodies or antiwesterns – that findin a uniersal structure a-on this -anifold

-iture is difficult. Perha0s we should as6: Es it necessary to define western> Definin any

cultural 0heno-enon entails a certain deree of enerali4ation and li-itation, but it also

0roides us with a uniersal cultural rid which, when a00lied on the ins0ected fil-, should

show whether this -oie corres0onds to the characteristics of the enre or not.

(he current tendency a-on the scholars of western enre does not differ -uch fro- the

situation in other cultural fields: they can not aree u0on one acce0table definition of the

(us6a 1<5, 0. 12.

1!



#estern fil-. E would li6e to -ention here at least the -ost so0histicated atte-0ts which

were done in the effort to define the western enre.

&irst of all, it -ust be said that the western is an +-erican enre par e'ce!!ence. En his

essay The .vo!ution o/ the $estern +ndr a4in e0lains: Iwestern is rooted in the history of

the +-erican nation,J1! E thin6 this is a clai- each student of western would aree with. (he

western fil-s reflect the historical 0eriod fro- the end of the Ciil #ar until the 1<! when

the settle-ent of the #est finished and the &rotier was closed. (he deree of realis- in the

de0iction of the #ild #est on the Hollywood screen will not be a subect of -y attention

riht now.

o-e scholars ta6e a4in*s clai- een further and suest that besides of rowin out of

+-erican history the western enre also is a history.11 (his is for ea-0le what i- %itses

does. En Authorship and (enre* otes on the $estern, he starts the tet with followin words:

I(he #estern is +-erican history.J12 En other words, this -eans that besides reflectin the

history of the #ild #est, the western enre also is +-erican history.

+n ac6nowleded western scholar Oobert #arshow is the author of a crucial tet The

$esterner B15'. En this re-ar6able essay he characteri4es the ele-ents of western fil-: I+s

uns constitute the isible -oral center of the #estern -oie, suestin continually the

0ossibility of iolence, so land and horses re0resent the -oie*s -aterial basis, its s0here of

action.J1" (his -eans that there are three 6ey features which a western -oie should not lac6

– uns, land and horses. (he absence of a hero in this definition is ust for-al. +s the title of

#arshow*s essay 0ro-0ts, he analyses the western hero throuhout the 0a0er in reat detail.

#here the uns are, there is also iolence and as so-e scholars clai- that the western fil-

1! a4in, +ndr. The .vo!ution o/ the $estern B155. En %itses, i-, Oic6-an, Gre Beds.. The $estern 0eader . =i-eliht 3ditions, ?ew Mor6 1<, 0. '.11 #al6er, anet. "ntroduction* $esterns Throu)h #istory, En #al6er, anet. Bed. $esterns* -i!ms Throu)h #istory. Ooutlede, ?ew Mor6, =ondon 2!!1, 0. 1.12 %itses, i-. Authorship and (enre* otes on the $estern B1/. En %itses, i-, Oic6-an, Gre Beds.. The

$estern 0eader . =i-eliht 3ditions, ?ew Mor6 1<, 0. 57.1" #arshow, Oobert. Movie Chronic!e* The $esterner B15'. En: %itses, i-, Oic6-an, Gre Beds. The$estern 0eader . =i-eliht 3ditions, ?ew Mor6 1<, 0. "7.

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lorifies iolence.1' iolence for-s the action of western fil-s. Endeed, uns are a for- of

co--unication in westerns. (here is not -uch tal6in in the -oies, but instead you can

often here the unshots. (he #esterner is not a -an of words but of action. +s #arshow

-entions in The $esterner Iit co-es as a shoc6 when the hero is -ade to o0erate without a

un.J15 &or ea-0le in the -oie $inchester 12 the 0lot is entirely based u0on one un – the

#inchester 7". (he whole action circles around this 0articular rifle. En connection with the

role of iolence in westerns, #arshow -a6es an i-0ortant clarification: it is not iolence

itself which is in the centre of the -oie, but rather the western -an who e0resses hi-self

throuh iolence.1/ He is the fiure with who- the -ale audience can easily identify.

+lthouh the notion of iolence has been hy0ocritically reected by our society, -any -en

ad-ire Balthouh -aybe unconsciously the lihtness with which the #esterner IsolesJ the

dis0utes by si-0ly 0ushin the trier.

(he s0here of action is characteri4ed by horses and land. 3s0ecially the second definin

0oint – the landsca0e – is one of the 6ey ele-ents in western fil-s. (his is what 3dward

usco-be, a well6nown western scholar, defines as Ia sense of 0lace,J17 the -ost salient

characteristics of the enre. (he audience ta6es this feature for ranted, but if it wasn*t there

its absence would be noticed i--ediately. o in the first decade of 2!th century Iwestern

locations had one fro- bein a noelty to a necessity.J1< usco-be also arues that the bo

office success of the 3uro0ean western de0ended reatly on the authentic western loo6.1 En

their search of I3uro0ean )onu-ent alleyJ the 3uro0ean western directors found the -ost

suitable locations in 0ain or Croatia. =on shots of the wide o0en countryside associate a

1' Coyne 17, 0. ".15 #arshow 1<, 0. '2.1/ Ebid., 0. '7.17 chneider, (assilo. -indin) a ew #eimat in the $i!d $est* 3ar! May and the (erman $estern o/ the 4567’s.En: usco-be, 3dward, Pearson 3. Ooberta. Beds. 8ac9 in the Sadd!e A)ain* ew .ssays on the $estern. &EPublishin, =ondon 1<, 0. 1'<.1< usco-be. 3dward. "nventin) Monument &a!!ey* ineteenth Century Landscape Photo)raphy and the

$estern -i!m B15. En: %itses, i-, Oic6-an, Gre Beds.. The $estern 0eader . =i-eliht 3ditions, ?ewMor6 1<, 0. 11/.1 usco-be 1<, 0. 11/.

12



feelin of freedo- and are often used by the directors of westerns. Peo0le are not usually

0resent in these shots, and if, they are 0ortrayed as -iniature fiures, in contrast to the ast

areas of land. uch shots -ay hae an a-biuous effect on the audience. (hey can be either

associated with freedo- as E -entioned before or, on the other hand, they can stress -an*s

insinificance in his relation to nature. +s usco-be noticed, howeer, the landsca0e can

beco-e an obstacle for the narratie*s deelo0-ent as well. (his ha00ens in the case when

the western has a for- of a ourney and the o-ni0resent surroundin countryside -ust be

oerco-e.2!

(he last thin E want to 0oint out in connection with the western landsca0e is the

iconora0hical i-0ortance of a cactus. Cactuses are the ItreesJ of the #est which are

de0icted in al-ost all classical westerns. + desolate cactus with s0i6y thorns rese-bles a

loneso-e cowboy wonderin throuh the desert. En usco-be*s words Iit Bthe cactus

irtually ca-e to sinify the #est.J21

efore analy4in other definin atte-0ts, E will 0roide characteristics of a 0heno-enon

without which the western enre could hardly eist – the cowboy. &irst of all, what does he

loo6 li6e> (here is a certain dress code accordin to which we can identify hi-. He wears a

tetson hat, leatherstoc6ins, s0urs, has a un and rides a horse. #i6i0edia defines the

#estern heroes in followin ter-s: Ise-ino-adic wanderers, often cowboys, with life

reduced to its ele-ents.J22 (his definition tells us that a #esterner does not hae a 0er-anent

ho-e and lies a si-0le way of life. +nother characteristic thin about his life is that there are

no other no-ads aroundL he wanders throuh the desert alone, his only co-0anion bein his

horse. He is a straner and there is usually nobody who understands hi- but the saloon irl.

+s #arshow -entions in his essay Ithe #esterner is par e'ce!!ence a -an of leisure.J2" (his

2! Ebid., 0. 127.21 Ebid., 0. 12.22 #i6i0edia. #estern Benre. :e/inition. htt0:NNen.wi6i0edia.orNwi6iN#esternQR2<enreR2SDefinition./ )ay 2!!/.2" #arshow 1<, 0. "7.

1"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_(genre)#Definition

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_(genre)#Definition



-eans that he does not hae to wor6 and indeed, we see hi- -ost of the ti-e chattin in the

saloon, drin6in at the bar or a-blin. Et is true that fro- ti-e to ti-e he acce0ts an offer to

carry out so-e IdirtyJ wor6, but this is -ostly done for social 0ur0oses, not for his indiidual

0rofit. En fact, he neer does anythin for his own ood. Et see-s he has ot so-e hiher

-ission and that Ihe does what he has to do,J2' in the serice of the co--on ood. ecause

he is une-0loyed, he is not a rich 0erson but, at the sa-e ti-e, we are not ien an

i-0ression that he is 0oor either. His 0ro0erty usually consists of clothes, a un and a horse.

#arshow 0oints out another i-0ortant ele-ent relatin to the hero stereoty0e: to 0reent the

#esterner fro- beco-in a ridiculous fiure, he -ust be also i-0erfect in certain ways.25 (he

i-0erfectness -ay be seen in the fact that des0ite he fihts for ustice, he is still a 6iller of

-en. (he western hero is, in the end, an a-biuous fiure. He has ot two sides – the liht

one and the dar6 one.

(he last definition E would li6e to introduce here is by i- %itses. %itses reects a sinle

definition because accordin to hi- Ithe western is -any /orms,J and he does not want Ito

free4e the enre once and for all in a definitie -odel.J2/ &or hi- Iwestern is a western is a

western.J27 +lthouh his attitude -ay see- too eneral, he co-es u0 with a concrete solution.

He su--ari4es the conentions which, in his o0inion, constitute the western fil-s. (he first

as0ect has been already -entioned aboe – history. (he other conentions are: the-es,

archety0e and icons.2< ecause E find his theory sensible, E would li6e to e0lain its indiidual

as0ects. y the-es %itses -eans the fa-iliar 0lots which are e0ressed by stereoty0ical

characters and situations. (hese are used oer and oer aain only with sliht ariations

caused by a 0articular director. uch the-es are, e.. law ersus un, settlin old scores,

6inshi0 rialry, 3ast ersus #est etc. (he archety0es were incor0orated in westerns throuh

2' Ebid., 0. "<.25 Co-0. Ebid., 0. ".2/ %itses 1<, 0. /".27 Ebid., 0. /7.2< Ebid.

1'



the 0ul0 literature in which western has its oriin. (hrouh the influence of the

=eatherstoc6in (ales western ado0ted the ele-ents of ro-ance, traedy, co-edy and

-orality 0lay.2 (he last as0ect is the icons. (hese are e-ble-s associated with the western

-oies, e. . hat code, o0en landsca0e shot, tee0ee, saloon, cowboy sittin on a 0orch a4in

at the hori4on etc. +ll western -oies are flooded with the-. %itses conention su--ary is

in -y iew a useful deice how to identify western fil-s and how to distinuish the- fro-

other enres. Et is fleible enouh and at the sa-e ti-e it ca0tures the core ele-ents of the

western enre.

-. Wite Co!bo"s a%( Ote' e" /eat$'es i% Weste'%

o-e crucial as0ects of westerns hae not been -entioned yet and those will be 0ointed out

in this cha0ter.

E hae already dealt with the -ain 0rotaonist of western – the cowboy or the un-an.

(his ti-e E would li6e to concentrate -ore on his ethnic and ender identity. He has two

crucial Aualities – he is -ale and he is white. )ost +-ericans associate a ty0ical western hero

with the +-erican actor ohn #ayne. #estern*s cine-atic world is full of -acho ty0es,

iolence and alcohol. #his6ey and other alcoholic drin6s are characteristic sins of touh

uys. )oreoer they often hel0ed to ain courae or will to o on. Conditions for liin in the

#est were harsh and often only the stronest, in Darwinian ter-s, could surie. #esterns

are, aboe all, -oies about Ireal -enJ addressed to -ale audience. (here is not -uch s0ace

left within the enre for fe-ale fiures or 0ossible loe affairs.

3ce0t of lorifyin iolence, western also ty0ically celebrated the white race and its

ictory oer the wild deserted country. $ther races – Endians, lac6s or +sians – occur only

-arinally, at least durin the classical 0eriod of the enre. ?eertheless, it is a well 6nown

fact that the nu-ber of blac6 cowboys in #estern +-erica was not insinificant. rin6ley2 Co-0. %itses 1<, 0. /7.

15



offers followin infor-ation: I+-on cowboys, the -aority Bin the early years were

eterans of the Confederate ar-y. (he net larest rou0 consisted of blac6s.J"! Fntil the

Ciil Oiht era in the 1/!*s the lac6s were -ostly ecluded fro- westerns and in case they

were fil-ed, they were 0ortrayed as co-ic characters."1 (he Endians, for who- the #est was

their ho-e, receied on the screen si-ilar treat-ent. (hey were usually de0icted as saae

and rather childishL they re0resented adersaries of the ciili4ed white +-erican. +s the

western enre deelo0ed, the white orientation ceased to be so do-inant and the directors

too6 into consideration other ethnical rou0s* 0oint of iew as well.

+s it has been already -entioned here, the #esterner is a loneso-e -elancholic -an. He

is usually 0ortrayed as an inde0endent -obile unit in contrast to the coherent stable

co--unity. (he western hero is ecluded fro- the societyL nobody understands hi- and he

does not care -uch. En this liht he can be seen as an asocial or indiidualistic fiure.

+lthouh there are ea-0les of un-en for-in a 0osse in the later deelo0-ent of the enre

BThe Ma)ni/icent SevenL 1/!, The $i!d 8unchL 1/, its -e-bers are stron indiidual

characters. (hus the tensions and dis0utes a-on the- are always 0resent and there is a

constant threat of s0lit.

+n i-0ortant as0ect of western enre is its tendency to esca0is-. (his notion has ery

-uch in co--on with the -yth of the #est. (he enor-ous success of westerns with the

audience can be e0lained by the s0ectators* nostalia about the ha00y 0ast, when the land

was hue and aailable for -ini-al 0rices. (he +-ericans still want to beliee in the -yth of

their 0eaceful settle-ent and ciili4in of the desertL in the -yth of new beinnins. (he fact

that this IcultiationJ was -ore than anythin else a brutal inasion and ethnical cleansin

had not been ac6nowleded in western fil-s and until the 1/!*s there were not any atte-0ts

to 0o0ulari4e the historical truth and thus de-ytholoi4e the enre.

"! rin6ley, +lan. American history * a survey+ &o!+ ;< Since 4=6> ?8rin9!ey< 4554@. <th ed. )cGrawHill, ?ewMor6 11, 0. '7."1 Co-0. Coyne 17, 0. 5.

1/



&inally, the last ele-ent inherent to the western enre is the tension between two -ilieus –

wilderness and ciili4ation. y wilderness E -ean the i--aculate landsca0e of #estern

+-erica. Ciili4ation is e-bodied in the westerns in the notion of the 3ast and 0enetrates to

the #est in the -oies in the for- of construction of the railroad, telera0h usae or arrial

of the 0ress. (he clash between #est and 3ast 0roides a rich -aterial for western -oies*

0lots. )oreoer, those ea-0les of Ihih technoloyJ usually carry on with the- the notion

of the a00roachin end, of the early closin of the &rontier, of the loss of the #est.

0. Te Milesto%es i% Holl"!oo( Weste'%s Histo'" * A So't Ge%ealo," o+ te Weste'%

(he western enre has underone dra-atic chanes since its first a00earance on the screen at

the beinnin of 2!th century. tartin as a silent e0ic fil-, it was radually co-0leted with

sound, color and finally showed on wide screens.

(he 0ri-acy in the enre, i.e. shootin of the first western fil-, is traditionally ascribed to

3dwin . Porter*s The (reat Train 0o%%ery B1!". (his western is at the sa-e ti-e seen as

the first successful +-erican -oie which started the lon history of +-erican cine-a. (he

hero of the fil-, roncho illy +nderson, beca-e the first fa-ous cowboy. +lthouh the

-oie is only twele -inutes lon, it brouht reat success and other westerns soon followed.

En the first decades of the enre the na-es of the western heroes were -uch -ore widely

6nown than the na-es of the actual directors. (his was because hundreds of westerns were

bein shot and Auantity often 0reailed oer Auality. ?a-es such as #illia- . Hart, fa-ous

Hollywood actor and director of westerns, or (o- )i, another faorite western hero, should

not be o-itted here.

ecause of the lac6 of sound, the core of the silent westerns lay in the isual de0iction of

action scenes. (he narratie was unco-0licated and the characters una-biuous, in order not

17



to disturb s0ectator*s -ain focus on the action. &enin and 3erson -a6e a ood obseration

when they clai- that the early westerns were Ia00roached in a Auasidocu-entary fashion.J"2

(he first sound western that can be labeled a classic is the lorified Sta)ecoach of 1",

directed by ohn &ord. Et -ade &ord an icon, 0roduced the -ost fa-ous western hero of all

ti-es and set the basic stereoty0es of western characters. (he 0lot is ery si-0le – it follows

the story of a rou0 of straners who are brouht toether in a staecoach to =ordsbur. (he

crew is a cut throuh the western society of that ti-e – a ban6er, a drun6en doctor, a a-bler,

an outlaw, a 0rostitute and an educated lady fro- the 3ast. En this cleer -i &ord 0resented

different social classes and the clashes a-on the-. (he -oie created a new star – ohn

#ayne B(he Oino %id – which eentually beca-e an icon of the #ild #est itself.

Sta)ecoach started a new era of Auality westerns which continued until the 1/!*s, with a

short brea6 durin the #orld #ar EE. En the years followin Sta)ecoach ohn &ord 0roduced a

reat nu-ber of other ery 0o0ular westerns which beca-e classic 0ieces of the enre. (hese

are e.. -ort Apache B1'<, She $ore a e!!ow 0i%%on B1', 0io (rande B15!, The

Searchers B15/, The Man $ho Shot Li%erty &a!ance etc.

+-on other directors, %in idor*s :ue! in the Sun B1'/ or &red Tinne-ann*s #i)h

oon B152 can be rearded as western classics. +nother iconic western -oie is Shane

B15" directed by Geore teens. hane*s oriinality deries fro- its isual 0rocession. Et

Iwas the first biscreen Bistaision color western fil- eer 0roduced.J"" (he color, in

co-bination with the s0ectacular landsca0e and stereo0honic sound, has -ade Shane a

re-ar6able western.

(he for- of westerns in the later decades, i.e. fro- late 1"!*s to 1/!*s, chaned reatly.

En co-0arison to the shallow characters of the beinnin of the century, we now encounter

"2 &enin, Geore ?.L 3erson, #illia- %. The $estern+ -rom Si!ents to the Seventies. Gross-an Publishers, ?ew

Mor6 17", 0. 25."" #i6i0edia+ Shane Bfil-. htt0:NNen.wi6i0edia.orNwi6iNhane. 5 )ay 2!!/.

1<

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shane5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shane5



welldrawn lifeli6e characters, e.. in the Sta)ecoach. )oreoer, a socioloical, cultural or

0olitical as0ect is added in the fil-s. &or ea-0le, the 0lot in #i)h oon can be seen as a

strule of ood indiidual aainst the absence of law, after the co--unity has deserted hi-.

E hae not yet ta6en into account the deree of historicity 0resented in the westerns. En

connection with the -yth of the #est, the 0ortrayal of the life in the #ild #est in Hollywood

-oies was hihly ro-antici4ed until the 1/!*s. (he settle-ent of the #est was de0icted

fro- the iew of the white -ale, as a search of a ciili4ed -an for a new ho-e full of

0ro-ises. (he Endians of Hollywood western were there only to 0reent hi- fro- this noble

ai-. (his Iro-anticJ de0iction bean to chane only in the 1/!*s.

(he net stae brouht about a eneric, as well as an ideoloical shift. Probably in

connection with the rowin interest in ciil rihts issues in the Fnited tates in the -id

1/!*s, the western fil- had ceased to be eclusiely white -ale oriented. Portrayal of the

#ild #est ca-e closer to the historical truthL in other words the western was de-ytholoi4ed.

(his 6ind of western is called a reisionist western or antiwestern, because it reerses so-e

of the established western clichs.

+-on the -ost fa-ous reisionist westerns are e.. Cheyenne Autumn B1/', one of

&ord*s latest fil-s, where the Endians are 0ortrayed as icti-s of white officer*s co--ands

and a role of a stron wo-an is introducedL The $i!d 8unch directed by acco-0lished

western director a- Pec6in0ah, where the audience is -ade to sy-0athi4e with a iolent

antiheroL Litt!e 8i) Man B17!, a western -oie -ade by +rthur Penn, which faors Endians

and contains ele-ents of blac6 hu-or Be.. a ho-oseual EndianL or Oobert +lt-an*s Mc

Ca%e and Mrs+ Mi!!er B171, a fe-inist western.

(he 17!*s saw a shar0 decline in the 0roduction of Hollywood western fil-s. +fter oin

throuh the reisionist 0hase, the enre see-ed to be ehausted. ?eertheless, the center of

1



western -oies 0roduction -oed elsewhere – to 3uro0e. (here it was receied ery

enthusiastically and ained a new, uniAue face.

(he last 0hase, with which E will end this brief enealoy, is the conte-0orary western. En

the 1!*s the western was a -arinal enre. ?eertheless, fro- ti-e to ti-e, a few

successful western -oies e-ered, which 0roed, that the enre is still 0o0ular a-on the

audiences. (o s0ea6 of concrete fil-s, such an enor-ous co--ercial success was caused by

%ein Costner*s :ances with $o!ves B1!. Costner*s -oie can be also seen as a reisionist

western, because it de0icts the white -ale officers in an a00allin liht, in contrast to the

?atie +-ericans, who are 0resented as 0eaceful naUe 0eo0les.

(he conte-0orary western often deals with 0sycholoical, ender and social issues. (hus,

we hae an o00ortunity to watch a fe-ale western whose heroine is a wo-an wearin a un –

The Buic9 and the :ead B15. En the sa-e year a noted director of inde0endent -oies, i-

ar-usch, 0roduced an oriinal 0ost-odern western -oie :ead Man B15. (he blac6 and

white :ead Man is considered an antiwestern, because it brea6s seeral traditional western

cateories. +t the center of the -oie there is a friendshi0 of a white -an, )r. la6e Bohny

De00, and a ?atie Endian na-ed ?obody BGary &ar-er. (he na-es the-seles indicate the

cynical -ood of the fil-. +lthouh the fiure of ?obody is entirely fictional, ar-usch -ade

an ehaustie inestiation into the life of the ?atie +-ericans. (he 0ur0ose of ?obody*s

role in the -oie is to reise the white -an*s cri-es co--itted aainst Endians. (he latest

conte-0orary western fil- is not so -uch a western as it is a cowboy -oie. Ets na-e is

8ro9e%ac9 MountainL directed by +n =ee it was released in 2!!5. Et ies a dee0 insiht into

the loe relationshi0 between two ho-oseual cowboys.

2. Te St'$)t$'e o+ Weste'% Mo3ies * Plot 4a'iatio%s

2!



Ef we loo6 closer at the structure of western fil-s, we find a si-0le 0attern which is re0eated

throuhout the decades only with subtle ariations: the hero arries in town, learns that the

co--unity is tyranni4ed by a illain and his -ob, hel0s the town to et rid of hi-Nthe- and

leaes the town after acco-0lishin his -ission. (he hero is usually rewarded for his heroic

deeds by the loe of the town*s -ost beautiful and irtuous wo-an, whose feelins he can not

reci0rocate.

(his structure was elaborated further by the already -entioned western scholar and

structuralist #ill #riht. #riht noticed that Ithe ty0es of 0eo0le in western fil-s hae not

chaned oer the years, only the ways in which they interact.J"' En order to 0roe this clai-,

#riht chose westerns fro- 1"!*s to 17!*s whose rentals eceeded four -illion dollars and

analy4ed their narratie structures. En those westerns #riht discoered four basic ty0es of

0atterns – the classical 0lot, the eneance ariation, the transition the-e and the 0rofessional

0lot."5 3ach 0lot corres0onds to certain historical 0eriod and thus the chanes between

indiidual 0lots reflect the eneric shifts within western fil-s.

efore E introduce the four ty0es E would li6e to note that #riht*s 0lots are defined on the

basis of the binary o00ositions. (hree 6ey features – the hero, illains and society – are

co-0ared within these dichoto-ies. (he ele-entary o00osition is outsideNinside, the -ain

contrast bein the loneso-e hero outside the society, as o00osed to the locals inside the

coherent co--unity. (he illains hae an a-biuous 0osition in this cateoryL they are

so-eti-es inside and so-eti-es outside the society. $ther 0airs include oodNbad – in

#riht*s theory this is the tension between the ood hero and the society and the bad illains

on the other sideL -aleNfe-ale – usually a wea6 wo-an who falls in loe with the stron hero

or stronNwea6 – the stron hero and illains in o00osition to wea6 society.

"' (us6a 1<5, 0. 1"."5 Co-0. Ebid.

21



(he classical 0lot accordin to #riht Iis the story of the lone straner who rides into a

troubled town and cleans it u0, winnin the res0ect of the townsfol6 and the loe of the

school-ar-.J"/ (his definition is further differentiated into siteen eolution staes:

B1 (he hero enters a social rou0.B2 (he hero is un6nown to society.B" (he hero is reealed to hae an ece0tional ability.B' (he society reconi4es a difference between the-seles and the heroL the hero is ien as0ecial statusB5 (he society does not co-0letely acce0t the hero.B/ (here is a conflict of interests between the illains and the society.B7 (he illains are stroner than the societyL the society is wea6.B< (here is a stron friendshi0 or res0ect between the hero and a illain.B (he illains threaten the society.

B1! (he hero aoids inole-ent in the conflict.B11 (he illains endaner a friend of the hero.B12 (he hero fihts the illains.B1" (he hero defeats the illains.B1' (he society is safe.B15 (he society acce0ts the hero.B1/ (he hero loses or ies u0 his s0ecial status."7

(he classical 0lot era dates fro- 1"!*s to 155 and #riht includes here e.. Shane or

:ue! in the Sun."< +s E -entioned earlier, #riht*s theory is called into Auestion a-on so-e

scholars, e.. ohn (us6a clai-s that :ue! in the Sun does not fit in the classical 0lot cateory

at all. ?ot only because the -ain 0rotaonist is an Endian wo-an, but also because her s0ecial

ability is defined as se."

(he eneance 0lot and the transition the-e are ariations of the classical one. En the

for-er, the hero is -ore lin6ed with the illains than with the society, as in the classical 0lot.IFnli6e the classical hero who oins the society because of his strenth and their wea6ness,

the eneance hero leaes the society because of his strenth and their wea6ness.J'! (he

"/ (us6a 1<5, 0. 1'."7 3l6ins, a-es O. otes /rom $i!! $ri)hts Si' (un and Society. =awyers and &il-.

htt0:NN-yweb.wnet.eduNVel6insNfil-!'Nwriht.ht-l. 1! an 2!!/."< Co-0. Place, aney. Structured Cow%oys. Jump Cut* 0eview o/ Contemporary Media. no. 1<. +uust 17<,

2!!5. 00. 2/2<. htt0:NNwww.eu-0cut.orNarchieNonlinessaysNC1<folderN/unsociety.ht-l. < )ay 2!!/." (us6a 1<5, 0. 1'.'! 3l6ins. htt0:NN-yweb.wnet.eduNVel6insNfil-!'Nwriht.ht-l. 1! an 2!!/.

22

http://myweb.wvnet.edu/~jelkins/film04/wright.html

http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC18folder/6gunsSociety.html








content of the eneance ariation differs in these 0oints: the hero see6s eneanceL the hero

oes outside the societyL the hero ta6es u0 his reene.'1 En this cateory #riht enlisted e..

&ord*s -oies Sta)ecoach and The Searchers. Historically, it oerla0s with the end of the

classical era and continues until the 1/!*s, with later recurrences.'2

(he transition the-e, as the na-e reeals, indicates a shift fro- the classical 0lot. +t the

beinnin, the hero is inside the society and leaes it at the end. En this narratie 0attern, the

society is well established and radually beco-es hostile to the hero. Et acAuires the role of

the illains fro- the classical 0lot. (he shinin ea-0le of transition the-e is Tinne-ann*s

#i)h oon+

(he distinctie feature of the 0rofessional 0lot is that the hero oes out of his loneliness

and for-s a 0osse with other un-en. #hat connects the- is a co--on wor6 or tas6, usually

done in faor of the society which is alone inca0able of fihtin the illains. (he heroes in the

0rofessional 0lot beco-e less 0ositie than the hero of the 0reious 0lots. En this sense, they

should rather be considered as antiheroes. Historically, this 0lot coers the era fro- 1/< to

17! and its re0resentaties accordin to #riht are e.. a- Pec6in0ah*s $i!d 8unch or Ooy

Hill*s 8utch Cassidy and Sundance 3id B1/.

E will ea-ine the a00licability of #riht*s 0lot ty0es in the structural analysis of the

C4ech 0arody western Limonádový Joe.

5. Ste'eot"6es

?o -atter what the reserations of so-e scholars to #riht*s theory -iht be, we can say that

the characters in western -oies hae not chaned -uch throuhout the eistence of the

'1 &ro- #ill #riht, i Guns and ociety. &en)eance &ariation. Fniersity of )issouri, t. =ouis.htt0:NNwww.u-sl.eduNdiisionsNartscienceNenlishNfacultyNradyN3?G3+?C3.ht-. < )ay 2!!/.'2 Co-0. Place. htt0:NNwww.eu-0cut.orNarchieNonlinessaysNC1<folderN/unsociety.ht-l. < )ay 2!!/.

2"

http://www.umsl.edu/divisions/artscience/english/faculty/grady/VENGEANCE.htm








enre. E will now characteri4e the -ost i-0ortant western stereoty0es. (his ty0oloy will be

used later in co-0arison with the characters in Limonádový Joe.

5.1 Te He'o

En the early westerns we encounter a hihly ideali4ed i-ae of #esterner. He is a handso-e,

slihtly fe-inine ty0e, usually dressed in shinin white s0otless clothes – a thin which could

hae neer ha00ened in the dusty streets of the real #ild #est. +n ea-0le of such a Isu0erJ

hero is the first fa-ous cowboy (o- )i. )oreoer, the hero was not 0erfect only aesthically

but also s0iritually. Gene +utry*s I(en Co--and-ents of the CowboyJ characteri4e well the

early stereoty0e of a cowboy. '" (he early i-ae of a cowboy should behae accordin to

followin rules: e.. Ihe -ust not ta6e unfair adantae, he -ust always tell the truth, be

entle with children, elderly 0eo0le and ani-als, be a ood wor6er, 6ee0 hi-self clean in

thouht, s0eech, action and 0ersonal habits. He -ust neither drin6 nor s-o6e.J'' (hese

co--and-ents cannot be ta6en seriously in today*s westerns. uch an ideali4ed i-ae of a

cowboy beco-es eactly what #arshow 0redicted – ridiculous. En this -o-ent, 0arody

co-es on the scene. =e-onade oe is an ea-0le of the 0rinci0les e-bodied in the I(en

Co--and-entsJ. His hy0erbolic 0erfection 0roides s0ace for the tools of 0arody.

$ne as0ect of hero*s character neer chanes – he always stands on the side of ood. Good

in this sense is eAuialent to law. He co-es fro- the outside Bwe do not 6now fro- where

and hel0s the city to settle down its dis0utes. (his is usually done by -eans of a un, althouh

the hero tries to 0reent the iolence to the ery end. ?eertheless, his -urderous reasons are

of noble oriin: 0ayin off reene, sain wo-an*s life etc.

+s the enre deelo0ed, the hero was beco-in -ore aressie and brutal and the

shootin was done -ore easily.

'" &enin, 3erson 17", 0. 2!.'' Ebid.

2'



(he heroic deeds of the cowboy often result in e-otional attraction of so-e wo-an to the

hero. ut because the hero is a no-adic inde0endent fiure, thins such as a fa-ily life or

settlin down are out of Auestion. %issin or other seual issues are also aoided because they

could s0oil the -elancholic adenturous at-os0here of western -oies. En this contet, and in

co-bination with the I(en Co--and-entsJ, the hero acAuires al-ost -on6li6e Aualities.

&inally, the hero rides off alone on horsebac6, towards the hori4on in the distance.

&or -ost +-ericans the hero stereoty0e is associated with the +-erican actor ohn

#ayne. #ayne 0layed the 0art of -any fa-ous western heroes, e.. (o- Doni0han in The

Man $ho Shot Li%erty &a!ance. (o- is the -an who hel0s the town to et rid of the outlaw

and at the sa-e ti-e saes his friend*s life. En the end this friend ets the wo-an of (o-*s

heart and (o- stays alone as a ty0ical #esterner. $ther #ayne*s sinificant roles are (he

Oino %id of Sta)ecoach or 3than 3dwards in The Searchers. + well6nown hero stereoty0e

beca-e also #yatt 3ar0 BHenry &onda, the brae sheriff of (o-bstone in My :ar!in)

C!ementine B1'/.

5.# Te A%ti7e'o

#ith the arrial of the reisionist western in the 1/!*s, the -ain 0rotaonist has underone

an i-0ortant chane. +s the enre 0roressed towards its de-ytholoi4ation, the hero was

beco-in -ore and -ore realistic. His 0ositie Aualities retreated and the neatie started to

0reail. En connection with +utry*s I(en Co--and-entsJ it can be said, that the antihero

brea6s all of the-. (he antihero does not thin6 twice before he firesL he shoots a -an as

easily as he orders another lass of whis6ey. He -ay be a ban6 robber as in 8utch Cassidy

and Sundance 3id< neertheless the audience will loe hi- and een 6ee0 their finers

crossed for hi- to run away with a ba full of -oney. En co-0arison to his 0ositie

0redecessor, the antihero stereoty0e is seually -ore -atured. He shows interest in wo-en

25



and een ets inoled in a loe affair, althouh only te-0orarily. (he duration and character

of the relationshi0 is eAual to antihero*s choice of wo-en: sinle e0erienced fe-ales,

usually fro- around the local saloon.

+ iid ea-0le of an antihero is ac6 Crabb in The Litt!e 8i) ManL althouh he is a

confused, clu-sy, 0hysically wea6, anti-acho fiure, he -anaes to surie because he is

luc6y. (he western -oies which started to be 0roduced in Etaly in the -id /!*s, the socalled

0ahetti westerns, 0roduced a crucial antihero fiure – Clint 3astwood – a brutal -an

without a na-e.

5.- Te 4illai%

(his cateory contains a colorful rane of ban6 robbers, alcohol or un s-ulers, cattle

thiees, staecoach bandits – in one word, the outlaws. (heir 0lace is on the dar6 side, on the

side of eil, where law is inored or totally absent. (he &rontier was full of such ty0es. (hey

too6 adantae of the la leal syste- and anony-ous -ilieu.

#ithout the rascals, the western enre would lac6 a factor, which is crucial for buildin u0

the story – the o00osition between the neatie and the 0ositie characters. #ithout the illain

we could not fully reali4e and a00reciate the fairness of the hero. (he nature of westerns is

li6e the one of fairy tales – it faors the heroes, illains always lose. (he strule between

those two 0arties for-s the basis of the western 0lot. (he border between ood and eil

worlds is so-eti-es 0er-eable and thus the hero can easily be a for-er outlaw who was later

refor-ed. (he shinin ea-0le of this situation is (he Oino %id Bohn #ayne in

Sta)ecoach. Gettin on the board IhandcuffedJ, he ets off in =ordsbur as a hero with the

intention of -arriae and settled life. uch twist in cateory can create a -oral tension and

-a6e the story -ore interestin. + 0o0ular 0lot deice is to lin6 the hero and the illain by

-eans of 6inshi0.

2/





so-eti-es she can 0erfor- -ore actie, te-0tin ways of behaior. +s E will e0lain now,

there are different 6inds of fe-ales in western.

#o-en in westerns are usually reduced to two basic stereoty0es, which hae so-e -inor

ariations – Irancher*s dauhterJ and Isaloon irlJ. (hey stand in o00osition to each other

and dis0lay totally different Aualities.

(he re0resentatie of the first rou0 is a wea6, naUe, fa-ilyoriented lady with ood

-anners. he is usually so-ehow interconnected with the 3ast or with its associations –

ciili4ation, education, reliion etc. he -ay as well be a 0ioneer, a Puritan, who had co-e to

the #est in search of better to-orrows. En this sense she beco-es what =ucas calls the

Irancher*s dauhterJ.'/ ery often this stereoty0e is a caalry-an*s wife or a Wua6er with

-essianic intentions, such as te-0erance -oe-ent or educational -ission. En this contet

this stereoty0e is so-eti-es referred to as Ischool-ar-J.'7 (he two fe-ale ty0es are also

distinuished 0hysically – the rancher*s dauhter usually bein an anelli6e fiure with fair

hair, analoous to her 0ure nature. (he concrete ea-0les of such fe-ales in westerns are

-any: )arshal %ane*s 0acifist Wua6er wife +-y BGrace %elly in #i)h oon, loyal wife and

-other %athleen Mor6e B)aureen $*Hara in 0io (rande etc.

(he adersary character of the rancher*s dauhter, in =ucas*s ter-inoloy, is a Isaloon

irlJ.'< En contrast to her ciili4ed counter0art, the saloon irl is an e0erienced, inde0endent

and seually aressie fiure. #e usually encounter her at the bar or, -ore 0recisely, on the

bar – dancin, drin6in, s-o6in, in one word entertainin -en. he usually lies directly in

the saloon or in the nearby hotel. he is a wo-an without co--it-ents – a 0rostituteL we can

neer i-aine her as a fa-ily -e-ber or een as a -other. o-eti-es, she can be a rich

widow, inoled in a blac6 -ar6et, dealin with uns, alcohol or drus. Et is not a bi sur0rise

when she 0ulls out a un fro- a drawer and handles it Auite well. (his deilish sinful wo-an

'/ =ucas 1<, 0. "!".'7 chool-ar- is a fe-ale teacher in a s-all town Ba co-0ound of school and -ada-.'< =ucas 1<, 0. "!".

2<



is usually 0ortrayed with dar6 hair which stresses the character of her soul. Her role in the 0lot

is ust -arinal – she often 6ee0s so-e 6ind of secret, usually connected with the hero*s dar6

0ast, e.. that they were inoled in a loe affair. hinin ea-0le of such a stereoty0e is

Helen Oa-ire4 B%aty urado in #i)h oonL she is the total o00osite of s0iritually innocent

+-y. +nother re0resentatie of this fe-ale cateory could be Dallas BClaire (reor in

Sta)ecoach. En this crucial western, &ord -ade an interestin switch: the Kood* irl is a

brunette and the Krotten* one a blonde. ur0risinly, blonde, war-hearted 0rostitute Dallas is

de0icted with -ore sy-0athy than rather cold dar6 but ciili4ed =ucy )allory B=ouise Platt,

Bthe reason of this inersion -ay be that Dallas wants to chane – she is leain the town

where she used to lie, 0lans to settle down and start a new, better life. he een shows so-e

-aternal Aualities – durin the adenturous ourney to =ordsbur she hel0s to delier a baby

and loo6s after it later. E thin6 that the s0ectator identifies with her -ore than with =ucy,

because they want to beliee that eery hu-an can redee- and bein a new better lifeL

es0ecially in the #est.

II. COWBOYS ENTER THE EUROPEAN CONTINENT

1. E$'o6ea% Weste'% /il8

3uro0ean 0roduction co-0anies started to 0roduce westerns only when the enre bean to

fade in its country of oriin in the -id sities. +t that ti-e, the olden ae of +-erican

western was oer and it was oin throuh the reisionist 0hase. 3uro0e too6 chare and

continued in the deelo0-ent of the enre. (hus -ost of the 3uro0ean westerns fro- the

1/!*s belon to the reisionist cateory. ?eertheless, also other for-s of western e-ered

– I0ahetti westernJ, 0arodies, co-edies or een ro-antici4ed, fairytale li6e Ger-an

westerns.

2



(he 3uro0ean directors of westerns bean to 0roduce a enre which was until that ti-e

considered eclusiely +-erican. &irstly, it dealt with the history of settle-ent of the western

0art of the Fnited tates. econdly, the +-erican landsca0e 0layed a crucial role in the

0roduction of westerns. Concernin the first 0roble-, the 3uro0eans handled the historical

-aterial considerably well, in so-e cases een better then the IfathersJ of the enre. &or

ea-0le the Ger-an Endian -oies fro- the D3&+ 0roduction de0ict the coeistence of

white settlers with the ?atie +-erican 0eo0le ery realisticallyL -oreoer, they offer an

ece0tional iew on the -atter – the whites are illustrated as bad corru0t 0eo0le har-in the

Endians. (he reason of the historically -ore accurate 0ortrayal in the 3uro0ean westerns is, on

one hand, enre*s de-ytholoi4ation durin the reisionist 0eriod. (he other cause is 0erha0s

the fact that the 3uro0eans, in contrast to the +-ericans, were not inoled with their own

-yth and could e-brace the to0ic -ore obectiely, or in the case of a 0arody, -ore lihtly.

(he 0roble- with the eora0hical settin was soled Auite eleantly as well. (he

3uro0ean 0roduction co-0anies did not hae enouh financial -eans to -oe the whole crew

to Grand Canyon, so they had to loo6 for a closer 0lace. +nd they did not hae to o far – the

dry southern 0lains of 0ain or Croatia offered an ideal eniron-ent for si-ulatin the #ild

#est countryside.

(he western enre beca-e Auic6ly 0o0ular with 3uro0ean audiences. +lthouh westerns

are 0laced in s0ecific historical and eora0hical settin, their 0lot is uniersal and can

address a wide rane of s0ectators. )oreoer, the 0articularity can function in a 0ositie way

as an eotic attraction for the 3uro0eans cine-aoers. &enin and 3erson e0lain that

Ibecause of the #estern*s forein oriin, it retains a 6ind of eotic a00eal for the 3nlish

child that it no loner has for the +-erican.J' E su00ose that this clai- is true for -ost of the

3uro0e*s children audience as it -anifests itself for ea-0le in the 0o0ular a-e of

' &enin, 3erson 17", 0. "21.

"!



ICowboys and Endians.J +nother western*s well e0ortable co--odity has always been

action. Gradually, the Hollywood cine-a as such beca-e associated with action fil-s.

efore E will draw an outline of the 3uro0ean countries which 0layed a sinificant role in

the 0roduction of westerns, E find it hel0ful to clarify one theoretical 0roble-. +s &enin and

3erson stress, there is a difference between the imitation of the western, the utili4ation of

#estern*s techniAues and the in/!uence of the western enre u0on fil-s that are not

considered westerns.5! o-e fil-s -ay utili4e the techniAues which are nor-ally used by the

directors of westernsL ea-0les of such IloansJ are lon shots of the landsca0e, stunt-an*s

-ethods or sound tric6s etc. $ther -oies are influenced directly by the western enreL this is

the case of the anster fil-s which use so-e of the features of westerns, e.. the conce0tion

of a hero, adenture and law. ut in -y thesis E will only deal with the fil-s that try to i-itate

the +-erican western enre, that is fil-s which so-ehow rese-ble the +-erican westerns in

their style. (he Ger-an fil-s are a ood ea-0le of i-itations of westernsL they try to co0y

the historical and eora0hical settin of +-erican westerns. (he reason why E will

concentrate on the i-itation westerns is because the -oie on which E focus in -y thesis –

Limonádový Joe – also belons to this cateory.

&ro- the 3uro0ean countries which shot westerns, Etaly and Ger-any can be considered

the -aor 0roducers of westerns. En the -id /!*s Etalian directors started to 0roduce a uniAue

style of westerns which was labeled I0ahetti westernJ. $biously, it has nothin in

co--on with the fa-ous Etalian 0asta but rather seres as a -ar6 to denote the national oriin

of these fil-s. I0ahetti westernsJ are usually narrowed down to one director – erio

=eone – and one actor – Clint 3astwood. (he first successful Etalian western which triered

the I0ahettiJ wae was The -ist/u!! o/ :o!!ars B Per un pu)no di do!!ariL 1/'.51 (his

5! Co-0. Ebid., 0. "27.51 =eone based the story of The -ist/u!! o/ :o!!ars on a0anese fil- oDim%o B1/1 by +6ira %urosawa. (his

was not for the first ti-e that director of western fil- was influenced by a0anese -oie. &or ea-0le when+-erican director ohn tures wor6ed on The Ma)ni/icent Seven B1/! he was ins0ired by another%urosawa*s fil- Seven Samurai B15'.

"1



-oie is a 0art of the fa-ous IDollarJ triloy, the other two westerns bein -or a -ew

:o!!ars More B Per Eua!che do!!aro in piFL 1/5 and The (ood< the 8ad and the G)!y

B 8uono< i! %rutto< i! cattivo, ElL 1//. Etalian westerns tried to co0y the style of +-erican

westerns as closely as 0ossible. (hey were usually shot in 0ain in order to i-itate the

)eican border where the action of Etalian westerns was set. Etalian directors often used

3nlish na-es, e.. ob Oobertson was erio =eone*s 0seudony-. =eone een assined

+-erican actor in his -oies – Clint 3astwood. ac6 in the Fnited tates, 3astwood was ust

an aerae actor but in 3uro0e, =eone -ade hi- a star. He beca-e the well6nown I-an

without a na-eJ, the brutal silent antihero. Perha0s the -ost sinificant feature of I0ahetti

westernsJ is iolence. Etalian westerns are -uch -ore brutal than the +-erican ones. Good

ea-0les are the ten-inute wild shootin scenes in The -ist/u!! o/ :o!!ars. Et should be

0ointed out that -usic 0layed an i-0ortant role in I0ahetti westernsJ. (he soundtrac6 is

tihtly lin6ed with the co-0oser 3nnio )orricone. En Etalian westerns -usic was used as a

-eans of co--unication and to hihliht the -ood of the concrete scene. En =eone*s

-aster0iece Hnce Gpon a Time in the $est BC’era una vo!ta i! $est L 1/< there is a

character called Har-onica. (his hero is a silent -an who uses his har-onica instead of

tal6in. #ith co-bination of -elancholic -usic and closeu0s, =eone creates a uniAue

at-os0here with a feelin of nostalia.

#ith the e-erence of I0ahetti westernJ the roles between +-erican and 3uro0ean

westerns hae reersed. ?ow the Etalian western bean to influence +-erican directors, such

as a- Pec6in0ah in the -oie $i!d 8unch.

Ger-any acAuired a s0ecial na-e of its westerns which was ta6en fro- the area of

national food as well – I%raut #esternJ. (he Ger-an westerns can be differentiated into two

rou0s. #esterns of the first rou0 oriinated in the 3ast Ger-an state -oie 0roduction

D3&+ between the years 1//1<". (hey are called Endian fil-s and belon to a larer

"2





authentic western loo6 in Muoslaia. (han6s to its 0o0ulari4ation in the #est Ger-an

westerns, these 0laces beca-e nowadays faorite tourist destinations.

+fter reachin the 3uro0ean continent, the enre has soon do-esticated there and -ore

3uro0ean countries followed in the 0roduction of westerns. &rance released a considerable

nu-ber of westerns which were cateori4ed as ICa-e-bertJ westerns, oinin the 3uro0ean

rou0 of Ifood westernsJ. (he -ost debated &rench western is ean astia*s :ynamite Jac9

B1/1, a 0arody of the +-erican westerns. (he ICa-e-bertJ western radually s0read

outside &rance, to &rench colonies – )orocco and +leria. +n ac6nowleded s0ecialist in

&rench westerns, Peter . loo-, e0lains how the relations of &rance and its colonies were

reflected in the +-erican western: IEn &rance, colonial +leria and )orocco were

re0resented as the &rench frontier -ost freAuently co-0ared to the cli-ate, o00ortunities and

-oral dile--as of the +-erican #est.J5" (he rihts to :ynamite Jac9 were later bouht by

+lerian directors &ella and +llalou who re-ade it into 0olitical satire on the conte-0orary

reliious situation in +leria. (he na-e of the +lerian ersion is :ynamite Moh B1/,

)oh bein a short na-e for the Esla-ic 0ro0het )oha--ed. E find reali4ation of such

0olitically critical -oie ery darin, es0ecially when you consider the serious attitude of

)usli- co--unity towards any 6ind of 0arody fro- the #estern world addressed to their

diine Pro0het.

=ast 3uro0ean country which should not be o-itted in connection with the 0roduction of

westerns is Oussia Bthen: the oiet Fnion. ecause of the eora0hical location the Oussian

westerns are so-eti-es referred to as 3asterns B$sterns or Oed #esterns. (he story of

3asterns is usually set in the 0eriod of Oussian Ciil #ar in Central +sia in the 12!*s. (he

action is created by the conflict between Oussian Oed +r-y and the Ias-achiJ rebels.

Ias-achiJ or bandits is a 0eoratie ter- used by oiet officials for the Esla-ic radicals

5"

loo-, Peter + 8eyond the $estern -rontier* 0eappropriations o/ the I)ood %adman in -rance< the -renchco!onies< and contemporary A!)eria+ En: #al6er, anet Bed.. $esterns+ -i!ms Throu)h #istory. Ooutlede, ?ewMor6, =ondon 2!!1, 0. 17.

"'



liin in the area of (ur6estan.5' ?eertheless, so-e historians disaree and clai- that the

rebels were Iordinary 0easants and no-ads who o00osed the cultural i-0erialis- of

Oussia.J55 (he reolt of Ias-achiJ 0eo0le aainst the olshei6 brutality can be iewed as a

0olitical alleory based on the 0attern of the strule between +nloaon settlers and

+-erican ?aties in westerns.

$hite Sun o/ the :esert B 8e!oe So!ntse PustyniL 1/ was not only the -ost successful

Oussian Oed #estern but also one of the -ost 0o0ular Oussian -oies eer. (he 0lot

deelo0s around the Ias-achiJ rebellion, co-binin ele-ents of co-edy and dra-a. (he

soundtrac6 of the -oie created fa-ous hits and its sayins enriched the ocabulary of

Oussian lanuae. En short, $hite Sun o/ the :esert beca-e a cult. +nother ea-0le of Oed

#estern with the Ias-achiJ to0ic is The 8ody)uard BTe!ohranite! L 17.

#. C9e)oslo3a:ia

#. 1. Weste'%s a%( te T'a(itio% o+ A8e'i)a% West i% C9e)oslo3a:ia

Parody as a for- assu-es a ood 6nowlede of the enre which is la-0ooned. Eronically,

des0ite the reat success of Limonádový Joe, this condition was not fulfilled in

C4echosloa6ia. (he distribution of +-erican westerns was scarce at the ti-e when

Limonádový Joe was released. &il- critic Ean Do8@6 infor-s about the situation in C4ech

cine-as in a fil- -aa4ine -i!m a do%a fro- the 1/': Iince the ti-e when the i-0ort of

+-erican fil-s was interru0ted as a conseAuence of #orld #ar EE until now, this -eans for

al-ost a Auarter of century, only one western fil- has been released in co--on fil-

distribution – #i)h oon.J5/ He further clai-s that a li-ited nu-ber of audiences saw a

cou0le of -oies by &ord in the fil- clubs.57 (hus we hae to loo6 for the reason of

5' Co-0. #ales, i--y Bfounder. #i6i0edia. (he &ree 3ncyclo0edia. 8asmachi 0evo!t . / un 2!!/.htt0:NNen.wi6i0edia.orNwi6iNas-achi. 11 un 2!!/.55 8asmachi 0evo!t . htt0:NNen.wi6i0edia.orNwi6iNas-achi. 11 un 2!!/.5/ rde;6a, i89. Limonádový Joe ane% 3oKs9á opera. Xes6osloens6Y fil-oY Zsta, Praha 1<<, 0. 1</.57 Co-0. Ebid.

"5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basmachi







Limonádový Joe*s success so-ewhere else. En -y iew the eleated acce0tance of the -oie

was a co-bination of the two followin thins.

&irstly, it is the -ultilayered hu-or which =i0s6Y s6illfully incor0orated within

Limonádový Joe. (he s0oof of the -oie is built, on one hand, on the 0arody of +-erican

western e0icsL these are the o6es referrin to brea6in the western clichs. (he other layer of

hu-or is for-ed by as and uniersal co-ic ele-ents which do not corres0ond to western

enre, but the audience enoys the-, althouh it lac6s the ood 6nowlede of +-erican

westerns.

(he second as0ect which, in -y o0inion, bro6e the round for the 0arody of westerns was

the 0o0ularity and tradition of the +-erican #ild #est culture in C4echosloa6ia.

(he enchant-ent by the +-erican #ild #est culture has ot a lon tradition in the C4ech

Oe0ublic, for-er C4echosloa6ia. Et dates bac6 to 1th century and it was lin6ed with the birth

of the tra-0 -oe-ent. 5< (he tra-0 culture and westerns hae certainly -any features in

co--on, e.. the loe of countryside and surial in it or worshi0 of freedo-. (he ro-antic

idea of the +-erican &rontier was also elicited by the distribution of di-e noels or

=eatherstoc6in (ales, in C4ech countries called Krodo6a0s*, and later by the western fil-s.5

(he Korthodo* C4ech #ild #est fans radually se0arated fro- the tra-0 -oe-ent and

for-ed a sinificant Country and #estern rou0, 0arallel to the oriinal +-erican C[#

-oe-ent. (hey started to orani4e eents which co0ied the life on the &rontier: country

balls, festials of C[# culture, horse ridin etc. ecause of the co--unist rei-e which, of

course, did not su00ort this 0ro+-erican -oe-ent, -any of these actiities were held in

secret. (he first leally 0ublic eent was the C4echosloa6ian Pony 30ress ride in 1<5,

which has been orani4ed eery year since then./! ince that ti-e the 0o0ularity of +-erican

5< #esterners Enternational. %do e to #E– CT. $esterners "nternationa! v srdci .vropy. 2< )ay 2!!5.htt0:NNwww.westerners.c4NwiQc4N6doQeQwiQc4.ht-. 2 )ay 2!!/.5 KOodo6a0sK is an abbreiation of Knoel into a 0oc6et*./! Co-0. $esterners "nternationa! v srdci .vropy. htt0:NNwww.westerners.c4NwiQc4N6doQeQwiQc4.ht-. 2 )ay 2!!/.

"/

http://www.westerners.cz/wi_cz/kdo_je_wi_cz.htm







#est by C4ech 0eo0le has not declined and can be de-onstrated e.. by the nu-ber of the

#ild #est IcitiesJ in C4ech Oe0ublic and their hih attendance.

#. #. ;i<= B'(e>:a a%( te C9e) Weste'% Mo3ies

#hen the 0arody western Limonádový Joe was released in 1/', it was -et with an

i--ediate success by the C4ech audience. C4ech 0eo0le ad-ired the culture of +-erican

#est and it was also curiosity which brouht the- to the cine-asL it was for the first ti-e

when a C4ech director ot enaed with a enre that was still considered rather eotic in

3astern 3uro0e.

Limonádový Joe is a result of coo0eration between two fiures – the director, $ld8ich

=i0s6Y B12'1</ and the screenwriter, i89 rde;6a B1171<2. Parody was rde;6a*s

faorite enre and truly, he beca-e an ac6nowleded -aster in this cine-atic field. +-erican

culture was the usual taret of his witty critiAue. esides Lemonade Joe, he also wrote a

screen0lay to another 0arody Adé!a Det neveNeOe!a B Ade!a hasn’t had dinner yet L 177, a

story satiri4in +-erican 0ul0 literature about detectie ?ic6 Carter.

Des0ite the fact that he was la-0oonin the western enre, rde;6a li6ed +-erican

western -oies ery -uch. En an interiew, 0rinted in the boo6 Limonádový Joe, he -entions

seeral classical western e0ics, such as Sta)ecoach, $e!!s -ar)o B1"7 or -rontier Marsha!!

B1', which oriinally eo6ed his interest in the #ild #est./1 He further ad-its that he

e0erienced Icertain enchant-entJ while he was watchin these fil-s./2 His attention to the

history of the +-erican #ild #est re-ained and 0robably ins0ired hi- to write a serious

historical boo6 about the life on the &rontier, called 3o!ty %e po!át9a B15/. En this boo6,

rde;6a analy4es stories of three historical #estern fiures – #ild ill Hic6oc6, illy the

/1 rde;6a 1<<, 0. ./2 Ebid., 0. 1!.

"7



%id and esse a-es. He se0arates fiction fro- historical reality, de-ytholoi4es the leends

and shows that they were not so -uch heroes, but rather outlaws with corru0t -anners.

Production of 0arody reAuires a ood orientation within the enre which the director wants

to la-0oon. +s E de-onstrated aboe, rde;6a confir-ed that he had all the necessary

dis0ositions to do so.

#. #. 1. Árie prérie

Limonádový Joe has its less 6nown 0redecessor in a short deft 0u00et 0arody fil- Árie prérie

B1', which rde;6a created toether with a well6nown C4ech cartoonist, i89 (rn6a. +

0arody of western -ade in the for- of a 0u00et fil-> +lthouh it -ay sound absurd, Árie

Prérie is a cleer and a-usin satire critici4in bad western fil-s. Et contains all i-0ortant

features a real western should hae – uns, horses, desertli6e landsca0e, a hero, a

Ischool-ar-J, an eil a-bler, bottles of whis6ey, )eicans, coyote, ultures and cactuses.

&enin and 3erson -ention this -oie in their cha0ter on international westerns BSon) o/ the

PrairieL 152 and call the fil- a Isatiri4ed #esterns per se.J/"

(he action is set so-ewhere in the #estern 0art of the Fnited tates, where a bunch of

outlaws raids a staecoach. Does it sound fa-iliar> Mes, the authors of Árie prérie were

0arodyin &ord*s classical -oie – Sta)ecoach. ?eertheless, the -ain taret of the authors*

critiAue was not the fil- itself, but the re0etitie style of western 0lots. (he narratie in Árie

prérie co0ies the usual sche-e of western fil-s: the rascal steals the old and the beautiful

ladyL the hero ets rid of the illain, brins the ItreasureJ bac6 – thus hel0in the society, and

is awarded the wo-an in the end. (his is also the 0attern of #riht*s classical 0lot with all the

ty0ical western stereoty0es. Pael (aussi, a C4ech historian, 0uts it this way: B Árie prérie

Iis a 0arody of sche-atis- which is -anifested by the naUe deelo0-ent of the story. (his

/" &enin, 3erson 17", 0. "2".

"<



-eans that in the end the eil is 0unished and the ood rewarded.J/' (o illustrate his clai-, E

will describe the indiidual 0u00ets -ore closely and discuss their 0articular role within this

IwesternJ.

(he staecoach is drien by two funny coach-enL one of the- is constantly drownin

hi-self in whis6ey. i89 (rn6a is said to hae created his own caricature in this ridiculous

fiure, a fact that declares the hu-orous a00roach of the authors. ut the crew inside the

ehicle is -ore i-0ortant: there is a beautiful lady and an old senile -an. (he wo-an is

wearin a white dress and beuiles the ourney with 6nittin, readin and sininL she also

ta6es care of the old -an – a caricature of drun6en Doc oone fro- &ord*s Sta)ecoach.

(hese actiities reeal that she is clearly the Ischool-ar- stereoty0eJ – she 0robably co-es

fro- the 3ast and is educated. he la-0oons =ucy )allory, the caalry-an*s wife, fro-

Sta)ecoach.

#hen the lady starts sinin a son Bof the 0rairie, a handso-e un-an on a horse

a00ears in the window of the staecoach and oins her with the son. He is dressed in white as

well and he rides a snow white horse. (he white color lin6s hi- with the lady inside the coach

and indicates that they are both on the side of ood.

(he son Iou &@r (u Z + )eJ which they sin can be heard twice throuhout the

-oie, always when the cou0le -eets. an Oychl96, the author of the son and the -usic,

coo0erated with rde;6a also later durin the shootin of Limonádový JoeL the lyrics are a

s0ecial -iture of 3nlish and 0anish without an obious -eanin. E will analy4e it -ore

thorouhly in the cha0ter dealin with Limonádový Joe. +s a oodbye, the hero shoots holes

in the lady*s boo6 in the sha0e of a heart and in return he ets one 6nitted soc6 fro- her. (his

scene has clearly a tone of 0arody: instead of echanin a co--on 6iss, a 0icture or a 0hoto,

the hero ets one soc6 – a 0ractical ift, as the nihts were cold in the #ild #est, but useless

without the other 0iece./' rde;6a 1<<, 0. 15.

"



$n the way, inside the dar6 roc6 0ass B)onu-ent alley>, another character oins the

crew – the a-bler. En contrast to the lady and the hero, he is dressed all in blac6, the color of

the eil. )oreoer, he has a -oustache – a ty0ical sin of illains. (hrouhout the cartoon he

is 0layin cards all the ti-e, and they eentually beco-e his sy-bol. #hen he dies after

fallin off a cliff, his body is eaten by the ultures and nothin is left of hi- – ece0t the

cards. (he 0hysical a00earance of the eil a-bler was created by i89 rde;6a accordin to

his own a00earance.

(he hu-orous as0ect of Árie prérie is based on the si-0lifyin diision of cateories into

oodNbad and on the eaeration of the Aualities of the characters. (he whitewashed hero is

shown in a ery 0ositie liht without a slihtest -ista6e. He 0ossesses s0ecial abilities: he is

a 0erfect shooter, an ecellent riderL can eleantly cli-b a stee0 roc6 and s-o6e a ciarette at

the sa-e ti-e. #hen the illain throws a hue stone at the hero, the only har- it does hi- is

the touslin of his haircut, an i-0erfection which he i--ediately corrects with a co-b. uch

an ideali4ed 0icture cannot, and should not, be ta6en seriously. i-ilar -otif, as the one with

the co-b, is used also with the lady. #hile she is hanin on the branch and waitin for her

hero, she uses a fla0ac6 to -a6e u0 her face. (he hostility between the illain and the hero is

eaerated to such leel that neither their horses are on friendly ter-s. (his is 0articulary in

the scene when the horses cool down their bac6s in a 0ond after slidin a hillL after the white

horse has seen that the illain*s horse is also there, he -oes away fro- hi-. (his esture is

acco-0anied by a des0isin sih. +nother western clich 0arodied by the authors is the

co--on i--ortality of the un-en in western fil-s. #hen the staecoach is attac6ed by the

a-bler and his -ob, the drun6en coach-en is shot seeral ti-es. ?eertheless, he stays

alie but when he drin6s fro- the bottle of whis6ey, the liAuid co-es out throuh the holes in

his body. (his 0roble- is Auic6ly soled by the other coach-en who bandaes the holes.

'!



&inally, E would li6e to 0oint out i89 (rn6a*s s6ills in the handlin of the 0u00ets. (hey do

not eo6e the usual wooden i-0ression that -ost of the 0u00ets do but, Auite on the contrary,

they hae fluent -oe-ents and when they sin, they are de0icted with o0en -ouths and

closed eyes.

#. #. #. Le8o%a(e ;oe * a He'o o' a Sales8a%?

#. #. #. 1. O'i,i%s

efore he a00eared on the cine-atic screen, =e-onade oe Bread: \Moe], not \D4ou] had

one throuh seeral staes. He was oriinally -ade to order for a 0o0ular -aa4ine AhoD na

ned!i as a 0arody of di-e noels. ut as the author hi-self ad-itted, he diressed fro- this

intention and created a satire of western e0ics instead./5 +s a youn -an, rde;6a saw Auite a

nu-ber of western fil-s and clai-ed that those had -uch reater influence on hi- than the

Icowboy talesJ which he 6new only -arinally.// +fter beco-in a literary fiure at the

beinnin of the 1'!*s, oe was 0layed also in theatres. (he success he brouht in different

-edia coninced rde;6a to -a6e a fil- about =e-onade oe. (hus, in 1/', the s0ectators

could see historically first C4ech feature western fil- in the cine-as.

#. #. #. #. Pa'o(" as a Ge%'e

rde;6a said that Limonádový Joe was a 0arody of +-erican western e0ics. (hese were the

narratie westerns with ca0italintensie 0roduction shot at the beinnin of the olden era of

westerns, e.. Sta)ecoach. (he western e0ics should be distinuished fro- chea0, low Auality

series of socalled Ihorse o0erasJ. +0art fro- western e0ics, rde;6a directed his hu-orous

critiAue to early western fil-s starrin sinin cowboys such as (o- )i or Gene +utry.

/5 Co-0. rde;6a 1<<, 00. /<.// Co-0. Ebid., 0. <.

'1



Oeference to this early western 0eriod is eident in the isual style of the -oie and in the

illustration of the characters.

ut to understand the role of 0arody in Limonádový Joe we hae to inestiate the -atter

further. En the followin Auote rde;6a describes his 0lans durin wor6 on the scri0t to the

fil-: IE was loo6in forward that E will brea6 the rules and stereoty0es of enre Bthat is 0arody

of westerns, and will write so-ethin Iin betweenJ, that is co-bination of hu-orous, al-ost

absurd fiction, with -any situations and characters who did really eist in the history of the

#ild #est.J/7 rde;6a*s ision 0oses a Auestion: is Limonádový Joe a 0arody or is it -ore a

fictional co-edy> (o clarify this a-biuity it will be hel0ful to -a6e an ecursion into the

theoretical field of 0arody.

Parody is defined as a Is0ecial subenre of co-edyJ./< Ets hu-or is based on the fact that

it distorts conentions of enre. Parody actually e0loits the 0arodied and co0ies the storyline

and the conentions of enre or heroes in a co-ic way./ +ccordin to these definitions

Limonádový Joe should be cateori4ed as a 0arody. +s E will de-onstrate in the structural

analysis of the -oie, it uses all the aboe -entioned features of 0arody enre. $n the other

hand, Limonádový Joe de0icts the characters and es0ecially the -iseenscne in such a

realistic and serious way that it so-eti-es eo6es an i-ae of an oriinal western fil-. En

co-bination with the usae of uniersal co-ic as, the -oie could be understood at this

leel as a fictional co-edy. En this sense, it can be said that rde;6a and =i0s6Y created a

enerically oriinal fil- in which each s0ectator can find their inter0retation.

(o understand the nature of 0arody it is hel0ful to iew this 0heno-enon in the

0ost-odern contet. =inda Hutcheon, a Canadian fe-inist writer, clai-s that a 0arody is an

inherently 0ost-odern feature.7! he clai-s that 0ost-odernis- and 0arody share a co--on

/7 rde;6a 1<<, 0. 11./< Pt@;e6, =ubo^ Bed.. Panoráma Nes9ého /i!mu. Oubico, $lo-ouc 2!!!, 0. 2/7./ Co-0. Ebid.7! &ellua, Dino. _)odules on Hutcheon: $n Parody._ "ntroductory (uide to Critica! Theory. 2< ?o 2!!"htt0:NNwww.cla.0urdue.eduNacade-icNenlNtheoryN0ost-odernis-N-odulesNhutcheon0arody.ht-l. 1' un 2!!/.

'2

http://www.cla.purdue.edu/academic/engl/theory/postmodernism/modules/hutcheonparody.html




as0ect – IrecontetualisationJ.71 (he ter- defines a -ethod which enables to see old thins in

a new 0ers0ectie or contet. $biously, this is also what 0arody does: it ta6es an established

enre, usually in the 0hase of ehaustion, and 0uts it in the contet of -odern ae.

IOecontetualisationJ leads to 0aradoical situations which for- the basis of 0arody. +n

ea-0le of such an absurd lin6ae is =e-onade oe, a cowboy who drin6s and sells

le-onade. +nother case of IrecontetualistationJ in Limonádový Joe is the usae of

adertise-ents in the -ilieu of the #ild #est.

+ccordin to Pytl96, I0arody, as a for- of co-ic illustration has ot two 0arts: the

i-itation of the oriinal, which has to be thorouh and a0t. (he other side is the la-0oonin

and sinificant shift to co-ic reali4ationJ.72 (he isual as0ect of Limonádový Joe was

riorously wor6ed out with the loyalty to classical westerns and is a -erit of rde;6a*s

ecellent 6nowlede of the history of the #ild #est. He was constantly 0resent on the scene

durin the shootin and controlled eerythin fro- hats to uns and other 0ro0s. (he -oie

contains all 6ey features of western as E analy4ed the- in the introductory 0art of this thesis:

the stereoty0es, the 0lot, the landsca0e and other clichs connected with the de0iction of the

#ild #est in fil-s. (here is a ty0ical western town with the -ain street where you can find a

saloon, a ban6 or a barber. (he -ain street is a settin for a ban6 robbery or for settlin -en*s

dis0utes in duels. En the saloon, wild fihts are an eeryday -atterL chairs are bro6en, shots

fired, whis6ey 0ours in liters and 0rostitutes are aailable. ?earby the town, a ce-etery and

Dead )an*s alley are situated. (he characters – touh white -acho uys – ride horses, wear

leatherstoc6ins, hats and 0ull the triers of their -ith [ #essons7". (he authentic western

loo6 is also underlined by western -usic. (he Auality of the isual side of Limonádový Joe

71 &ellua. htt0:NNwww.cla.0urdue.eduNacade-icNenlNtheoryN0ost-odernis-N-odulesNhutcheon0arody.ht-l.1' un 2!!/.72 Pytl96, Oad6o. -enomeno!o)ie humoru. 3-0orius, P89bra- 2!!!, 0. /5.7" (he C4ech actor %arel &iala B=e-onade oe tells a story in the docu-entary on C4ech 0arodies Bsee TváOeNes9ého /i!mu how the -ith and #esson un was borrowed fro- a -useu- for the ta6in of Limonádový Joe and was re0aired es0ecially for this o00ortunity.

'"






was noticed also by +-erican critics at fil- festial in an &rancisco where the -oie was

shown.7'

+ll the necessary ele-ents of the enre are 0resent, so the first condition of Pytl96*s

definition – the i-itation of the oriinal – is successfully -et. Eronically, the i-itation of the

western enre is -aybe too 0erfect and it is 0ossible that this fact 0reented so-e s0ectators

to reali4e the ele-ent of 0arody in the fil-. efore E will discuss the second 0art of Pytl96*s

definition E want to de-onstrate so-e 0arallels connected with the -oie*s 0lot.

#. #. #. -. Na''ati3e St'$)t$'e

(he narratie in Limonádový Joe i-itates the 0lot of western e0ics and is a00licable to

#riht*s classical 0lot. Ef we co-0are the deelo0-ent of the 0lot to #riht*s siteen

indiidual 0hases Bsee aboe, we find -any analoies. =e-onade oe arries in tetson City

B1 where he does not 6now anybody. He is called by the towns0eo0le Ia stranerJ B2. His

s0ecial ability is his te-0erance, a truly ece0tional irtue a-on the alcoholbased society in

the #ild #est. oe is fa-ous for drin6in only %olalo6a B". #hen the 0eo0le see how oe

co0es with the local bandits, they ad-ire hi- and want to be li6e hi-L he beco-es a hero B'.

?eertheless, he is still called Ithe stranerJ and does not settle in the town B5. oe*s

0ro-otion of %olalo6a causes that the (rier #his6ey aloon loses all its custo-ers. +

tension deelo0s between the ad-an, who runs the saloon, and the townsfol6 B/. (he

inhabitants are 0ortrayed as a wea6 -ass without their own o0inionL they drin6 what is in

fashion at the -o-ent. (hus the illains brin the- bac6 easily to their saloon B7 and the

lorification of alcohol, a-blin and se beins anew. (he stron relationshi0 between oe

and Hor@c is later confir-ed by their co--on 6inshi0 B<. (he renewed reelry has a har-ful

effect on the society B. +t first, oe does not want to interene and leaes the town B1!. ut

when eil Hor@c 6idna0s oe*s fiance #innifred B11 oe ta6es action i--ediately B12.7' rde;6a 1<<, 0. 2!/.

''



+fter oerco-in a few obstacles he -anaes to defeat the rascals B1" and sae the town

fro- alcoholis- B1'. &inally, oe -arries #innifred, loses his indiidualistic status B15 and

beco-es an ordinary citi4en B1/.

y usin the -ost co--on narratie 0atter, the authors indicated their awareness and

disa00roal of the sche-atis- which can be traced re0eatedly in the -aority of western

fil-s. (his clich was already satiri4ed in Árie prérie.

#. #. #. 0. ;oe& Ho'@)& Wi%%i+'e(& To'%a(o Lo$ a%( Ote' Ste'eot"6es

Limonádový Joe contains all the stereoty0es of classical western fil- as E defined the- in the

introductory 0art of this thesis. (here is, neertheless, one i-0ortant difference: the Aualities

of the characters in Limonádový Joe are hy0erbolic and si-0lifyin. En order to create a

0arody, the authors 0ortrayed the stereoty0es as IwhiteJ – too 0erfect, diine fiures or as

Iblac6J deilish cri-inals. (his si-0lification is 0roected also in the colors of the costu-es

of these characters. En other words the structural dichoto-y oodNbad is eaerated in

Limonádový Joe to etre-es. (he ea-0les E hae ust -entioned are the second as0ect of

Pytl96*s definition of 0arody – the subersion of oriinal enre*s for- and shift to co-ic

reali4ation. En this sense, caricature and eaeration are the crucial -ethods of 0arody and

rotesAue. +s (ho-son 0uts it I$ne lauhs at a caricature because a reconi4able or ty0ical

0erson or characteristics is distorted Bor styli4ed in a ridiculous and a-usin way – that is a

0eculiar feature is eaerated to the 0oint of abnor-ality.J75 E will show how this 0rinci0le

wor6s when a00lied on concrete characters fro- Limonádový Joe.

(he -ost obiously 0arodied western clich of the -oie is its hero =e-onade oe B%arel

&iala. +s his na-e 0ro-0ts he is an adocate of le-onade. (his is one of his absurd Aualities

– a cowboy who drin6s only le-onade. ?et 0aradoical -o-ent co-es when the s0ectator

finds out that he is also a sales-an of this 0roduct. (he idea of a #esterner as a lonely75 (ho-son, Phili0. The (rotesEue. Co [ #y-an =td., &a6eha- 172, 0. "<.

'5



-elancholic fiure wanderin throuh the desert is la-0ooned in Limonádový Joe when oe

calls hi-self e0ressiely Ia lonely wolfJ and Iaener of inusticeJ.

oe re-inds us of the first cowboys, such as (o- )i or Gene +utry, or een cartoons li6e

=uc6y =u6e. ust li6e the hero in Árie prérie, oe is dressed in an ironed white outfit and rides

a white horse. He is ery touchy about the neatness of his clothes. He 6ee0s it clean

throuhout the whole -oie. #hen he falls throuh the chi-ney into =ou*s a0art-ent, he

cleans hi-self -iraculously in few seconds. (he biest hu-iliation for oe is the final

torturin when the -e-bers of Gri-0o*s -ob 0our arious liAuids oer hi-, thus sullyin his

s0otless white dress. uch an obsession with tidiness is of course unthin6able in the real life

of rouh -en in the #ild #est and -a6es oe a ridiculous fiure.

Concernin the 0hysical a00earance, oe is a handso-e, blond, neatly shaed fellow with

behaior of a real entle-an. ?eertheless, his 0oliteness see-s absurd in certain contets,

e.. durin the 0ursuin of Hor@c he co-es to =ou*s roo- throuh the chi-ney and the first

thin he does is that he a0oloi4es that he did not 6noc6. ?o -atter what situation oe ets

into, he does not foret to reet eerybody first. #hen the torturers threaten oe with throwin

hi- into a well, oe as6s the- to label the well afterwards as 0olluted and danerous for

health. i-0ly, oe is the e-bodi-ent of +utry*s I(en Co--and-entsJ, the -oral code of

early cowboys.

oe*s entre on the scene is fabulous: he a00ears in the door of (rier #his6ey aloon

and is fully enlihtened by the sun fro- the bac6. +nother shot lorifyin oe*s -anificence

is used when he is wal6in alon tetson*s -ain street and the earth is sha6in under hi-.

(hose saintli6e i-aes clearly dub oe a hero nu-ber one. #hen the ban6 is robbed, oe

hides, toether with #innifred and her father 34ra Good-an, behind a water tan6. &ro- there

he co--ents on the 0oor ability of the shooters who are fihtin the cri-inals Butterances

such as: I?o bodies, bu-s`J and in between his s0eech he shoots all four robbers. oe*s

'/



etraordinary shootin 0erfor-ance is eaerated to such deree that he een stri6es a fly in

the air. oe*s 0ri-ary 0osition a-on the un-en is ustified by the consu-0tion of %olalo6a.

En this contet all oe*s heroic deeds can be understood as a 6ind of 0ro-otion of this 0roduct.

En other scenes, oe is ien su0ernatural Aualities: he u-0s off a hih cliff and IfliesJ down

in a u0er-anli6e style for unrealistically lon ti-e.

#ith such a hy0erbolic i-ae of the cowboy rde;6a wanted to la-0oon and critici4e the

ideali4ed de0iction of the #esterner in the early westerns. (he cowboys were then often

-ytholoi4ed and 0resented as an incarnation of ood. (his trend bean to chane only in the

1/!*s durin the enre*s reisionist 0hase when the hero acAuired -ore realistic sins.

oe*s reatest ad-irers are fe-ale characters #innifred B$la chobero@ and (ornado

=ou B%ta &ialo@. (he two are co-0lete o00osites – #innie is the e-bodi-ent of irtue

and =ou the sinful coAuette. =oically, oe chooses #innifred as his future wife. he is a

confident te-0erance fihter, a -e-ber of +ri4ona Oeial, so she fits to oe*s abstinence

0erfectly. =i6e oe, #innifred is associated with colors of the ood side – she is dressed in

white and has ot blond hair. he is clearly the Ischool-ar-J stereoty0e. 3ce0t of bein a

0ious, naUe irl, she is also 0ortrayed in the -oie as silly and childish. (his was 0robably

done by the author to satiri4e the often ro-antici4ed stereoty0e of a Irancher*s dauhterJ. &or

ea-0le durin her te-0erance s0eech in (rier #his6ey aloon, #innifred forets the

words and is unable to i-0roise. Her father 0ro-0ts the tet to her. (hey de0end on each

other and usually occur at the scene toether. #innifred*s net childish as0ect is that al-ost

eery trifle -a6es her cry. (his Auality of hers is eaerated and la-0ooned in the scene

with Hor@c dressed u0 for a blind 0iano tuner. Durin his -oin story #innifred*s

hand6erchief is literally soa6ed with tears and conseAuently she has to wrin it.

(ornado =ou is a caricature of all the western*s saloon irls. Dar6 fe--e fatale, wearin

fancy blac6 dresses, the authors 0lace =ou on the rotten side, toether with the ad-ans

'7



fa-ily. (owards the end of the -oie, as =ou redee-s, she is dressed in white clothes. =ou

ironically calls herself Ian artistJ, inorin the fact that sinin for drun6en un-en in a

saloon can hardly be considered as a for- of art. )ost of the 0rostitutes or siners on the

&rontier wanted to lie better lies and the character of (ornado =ou is no ece0tion.

(hrouhout the -oie she 6ee0s re0eatin one sentence: IE want to be different, better.J (his

wish is re0eated oer and oer until it beco-es an e-0ty 0hrase. En this sense she could be

associated with the redee-ed 0rostitute Dallas fro- Sta)ecoach. (ornado =ou lin6s her inner

transfor-ation toether with an ideal -an – a cha-0ion – for who- she waits. &inally, he

co-es, but to =ou*s distress he chooses #innie for his wife. Et is, of course, =e-onade oe.

Des0ite the unfulfilled loe, =ou radually beco-es IbetterJ, her transfor-ation cul-inatin

in a decision to o0en her own brothel where she would offer %olalo6a le-onade. Ho0efully,

the audience reali4ed the hu-orous tone behind =ou*s InobleJ achiee-ent.

(here is a nu-erous rou0 of neatie characters in Limonádový Joe but one of the- is

clearly outstandin – Hor@c ad-an alias Hoo &oo B)ilo^ %o0ec6Y. He is an orthodo

illain, a -aster of disuise, a shar0er. Hor@c 0uts on blac6 clothes and wears a -oustache, a

ty0ical accessory of all cri-inals. Ef oe*s character was is eaerated to 0ositie

su0erlaties, Hor@c*s Aualities are the worst fro- worse. He is wanted in four states – a

conseAuence of his rich cri-inal 0ast. #hen Hor@c and his brother Dou re-inisce about

Iood old daysJ we et to 6now that they robbed ban6s, trains and staecoaches, -urdered

etc. ?ow they are inoled in business with whis6ey. Hor@c*s cunnin nature is la-0ooned in

his disuises. Durin the fil- he chanes seeral costu-es but to the s0ectator he is always

easily reconi4able. ?onetheless the other characters of the -oie are always fooled by

Hor@c*s -asAuerade and een his own brother Dou ad-an or =e-onade oe do not

uncoer his true identity. (his fact increases Hor@c*s credit as a 0rofessional cri-inal. (ere4a

rde;6o@, C4ech fil- critic and dauhter of i89 rde;6a, reconi4ed in Hor@c ohn

'<



Carradine who 0layed the a-bler Hatfield in Sta)ecoach. Endeed, these two characters share

si-ilar features – they wear a -oustache, they are char-in and 0lay cards.

+nother i-0ortant neatie character is Gri-0o Bosef Hlino-a4. Et is one of the best

wor6ed out caricatures of the -oie. En contrast to Hor@c*s corru0t creatiity and intellience,

Gri-0o*s sinificance lies -ainly in his 0hysical strenth. His hy0erbolic rouhness ridicules

the dullness of all the touh uys of western e0ics. Enstead of eatin -eat as a real un-an,

Gri-0o eats a iolin, a stic6 or een a lass. +fter eatin the lass, he cleans his -outh with a

hand6erchief, an absurd esture for a bandit. (he ecellent actin of osef Hlino-a4 in the

role of Gri-0o should be 0ointed out. His -i-ics and body lanuae are re-ar6able and

co-0lete the oerall co-ic effect of the character.

+n i-0ortant feature of western fil-s in connection with Limonádový Joe has not been

considered yet – the -inorities. En this sense, Limonádový Joe i-itates other western classics.

(his -eans that the -oie is focused al-ost entirely on white race. (he other races –

)eicans, the lac6s or the Endians are dealt with only -arinally. (he two -e-bers of

Gri-0o*s bunch are )eicans – Pancho %id and %oot %id. +s their na-es indicate, they are

closely connected with each other and always a00ear on the scene in 0air. #ith this i-ae,

the authors -iht hae critici4ed the usual de0iction of )eicans in westerns which nelected

their indiiduality and rather dis0layed the- as an anony-ous -ass. (he only Iblac6J

character in Limonádový Joe is Horac*s disuise of blac6 tru-0et 0layer which is de0icted

stereoty0ically: his face is coered with blac6 crea- and has eaeratedly hue white li0s.

(he blac6 -usician rese-bles the a-bo stereoty0eL his behaior is as ridiculous as a-bo*s

– -oin fast fro- one 0lace of the roo- to another and 0erfor-in a funny dance.7/ (here is

also one Endian in Limonádový Joe, althouh a ery incons0icuous one. He is hidden behind

7/ +s Pos09îl e0lains the a-bo stereoty0e has its roots in the socalled i- Crow dance. (his dance was

0erfor-ed by a white co-edian with face coered by blac6 crea- as a 0arody of +fro+-erican dances. BCo-0.Pos09îl, (o-@^. Sam%o tu DiQ ne%yd!R o%ra A/roameriNan v americ9ém /i!mu ;7+ sto!etR+ ?adace Fniersitas)asary6iana, rno 2!!", 0. 17

'



the screen in Hor@c*s roo- toether with other -usicians and 0layin dru-. He is standin in

a static 0osture and loo6s -ore li6e a wooden statue than a liin bein.

o-e scenes in Limonádový Joe refer directly to concrete western classics. &or ea-0le

Dou ad-an, leanin in a chair on the 0orch in front of the aloon is analoous to si-ilar

scene with #yat 3ar0 fro- My :ar!in) C!ementine. +nother reference to the sa-e -oie is

oe*s isit at the barber, aain i-itatin 3ar0 at the hairdresser*s.

+0art fro- the aboe -entioned stereoty0es, there are other -inor characters and -ore

eneral clichs 0arodied. &or ea-0le the i-0ression of (ornado =ou*s 0erfor-ance -a6es

the un-en in the saloon cry. y connectin two unusual cateories, un-en and cry, the

director causes an absurd effect which results in a-use-ent. (he way the characters reet

each other can be seen as bein abnor-al in the contet of western as well. (he -urderers are

addressed Iun-anJ, =e-onade oe is called Ia stranerJ and (ornado =ou Ia ladyJ. 3en

-ore hu-orous is when oe insults Gri-0o and uses followin abuses: Istin6y coyoteJ,

Is-elly s6un6J or Is-elly o0ossu-J. (he ocabulary of an ordinary unfihter fro-

+-erican western fil- is usually -uch harsher.

(he na-es in Limonádový Joe reeal a tone of 0layful 0arody as well. (o -a6e it easier

for the s0ectator to identify the 0ositie fiures and differentiate the- fro- the illains, the

authors diided the na-es of the characters into two fa-ily clans, accordin to their 0ersonal

coniction. (hus we hae two fa-ilies – the Good-ans and the ad-ans. (he irtuous

te-0erance fihters, #innifred and her father 34ra, belon to the first fa-ily, whereas the

owners of (rier #his6ey aloon – Dou and Hor@c – and (ornado =ou are -e-bers of the

ad-ans clan. (he disclosure in the end of the -oie is sur0risin: =e-onade oe, Hor@c,

Dou and =ou find out that they are all -e-bers of one fa-ily which -eans that oe is

associated with the ad-ans as well. (he clear distinction of the -oie*s characters into the

5!



two fa-ilies with their a00ro0riate na-es, critici4es the Iblac6 and whiteJ de0iction of

fiures in classical western fil-s.

(here are also other a-usin na-es in Limonádový Joe referrin to western clichs. (he

town*s na-e is tetson City, alludin to the na-e of the fa-ous cowboy hat. +nother

reference to the #ild #est is e.. the Dead )an*s alley, funny ersion of the real Dead

alley in the outh #est of the Fnited tates. Perha0s the -ost obious of all 0arodied

na-es in the -oie is the brand of oe*s faorite le-onade – %olalo6a. $riinally, the

le-onade should be called %ola6o6a.77 (hen the 0arodied 0roduct would be een clearer. (he

la-0ooned beerae is, of course, the fa-ous +-erican le-onade CocaCola.

#. #. #. 0. Te St"le

(he encyclo0edia of C4ech fil- infor-s that durin the reali4ation of the -iseenscne of

Limonádový Joe, =i0s6Y was ins0ired by silent rotesAues.7< (his ins0iration is clearly isible

in the fil-, since it is shot in blac6 and white colors and uses so-e of the -ethods ty0ical for

a rotesAue. =i0s6Y is either acceleratin or deceleratin the shot, accordin to the character

of the scene and the effect he wants to cause. +cceleration is used -ainly in the unfiht

scenes, for ea-0le in (rier #his6ey aloon when oe shoots down Gri-0o*s trousers and

Gri-0o scoots u0stairs to his roo-. (he fiht scenes in the saloon, such as the fa-ous one at

the beinnin of the fil-, eo6e the destruction fihts in du-b rotesAue fil-s. $n the other

hand, deceleration can be seen when #innifred sins the son I+ri4onaJ in God less

%olalo6a aloon. (he slow shot ies the director ti-e to contrast #innifred*s sinin with

the shots fro- the saloon fihts.

Photora0hy in Limonádový Joe often uses closeu0s. &or ea-0le the funny detailed shot

of oe*s -outh when he is sinin or the closeu0 of #innifred*s eyes which ca0tures well

77 Co-0. rde;6a 1<<, 0. '.7< Co-0. Pt@;e6 2!!!, 0. 2<7.

51



her -isery. Et is a re-ar6able coincidence, that erio =eone*s -or a -ist/u! o/ :o!!ars which

was released in the sa-e year as Limonádový Joe contains the sa-e closeu0 shots. +nother

interestin ca-era techniAue in the -oie is the double e0osure. Et is used in the scene when

oe rides throuh &ata-orana alley. (he bac6round chanes alon the way and we can

see i-aes of the Pyra-ids, Praue castle or #innifred callin for oe*s hel0.

(he -ost stri6in techniAue which =i0s6Y introduced in Limonádový Joe is the tintin. y

usin filters of different colors he distinuished arious settins and co-0leted their

at-os0here. Critic an ernard co--ents on the tintin in Limonádový Joe: I+s far as E

6now, it was the first 0iece, in the e0eri-ental era of +ntonioni and ard with color fil-,

which braely reied the old filter techniAue.J7 (hree colors are used in the fil- – yellow,

red and blue. (he choice of colors and its association with 0articular scenes is adeAuate to

traditional color sy-bolis-: IEn eneral, cool colors Bblue, reen, iolet tend to suest

tranAuility, aloofness, and serenity#ar- colors Bred, yellow, orane suest

aressieness, iolence and sti-ulationJ.<! (he yellow filter enlihtens the outdoor scenes –

tetson*s -ain street, Dead )an*s alley, the ce-etery but is also used for the interior of the

(rier #his6ey aloon. +s the aboe Auote 0ro-0ts this color illustrates the iolent

character of the saloon. (he other i-0ortant function of the yellow filter was certainly to

i-itate the scorchin heat of the #ild #est which would be otherwise hard to eo6e in the

te-0erate cli-ate C4echosloa6ia. (he red color acco-0anies the 0ictures which are

so-ehow considered erotic. (hese are the sti-ulatin scenes showin (ornado =ou*s

0erfor-ances or the cancan dance of the 0rostitutes. (he blue filter is used only in the settin

of God less %olalo6a aloon. En aree-ent with Gianetti*s color definition, the scenes fro-

this nonalcoholic saloon arouse churchli6e at-os0here. (he uests sit cal-ly at the tablesL

the Auiet a-biance is do-inated by the oran -usic.

7 rde;6a 1<, 0. 21'.<! Gianetti, =ouis. Gnderstandin) Movies. Prentice Hall, ?ew ersey 2!!2, 0. 25.

52



Limonádový Joe also contains -any ani-ated 0arts. (his fact -ay be e0lained by

rde;6a*s for-er coo0eration with C4ech -aster of cartoon, i89 (rn6a. (rn6a also

collaborated on Limonádový Joe. &or ea-0le, Hor@c co--unicates with his brother Dou

throuh s-o6in sinals. Durin a card a-e, Dou reeals to Hor@c the other 0layer*s cards

by IdrawinJ their sy-bols with s-o6e. (he net cartoon deice is the ani-ated dotted line,

oinin Hor@c*s and oe*s bullets durin the unfiht. =i0s6Y so-eti-es co-bines the feature

fil- with cartoons, or -ore 0recisely, with ecer0ts fro- the di-e noels or news0a0ers. (his

style is used e.. when Dou and Hor@c re-inisce about their co--on cri-inal 0ast.

Limonádový Joe would not beco-e such a cult without its audio as0ect. (he -usic is a

crucial ele-ent of the fil- and Limonádový Joe een loo6s in certain 0arts li6e a -usical. (he

son IHor@c*s &uneral luesJ is acco-0anied by a cabaret show which see-s as if cut out

fro- so-e -usical. (he nu-ber one hit of the -oie is Iou &@r (u Z + )eJ, which

a00eared first in Árie prérie. En this son, the 3nlish lanuae of western e0ics beca-e a

taret of author*s hu-orous critiAue. +s the title of the son 0ro-0ts, the lyrics are in 3nlish

Band 0artly in 0anish but it is a Is0ecialJ 6ind of 3nlish. Durin the first listenin the

s0ectator -ay not reali4e this Idiscre0ancyJ. ut after hearin it aain they will find out that

the sentences do not hae any -eanin. (hey use 3nlish words but these are shuffled at

rando-. (o illustrate this linuistic anecdote, E will Auote a few lines fro- the aboe

-entioned son:

USou /ár tu DV aD meD /or tu náD mR tu seD

mu Na Ni ta mia 9ára to veráon maD deD seD aD

(ud %áD )ud %áD+I=4

Et is not that the authors of oe did not s0ea6 3nlish ery wellL they rather wanted

Limonádový Joe to be a close i-itation of the oriinal +-erican westerns so they used the<1 rde;6a 1<<, 0. 172.

5"





it is difficult to say fro- the -oie, whether the director is bein serious or not.<5 efore E will

suest 0ossible answer to +ustin*s Auestion E will analy4e the antica0italist readin of the

story.

y critici4in ca0italis- and its ele-ents in the 1/!*s, rde;6a has forone his ti-e.

Limonádový Joe de0icts the society as wea6, easily influenced by the indiidual 0roduct*s

co-0etitors. En this sense, the -oie is still hihly releant een today.

#hen we first see =e-onade oe in (rier #his6ey aloon, he is 0ersuadin the drun6en

un-en about the har-ful effects of alcohol and see-s to be ust another +ri4ona Oeial

-e-ber. =ater, at the ce-etery, #innifred finds out fro- oe*s diary that he is a dealer of

%olalo6a le-onade. Pleased by this fact, she is interroatin oe about his 0ercentae fro-

the 0rofit and conseAuently arees on enae-ent. En IreturnJ #innie as6s oe for s-all

0ercentae share. (his -ar6et behaior is also characteristic for oe. #hen (ornado =ou

saes his life, he as6s her what she wants in return. #hen she re0lies that she did it for the

sa6e of loe, oe is ery disturbed by her Inonco--ercialJ esture.

+lthouh oe eo6es a 0ositie i-0ression of hero, his -ain interest see-s to be %olalo6a

and her sale. +s E e0lained, the na-e %olalo6a is a word rebus of the brand CocaCola. oe

identifies %olalo6a with IlawJ. (a6in this idea further, this -eans that CocaCola rules the

world, in other words that our world is oerned by lobal co-0anies, such as CocaCola.

Oachel anders, a fil- critic, co--ents accurately on the followin state-ent fro- the fil-:

I#hat*s ood for %olalo6a is ood for the law,J declares one character, accurately 0redictin

the relationshi0 between oern-ent and cor0orations in early 21st century +-erica.</

&ro- certain 0ers0ectie Limonádový Joe can be iewed as an alleory of the co-0etitie

fiht between whis6ey and %olalo6a. (he adocates of whis6ey, Dou and Hor@c ad-an

htt0:NNwww.cine-astri6esbac6.co-Ninde.0h0>017. 1< un 2!!/.<5 Co-0. +ustin. htt0:NNwww.cine-astri6esbac6.co-Ninde.0h0>017. 1< un 2!!/.

</ anders, Oachel. Lemonade Joe. +0ollo Guide. Entellient Oeiews $nline.

htt0:NNa0ollouide.co-N-oQfullre.as0>CED'17![0ecific'"1. 1 un 2!!/.

55

http://www.cinemastrikesback.com/index.php?p=17




http://apolloguide.com/mov_fullrev.asp?CID=4170&Specific=4931







co-0ete with =e-onade oe, the sales re0resentatie of %olalo6a. (he ordinary 0eo0le fro-

tetson City are draed into this co--ercial fiht. (hey are 0ortrayed in the -oie as wea6

and ery easily influenced: they are consu-in whis6ey in liters but when oe co-es and

0ro-otes the ood effects of %olalo6a eerybody switches the brand and -oes to %olalo6a

aloon. (hen the fa-ous outlaw Hor@c ad-an arries and isits the %olalo6a saloon. He

orders a bottle of le-onade and after hain a si0 he cries out: IFh`J (he sheriff reacts

Auic6ly and as6s hi-: IDid you say Kuh* to %olalo6a le-onade, straner>J +fter Hor@c

confir-s it, the heriff calls hi- Ian anarchistJ. rde;6a used aain a hy0erbolic deice to

hihliht the critici4ed nature of ca0italis- – unifor-ityL who does not follow the fashion is

an o00onent of ca0italis-, an anarchist. ?eertheless, Hor@c*s cri-inal fa-e and char-

enchants the consu-ers of %olalo6a so -uch that they return to #his6ey, a drin6 for Ireal

-enJ.

(he co-0etitie fiht is su00orted by the traditional ca0italist Iwea0onJ – adertise-ent.

(his ta6es seeral for-s in the -oie. &irstly, oe hi-self is a IliinJ adertise-ent for

%olalo6a le-onade. ecause he drin6s %olalo6a, he is the best shooter in the town and the

wo-en lie at his feet. )oreoer, oe has al-ost fetishistic relation to this soft drin6L after he

drin6s fro- the bottle of %olalo6a, he 6isses it. Co--odity fetishis- is one of the crucial

features of ca0italis-.

econdly, so-e of the dialoues in Limonádový Joe sound li6e co--ercial sloans, e..

after the duel in the -ain street in which both -en die, the doctor states death and eclai-s:

I#hen the consu-er of %olalo6a le-onade shoots, it is not necessary to call a doctor.J

+uthors* intention was to satiri4e the idea of adertise-ent as such and to suest that

nowadays you can 0ro-ote al-ost any 6ind of 0roduct. (his idea is eident when Hor@c

adertises whis6ey: I+lcohol in little 0otion, is not har-ful in any 6ind of a-ount.J

5/



(he net for- of 0ro-otion used in the fil- is the 0rinted adertise-ent. $ne -ornin

tetson is coered with %olalo6a 0osters. (hese show two +-erican 0residents, Geore

#ashinton and +braha- =incoln, leadin an absurd dialoue: IEf E were alie E would drin6

%olalo6a,J says #ashinton. I)e too,J re0lies =incoln. (his 0oster is an a-usin 0arody of

+-erican 0atriotis- which is a 0o0ular deice in +-erican co--ercials. + careful s0ectator

will notice that there are 0ictures with notices hanin in different 0laces durin the fil-. &or

ea-0le in (ornado =ou*s roo- there is a ca0italist sin: IHard wor6, s0ells success.J

(aussi describes the a-use-ent elicited by this Puritan note durin the 0roection of

Limonádový Joe in the Fnited tates.<7 +nother sin, 0ro-otin consu-0tion, is situated in

the %olalo6a aloon: Ietter buy, than borrow.J

(he satirical lorification of ca0italis- cul-inates at the end of the fil-. En the final scene,

al-ost as cut out fro- a soa0 o0era, the dead characters are reied B0arody of the freAuent

Ii--ortalityJ of heroes in westerns> and discoer their co--on 6inshi0. oe, =ou, Hor@c

and Dou are all -e-bers of the sa-e fa-ily. ?ow a 0roble- arises: there are two brands

and only one fa-ily. (his obstacle is soled in a way which is characteristic for current lobal

econo-y – a fusion is -ade and a new 0roduct is born. (he 0roduct is na-ed accordinly

#his6ola. Ca0italis- is once aain celebratin its ictory or in the words of )r. %olalo6a IE

6new ood was oin to win.J Ca0italis- is satirically considered in the -oie as bein ood.

3erybody is ha00y and Hor@c is een thin6in about refor-in his life and sto0 bein a

illain. ut his father, )r. %olalo6a, assures hi- that their business needs illains too. (his is

another critical state-ent directed towards the corru0tion of ca0italis-. (he final discoery of

old and 0etrol suests the future rowth of ca0italis-.

(o clarify the issue Auestioned by +ustin – whether rde;6a was serious about the anti

ca0italist -essae of Limonádový Joe – E will -a6e an ecursion into the 0olitical situation in

C4echosloa6ia in the 1/!*s. +t that ti-e, 3uro0e was diided into to alien ca-0s –<7 Limonádový Joe. DD. onusoY -ateri@l. loo histori6a.

57



ca0italist and socialist – as a conseAuence of Cold #ar which resulted fro- the #orld #ar EE.

C4echosloa6ia beloned to the Co--unist bloc which was controlled by the oiet Fnion.

(he ca0italist ca-0 was lead by the other su0er0ower – the Fnited tates. rde;6a was

loically influenced by the antii-0erialist at-os0here of C4echosloa6ia of the 1/!*s and

0robably 0roected his critiAue in Limonádový Joe. loa6 fil- critic, Peter Hor@6, accused

rde;6a of bein 0rinci0ally anti+-erican and clai-ed that Limonádový Joe was a

0edaoical 0a-0hlet rather than a 0arody.<< $utraed by his o0inion rde;6a ecluded the

0ossibility that Limonádový Joe should sere as so-e 6ind of an educational ideoloy. (o

clarify the -isunderstandin he described the 0eriod when he was wor6in on the screen0lay

as a ti-e of chane towards liberali4ation. (his trend was in 0rocess since the 1/!*s and

eentually lead to Praue s0rin in 1/<.< rde;6a than e0lained why he included the anti

ca0italist -essae in his -oie: He wanted to e0ress his disa00roal of the co--ercial

bac6round of classical +-erican westerns. Oather than bein interested in the authentic

0ortrayal of the &rontier, the +-erican directors are drien by the 0ossibility of 0rofit and

create westerns in such way, as to -a6e the- attractie for the s0ectators.! &ollowin Auote

should dis0ose +ustin of his doubts: I)y screen0lay was not addressed to the -yth Bthat is

-yth of the #est but rather to the abuse of this -yth. Hy0ocritically -oral un-an, ensurin

his 0o0ularity by consu-0tion of le-onade – that is an illustration of business with a -yth.J1

En this contet rde;6a should not be seen as a strict leftwin adocate but rather as a critic

who was aware of the co--ercially oriented +-erican culture and could 0redict the

ineitable cultural decline of such society.

#. #. #. 5. C'iti)s a%( A!a'(s

<< rde;6a 1<<, 0. 11.< Co-0. Ebid., 0. 12.! Co-0. rde;6a 1<<, 0. 1/.1 Ebid., 0. 17.

5<



&inally, E would li6e to close the cha0ter about Limonádový Joe by infor-in briefly about

the acce0tance of the -oie in C4echosloa6ia and other countries, aboe all in the ho-eland

of the western enre – the Fnited tates.

(he C4echosloa6 0re-iere too6 0lace on 1/th $ctober 1/'. En eneral, the fil- war

receied 0ositiely by critics. ?eertheless, they e0ressed seeral reserations. (he -ost

co--on obection was the i-balance between the first and the second 0art of the -oie.

o-e critics considered the second 0art as Itoo slowJ and IlenthyJ, loosin the ele-ent of

0arody and concentratin -ore on the antica0italist -otif.2 +n ea-0le of such critiAue

would be followin Auote by $ta6ar @a: Io-ewhere in the -iddle, the 0arody chanes

into satire by hihlihtin a new u0datin trac6. ?eertheless, it is here where Limonádový

Joe beins to lose its for-er 0ace.J" $ther freAuent reseration was that the 0ur0ose of the

-oie, which is to 0arody bad western fil-s, went in ain. (his -eans that -ost of the

audience lac6ed the necessary 6nowlede of 0arodied enre. (his was not so -uch fault of

the author of the -oie but rather a conseAuence of the low distribution of +-erican

westerns. En this contet one critic -ar6ed Limonádový Joe as a 0arody Iwithout a

funda-entJ.' (he actress %ta &ialo@ B(ornado =ou describes her e0erience fro- the

cine-a in 3ast Ger-any where she was on a tour toether with the other actors: after the

0roection the actors ca-e on the stae only to see the unsatisfied audience which threw

bottles and other obects at the-. (he 3ast Ger-ans as6ed why did the dead characters in the

-oie co-e to life aainL they si-0ly did not understand the -oie.5

(he situation was different in +-erica and in western 3uro0ean countries. (here the

s0ectators were literally flooded by western fil-s so they could enoy the entertain-ent based

on the s0oof of western clichs. )oreoer, rde;6a and =i0s6Y did a 0ioneer wor6 by

2 Ebid., 0. 1." Ebid., 0. 1<".' rde;6a 1<<, 0. 1</.5 ee TváOe Nes9ého /i!mu+

5



shootin a 0arody of westerns, thus introducin a 0heno-enon which was rare een in

cine-as of western countries. =i0s6Y s0ea6s about the ti-e when Limonádový Joe was shown

at the fil- festial in an &rancisco: +fter the 0roection, he was as6ed by the 0resident of the

+-erican &il- +cade-y to send the -oie to Hollywood./ =i0s6Y says that Iit was

historically the first case when a C4echosloa6ian fil- had a chance to ain the $scar.J7

Fnfortunately, the lac6 of financial -eans ruined the 0ros0ects. )oreoer, the net year

+-erican director 3lliot ilerstein 0roduced a 0arody of westerns – Cat 8a!!ou B1/5 –

which was awarded seeral $scars. =i0s6Y thin6s that ilerstein Icut out his -oie

accordin to Limonádový JoeJ.< En the Fnited tates Limonádový Joe was acce0ted te0idly in

eneral. (he only as0ect of the -oie which the critics 0raised was its isual side. (hey

lac6ed the action of +-erican westerns and called for additional editin. tanley 3ichelbau-

fro- San -rancisco .'aminer did not li6e the antica0italist -essae of the -oie: Ithe

-aor 0art of this satire is rather an anti+-erican dialectics than an innocent 0arody of

Hollywood westerns.J1!! $biously the 0roud IfoundersJ of western enre could not bear a

witty critiAue fro- the country as insinificant in the 0roduction of westerns as

C4echosloa6ia. 3ichelbau- should hae reali4ed that Limonádový Joe is actually both – an

antica0italist satire and an a-usin 0arody of western clichs. (he reaction of fa-ous

+-erican actor Henry &onda, who 0layed the lorified western hero #yatt 3ar0, declares that

at least so-e of the +-ericans hae understood the fil-. +fter the 0roection of Limonádový

Joe at the fil- festial in %arloy ary he said: IE hae not had so -uch fun for a lon

ti-e.J1!1

/ Co-0. =ihe-, +nton9n . HstOe s!edované /i!my+ Wes9os!ovens9á 9uenost . ?@rodn9 fil-oY archi, Praha2!!1, 0. 17'.7 =ihe- 2!!1, 0. 175.< Ebid. rde;6a 1<<, 0. 2!/.1!! rde;6a 1<<, 00. 2!/2!7.1!1 yse6alo@, it6a. H!dOich Lips9ý+ Cesta a humorem+ Xes6osloens6Y fil-oY Zsta, Praha 1<', 0. 1".

/!



(he reactions of 3uro0ean critics about Limonádový Joe aried i--ensely: B=i0s6Y Iis

de-ystifyin in a 0leasin way the old western fil-sJ1!2 clai-ed one &rench critic, while the

other wrote that Ithis le-onade is a bit flat.J1!" &inally, Limonádový Joe ca-e throuh in

0ain at E. Enternational &il- &estial in an ebastian in 1/'. ur0rised but 0leased, the

authors returned ho-e with three awards – the iler hell – bein the -ost i-0ortant one.

)any critics saw Limonádový Joe in an ebastian and co--ented on the -oie afterwards.

(he feedbac6 was enerally 0ositie, e.. +nton Dietrich, a #est Ger-an fil- critic describes

the -oie in the followin ter-s: I+n i-0ish caricature of +-erican westerns, full of ideas

and as, where rotesAue is co-bined with irony. =auhin aloud, the s0ectator does not

een reali4e, that the -oie is not only entertainin but at the sa-e ti-e -orali4in and

offendin the ca0italist syste-.J1!'

+fter an ebastian Limonádový Joe was sold in -any countries, the resources clai- that

the -oie ItraeledJ to -ore than fifty of the-.1!5

-. Ote' E$'o6ea% Pa'o(ies o+ Weste'%s * Manitou’s Shoe

(he net country which 0roed that it can deal with the western enre with hu-or was

Ger-any. ?eertheless, the Ger-an directors chose slihtly different taret than rde;6a did

in Limonádový Joe. (he Ger-ans actually 0arodied the-seles. (he 0roduction of western

fil-s in Ger-any was se0arated into two Ica-0sJ: 3ast and #est. #hereas 3ast 0roduced

Auality 0roEndian westerns, #est shot the ro-antici4ed western IfairytalesJ based on the

ada0tations of %arl )ay*s noels. (he fil-s about the adentures of +0ache chief #innetou

and his inse0arable white blood brother Greenhorn $ld hatterhand beca-e a cult in 3uro0e.

1!2 rde;6a 1<<, 0. 17.1!" Ebid., 0. 1<.1!' Ebid., 0. 2!'.1!5 yse6alo@ 1<', 0. 1".

/1



En 2!!1 #estGer-an director and co-edian )ichael ully Herbi released Manitou’s Shoe<

an a0t 0arody of I)ayJ westerns.

efore E will analy4e the 0arody itself a characteristic of the -aterial it la-0oons should

be e0lained. (o understand the nature of #innetou and $ld hatterhand -oies we hae to

o bac6 to the IfatherJ of these fiures – %arl )ay. )ay, who hi-self isited the Fnited

tates only four years before his death, created in his boo6s a hihly ideali4ed i-ae of the

#ild #est based on the trael boo6s, anthro0oloical uides to the fauna and flora of the

outhwest.1!/ (his would not be such 0roble- if )ay had not 0resented his boo6s as

trustworthy resources. +s &enin and 3erson infor-: I)ay clai-ed to hae lied a-on the

Endians, and to be writin of eents of which he had heard firsthand accounts.J1!7 =ater on,

)ay was forced to ad-it that he was a deceier. (han6s to )ay*s ro-antic ision of the

&rontier -ost Ger-ans ained a distorted idea of the real life in the #est. (he I)ayJ

westerns, in co-0arison to D3&+ Endian fil-s, are full of clichs and ro-antic iews of the

relationshi0s between the white settlers and the Endians. (hus they should be considered as

adenturous fairytales for uenile audience.

(he -ost classical #est Ger-an westerns are: Apache (o!d X$innetou 4+ Tei! , 1/", a

triloy with two other 0artsL and The Treasure o/ Si!ver La9e X:er Schat im Si!%ersee , 1/2.

(he the-e of )ay*s noels and conseAuently the 0lot of the -oies based on the-, are

ery well 6nown in 3astern 3uro0e. )ay 0roected his eo into the fiure of a youn Ger-an

writer %arl, with a nic6na-e $ld hatterhand, who co-es west to hel0 with the construction

of the railroad. ecause the construction wor6s ta6e 0lace in the land of +0ache tribe, $ld

hatterhand is ca0tured by #innetou and has to buy out his life in a race with #innetou*s

father Entchutchuna. ?ot sur0risinly, $ld hatterhand wins but, -oreoer, he 0reseres

1!/ Co-0. Hollic6, ulian Crandall. $innetou and H!d Shatterhand+ The American $est in the .uropean

"ma)ination+ Ende0endent roadcastin +ssociates, Enc. 2!!2.htt0:NNwww.ibaradio.orN3uro0eNwinnetouNiaNia2.ht-. 1! an 2!!/.1!7 &enin, 3erson 17", 0. "2'.

/2

http://www.ibaradio.org/Europe/winnetou/ia/ia2.htm





Entchutchuna*s life. ConseAuently, #innetou and $ld hatterhand beco-e blood brothers

and an inse0arable friendshi0 deelo0s between the-. (hey wander throuh the #ild #est*s

deserts and et inoled in series of adentures.

(he director of I)ayJ western fil-s, Harald Oeinl, reali4ed his -oies with reat loyalty

to the oriinal. (he Endians are 0ortrayed ro-antically as 0ossessors of natural wisdo- and

with res0ect to their custo-s. (hey s0ea6 Endian dialect but #innetou can also s0ea6 the

lanuae of white 0eo0le een thouh he uses fiuratie style inherent to Endian

co--unication. oth, #innetou and $ld hatterhand are de0icted in a hihly ideali4ed

-anner. (heir har-onious relationshi0 so-eti-es acAuires al-ost ho-oerotic Aualities.1!<

(hey are the 0ositie characters who fiht for the 0eaceful &rontier, a ision which is

constantly bein s0oilt by Man6ees and aressie Endian tribes Be.. the hoshones. (he

neatie characters are re0resented by anter, a white illain who had co-e to the #est in

search of old, and his bunch. &e-ale characters are dealt with een less -arinally than in

classical +-erican westerns. (he I#innetouJ westerns, in order to 0resere their ro-antic

notion, are stronly aseual. (assilo chneider describes this trend in followin words: IEt is

as if the I)ayJ fil-s strie to 0rotect their -ale 0rotaonists fro- the threat of seuality, and

to 6ee0 the- within the confines of a -ythically 0ure, Kinnocent*, i.e., 0reNaseual boyhood

unierseJ.1! $ne of the few wo-en in these -oies is #innetou*s sister ?schotschi who

falls in loe with $ld hatterhand but the director Ilets he dieJ before any seual relationshi0

can be deelo0ed. $ther -inor characters include the ridiculous tra00er a- Haw6ens or

adenturous ournalist and butterfly hunter =ord Castle0ool.

Manitou’s Shoe reeals that )ichael ully Herbi has studied the I)ayJ fil-s ery

thorouhly. (he two -ain 0rotaonists Endian +0ahachi and white settler Oaner clearly

0arody #innetou and $ld hetterhand fro- I)ayJ westerns. ?eertheless, their relationshi0

1!< Co-0. chneider 1<, 0. 15!.1! chneider 1<, 0. 15!.

/"





0in6, #innetouch lies on the IPin6 &ace Powder OanchJ, in oriinal Ger-an IPuder Oosa

OanchJ – a 0arody of Ponderosa Oanch.11!

Herbi did not foret to create a caricature of the author of the 3uro0ean -yth about the

#ild #est hi-self – %arl )ay. En Manitou’s Shoe he is caricatured as a drun6en writer in

Di-itri*s taerna.

=i6e the C4ech 0arody western Limonádový Joe, Manitou’s Shoe also includes

adertise-ents. (hese are references to concrete Ger-an co--ercials so the co-ical effect is

unfortunately wea6ened in the nonGer-an ersions of the -oie. +n ea-0le is the scene in

front of the cae with the treasure. anta )aria oes inside the cae and co--ands his bunch

to wait outside. (hey as6 hi- to brin the- Iso-e 0resent, so-e sur0rise, so-e chocolate,J

which is a 0arody of the Ger-an co--ercial for chocolate es with s-all toys inside.111

+nother feature which the fil- shares with Limonádový Joe are the sons which

acco-0any the -oie. #e can hear a wide rane of sons, such as Fshi*s western blues san

in 3nlish or ridiculous I=eb6uchenJ son in Ger-an.112

ut Manitou’s Shoe is not only a s0oof of the I#innetouJ westerns and the -ytholoi4ed

#est they de0ict. + fan of western fil-s will notice that there are also so-e analoies to

classical I0ahetti westernJ Hnce Gpon a Time in the $est . (hese references ary fro- an

incons0icuous shots to whole scenes ta6en fro- the Etalian western: there is a closeu0 of the

wooden board hanin in the air with a sin ItationJL Oaner 0layin his har-onica

rese-bles the character Har-onicaL the scene in which +0ahachi standin on Oaner*s

shoulders and tryin to reach an a00le fro- a tree is a clear analoy to the scene in which

Har-onica*s brother is 6illed. esides westerns, Manitou’s Shoe also la-0oons "ndiana

Jones and the Temp!e o/ :oom B1<' usin its Iroller coasterJ ride at the end of the fil-.

11! Ponderosa Oanch was an a-use-ent #ild #est 0ar6 near =a6e (ahoe in ?eada o0ened until 2!!'.#i6i0edia. (he &ree 3ncyclo0edia. :er Shuh des Manitu. htt0:NNen.wi6i0edia.orNwi6iNDerQchuhQdesQ)anitu.

2' un 2!!/.111 %inderscho6olade in Ger-an.112 =eb6uchen dance is a traditional Ger-an dance.

/5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Der_Schuh_des_Manitu.%20%20





(o su- u0 the analysis, it has been de-onstrated on concrete ea-0les that Manitou’s

Shoe is a s0oof of the #est Ger-an westerns which are based on %arl )ay noels. %arl )ay

created a 3uro0ean -yth of the +-erican &rontier which was 0roected also in these

westerns. y his 0arody, )ichael ully Herbi de-ytholoi4es the ro-antic 0ortrayal of the

?atie +-ericans and the ideal ho-oerotic relationshi0 between #innetou and $ld

hatterhand. ecause of the eneral fa-e of the I)ayJ westerns throuhout 3uro0e,

Manitou’s Shoe can a00eal to a wide rane of s0ectators. ?eertheless, in the ho-e of the

enre, the Fnited tates, Manitou’s Shoe would 0robably loose its releance because its

funda-ent is not 6nown there.

CONCLUSION

(he structural analysis of Limonádový Joe has confir-ed that the -oie is a 0arody of

+-erican western e0ics. +s E hae shown on concrete ea-0les, the storyline of Limonádový

Joe is a00licable to #ill #riht*s classical 0lot and the characters fro- the -oie are

re0resentaties of the stereoty0es fro- classical +-erican westerns. Limonádový Joe contains

all necessary features which for- the western enre: the hero, uns, horses and western

landsca0e. (he -iseenscne also co0ies the action and settin of classical westerns: the

//



-oie includes saloon fihts, bad irls, a ban6 robbery, a duel in the -ain street, a barber, an

underta6er, a ce-etery etc. (hese essential western clichs are su00orted by a00ro0riate

choice of costu-es and other 0ro0s. (he authentic i-itation of the oriinal in Limonádový

Joe fulfills its condition to function as a 0arody. y a00lyin the techniAues of 0arody, such

as eaeration, si-0lification, absurdity or IrecontetualisationJ, on the characters and

situations with which they deal, i89 rde;6a s0oofs the -ost freAuent western clichs, e.. the

Iblac6 and whiteJ 0ortrayal of characters, the ideali4ation of the hero, the sche-atis- of the

0lot in westerns and others. ecause Limonádový Joe la-0oons the classical +-erican

westerns, its function as a 0arody has a uniersal a00eal to the international audience of

western enre.

Limonádový Joe can be also inter0reted as an alleory of a co-0etition fiht between two

brands: %olalo6a and whis6ey. &ro- this 0oint of iew, Limonádový Joe has an antica0italist

-essae, critici4in the co--ercial co-0anies drien by the ision of 0rofit and e0loitin

the easily influenced consu-er society. (his antica0italist leel in the -oie reflects

rde;6a*s disa00roal with the fact that +-erican directors of westerns, in order to fill the

cine-as and ensure the 0rofit, distort the historical reality of the #ild #est 0ortrayed in their

fil-s. En other words, rde;6a critici4es the +-erican directors of westerns for bein 0rofit

oriented.

(he analysis of the other 3uro0ean 0arody of westerns, Manitou’s Shoe, has reealed that

it -a6es fun of other clichs than those alid in case of Limonádový Joe. Herbi*s fil- is a

s0oof of a s0ecific subenre within the western enre – the #est Ger-an westerns based on

the noels by fa-ous Ger-an writer %arl )ay. (hus the -ain taret of Herbi*s hu-orous

critiAue are not clichs of +-erican westerns but the ro-antici4ed illustration of Endians and

their relationshi0 with white settlers. (he basis of the 0arody in Manitou’s Shoe is the

friendshi0 between red +0ahachi and white Oaner which reflects the ro-antici4ed ho-o

/7





PRIMARY SOURCES

/



/il8o,'a6":

Limonádový Joe B1/'

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=i0s6Y. Di'e)te( b": $ld8ich =i0s6Y. Ci%e8ato,'a6": ladi-9r ?ootnY. L"'i)s: i89

rde;6a, ratisla lae6, Pael %o0ta, an Oychl96. Co'eo,'a6": osef %on9;e6.

Desi,%e': %arel g6or. So$%(: osef l;e6. E(iti%,: )irosla H@e6. S6e)ial e++e)ts: i89

(rn6a, 8etisla Poar. Cast: %arel &iala B=e-onade oe, Oudolf Deyl r. BDou ad-an,

)ilo^ %o0ec6Y BHor@cHoofoo, %ta &ialo@ B(ornado =ou, $la chobero@

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Ote' +il8s a%al"9e(:

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1' Aria o/ the Praire XÁrie prérieY, i89 (rn6a, i89 rde;6a

152 #i)h oon, &red Tinne-an

15" Shane, Geore teens

15' The Seven Samurai X 七人の侍 Y, +6ira %urosawa

1/! The Ma)ni/icent Seven, ohn tures

1/1 oDim%o X 用心棒 Y< +6ira %urosawa

1/2 The Man $ho Shot Li%erty &a!ance, ohn &ord

1/' A -ist/u! o/ :o!!ars XPer un pu)no di do!!ariY, erio =eone

1/5 Apache (o!d X$innetou 4+ Tei! , 1/", Harald Oeinl

1/5 Cat 8a!!ou, 3lliot ilerstein

1/5 -or a -ew :o!!ars More B Per Eua!che do!!aro in piu, erio =eone

7!



1/5 The Treasure o/ Si!ver La9e X:er Schat im Si!%ersee , 1/2, Harald Oeinl

1// The (ood< the 8ad and the G)!y B "! %uono< i! %rutto< i! cattivo, erio =eone

1// The Sons o/ the (reat Mother 8ear B :ie SZhne der )ro[en 8\rin, osef )ach

1/ 8utch Cassidy and Sundance 3id , Georie Ooy Hill

1/ The $i!d 8unch, a- Pec6in0ah

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72





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7'


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Documents

Analysis of the Western genre