As the 1960’s hit the United States many issues begin to arise. The key focal points in these issues were the women’s movement and racial segregation. Also emerging in the 1960’s were spaghetti westerns. These were western films usually paid for, produced, and directed by an Italian and had roles of characters that were of European decent and some American decent. These spaghetti westerns portrayed their views of us as a country in dealing with these issues.
In the film The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly we see Spanish characters as well as white characters. In a cultural studies aspect this film really shows the battle over racial segregation. The film portrays us American’s as very manipulative, confused, greedy, and aggressive when dealing with the issue of racial segregation. Blondie (white) had a relationship with Tuco (Spanish) and wants to end it. Blondie leaves Tuco to dehydrate in the desert, but Tuco survives the hardships and survives and finds Blondie. He wants to get revenge on Blondie, but is unsuccessful in his attempt as he grows distracted by a treasure. Tuco is beaten for information on the treasure and when the men find out he does not know anything they move on to find the man who knows. Later in the film Blondie kills the bad guy and has Tuco do all the work to dig up the treasure. Once it is unearthed he ties Tuco up by the neck to be hung. He takes half the treasure and takes off shooting Tuco free as he rides away. Through this film the Europeans view us as only caring about money as business and culture are growing in our country. We forget about our friendships and as segregation takes place you see the country grow divided. Some men beat people who are different while others treat them well. People of different race have to face many hardships and struggles trying to survive. In Blondie’s case there are some American’s who are friends with someone of a different race, but do not necessarily know how to act around them. They get caught up in what is going on around them where they might do something they might normally not do to someone of a different race. In Blondie’s case that means leaving Tuco to die, making him do work for him, and tying him up to hang.
Navajo Joe is another spaghetti western film where the United States is further evaluated by the Europeans. In this film the alpha male is a Navajo Indian who goes to get revenge on a gang who has murdered his tribe. The fighting and killing in this film is extremely violent and Navajo Joe is a very skilled fighter. In the eyes of the Europeans the United States is very violent and ruthless in dealing with people of different races. It is not easy being a non white in the United States in the 1960s. Many people were murdered and beaten because of the color of their skin. Many people risked their lives to fight back and stand up for what they believe. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks are very similar to Navajo Joe in the European’s eyes. They are standing up for what they believe and trying to make things right for the people of their race who lost their lives in the battle for equality. They are battling their lives to bring equality. We, American’s are looked as of being almost evil. It is understandable to be against equality, but to murder and beat innocent men, women, and children because of the color of their skin is wrong. I think the spaghetti westerns truly give a good view of what is going on in our country through others perspective.
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