An example would be Sergio Leone's film, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Their exists distinct views of America in this film. Firstly, the idea of America's greed is prominent. The three characters pursue a treasure through any means necessary. The men are violent, cuthroat people, who betray people in order to get the money. It is important to note none of the men truely had a claim for the treasure. From a cultural studies perspective, in 1966, when this film was released, Italy was still recovering from the devastation of World War II. Behind Mussolini, Italy were members of the Axis powers. Thus, there was still a resentment for Americans. The amount of unnecessary violence for all intents and purposes lack of any meaningful plot reflect the idea of America's obsession with violence.
Similarly, Sergio Corbucci's film Navajo Joe demonstrates Italy's view of America. Throughout the film, we follow a Native American as the alpha male cowboy. This is totally unorthodox for a classic western. Generally, the Native American is nothing more than an other. In this case, however, we see Joe avenging his family who was murdered. This is symbolic of America's destruction of Native Americans, and how Italy viewed America's idea of manifest destiny. Joe is a representation of America's past coming back to haunt them.
Similarly, Sergio Corbucci's film Navajo Joe demonstrates Italy's view of America. Throughout the film, we follow a Native American as the alpha male cowboy. This is totally unorthodox for a classic western. Generally, the Native American is nothing more than an other. In this case, however, we see Joe avenging his family who was murdered. This is symbolic of America's destruction of Native Americans, and how Italy viewed America's idea of manifest destiny. Joe is a representation of America's past coming back to haunt them.
Spaghetti Westerns were films, which emerged in the mid 1960's, made by Italian filmmakers. These films depicted a European view of America during this time. There are clear distinctions which set these films apart from the classic western.
ReplyDeleteAn example would be Sergio Leone's film, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Their exists distinct views of America in this film. Firstly, the idea of America's greed is prominent. The three characters pursue a treasure through any means necessary. The men are violent, cutthroat people, who betray people in order to get the money. Furthermore, it is important to note none of the men truly had a claim for the treasure. When this film was made, America's push for capitalism was in full swing. This greed in the film is a conflation between American capitalism and greed. From a cultural studies perspective, in 1966, the classic American western had already reached its prime. The typical classic western would depict the alpha male cowboy using his might, the idea of the law of the gun, to be a crusader of liberty and justice. The amount of unnecessary violence in this film reflects the idea of America's obsession with violence as a use of order.
Similarly, Sergio Corbucci's film Navajo Joe demonstrates Italy's view of America. Throughout the film, we follow a Native American as the alpha male cowboy. This is totally unorthodox for a classic western. Generally, the Native American is nothing more than an other. In this case, however, we see Joe avenging his family who was murdered. This is symbolic of America's destruction of Native Americans, and how Italy viewed America's idea of manifest destiny. Joe is a representation of America's past coming back to haunt them.