The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Part 2

After watching a second installment of the film I have to say this is definetly my favorite film we have watched so far. The most interesting aspect that I want to discuss is the character Tuco. We now know Tuco has a brother who, ironically, is a priest. I think this is a interesting aspect because it demonstrates the hardships that citizens had to endure in this time period. According to Tuco, where him and his brother grew up their were two choices of a career. Either one became a priest or an outlaw. Now if you could put yourself in their shoes im sure you would say that's a helluva choice. It makes me speculate maybe Tuco is not such a bad guy but rather a good brother in the sense that he made his choice so his brother never would have too.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

I personally really enjoy this film and I have watched it numerous times before this class. But I can now totally see the differences with John Wayne westerns and westerns like this film. This film is the first of its kind because of one big difference. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly was one of the first films to actually show a cowboy firing his weapon and killing an adversary in the same frame. In John Wayne films if you pay attention you will never see Wayne fire his weapon and the camera follow his shot until it strikes home. I appreciate this Clint Eastwood western mainly because it changes the whole genre perception of Hollywood westerns and is just so more realistic to me, all because of different camera angles and shots. I found it interesting how many close-ups were shot at the actors which is another pivotal contribution to this film. I really enjoy this perception of the American cowboy in this film due to the fact this is how I envisioned the west in my mind.

Five Quotations for my Argument

I hve decided to write my essay on the dime novel California Joe, The Mysterious Plainsmen. My argument is while the American settlers in the West were certainly no angels, most people choose not to see that some Native American tribes simply looked at the settlers as plunder and spoils of war. Many settlers and their families suffered unneccassirly from attacks from the Native Americans. One quotation I feel was important in the book pertaining to my argument is in chapter three when Joe states, "They don't harm me. I harm them." Joe is referring to how the Indians are scared of him. On a different note, the reader can also guess that Joe has had previous troubles in his past caused by Native Americans. Another quotation I feel is important is in chapter six when Joe states, "It dont seem exactly right to shoot them, when they wont shoot back, thinking I am a spook; but they'll report mighty soon that I was coming from the pale-face camp, and then they won't believe I am an evil spirit, so I'd guess I better kill 'em." This quote to me is chilling considering that Joe was just a teenager and had no trouble thinking this dilema over. It also proves to me that the settlers were forced to think in military ways because the Indians cared not whether they intended good or harm. A particular quote that jumped out at me was in chapter twelve when Joe stated, " Holy smoke! The dead folks did scare me for a minute." He was referring to his discovery of a row of corpses in a cavern which he was chased in to by Indians. This makes me feel like Joe was hardened from his violence with the Indians because he dealt with finding the corpses like it was an everyday affair, which is troubling. In chapter thirteen Joe states, " I've started in putty well myself in the killing line, and I may have a graveyard as big as Kit's, when I get to be away in my years." Joe is talking of a man famous for killing Indians and yet again we see how coolly Joe talks of killing Indians. It makes me think how could such a young boy have such a heartfelt hatred of this culture. My last quotation is in chapter sixteen when Joe yells to the Indians in battle, " Yell away, you red devils! but here we go and no none to head us off." In this quote, Joe is mocking the Indians, even as dire as his situation is, and is also boasting he will escape. This shows me that even in life threatening situations, some settlers hatred and distaste of Native Americans stayed with them to the end. Were their feelings justified pertaining to the Indians threating their way of life? Were the settlers wronged by Indians for other reasons than protecting their territory? Could a young boy been drove to leading a life of violence from past expierences of Native American brutality on immigrant and American pioneers?

Dear John Wayne and About John Wayne

I found it interesting to know that John Wayne is not his real name at all, his real name is Marion Robert Morrison. I find this intriguing because he does not come across as the type of person to change anything about themselves, especially not his given name. I also found it interesting later on in his career that he not only acted but produced some of his movies with his own money, which I think is rare among todays actors.

John Wayne Interview

John Wayne comes across as a tough, gritty kind of man who has been around the block a couple of times. I did not know he was a graduate of the University of Southern California and that he was so involved in campaign elections and politics. The most interesting aspect of the interview to me was his opinions on Native Americans. Wayne believed that it wasnt present day Americans fault that our forefathers decisions werent the best in treating Native Americans. He goes on to say that while there many right and wrongs committed by both sides the fact still remains we won the claim to the land and while the Indians being compensated is not a bad thing, the question he raises is what about the government compensating the pioneers families who expierenced losses caused by the Indians?

How to Play Indians

This excerpt is basically talking about how the future of Native Americans is so dire that a young Native American, in order to improve his social status, must appear in a Western movie depicting an Indian brave in battle. Of course, Eco is poking fun at how Native Americans were percieved by others. He thought the way the movies were depicting Indians were giving them a false reputation and basically a false interpretation of the way a young brave fought in battle. In his opinion, he thought it was ridiculous that some people actually believed that an Indians mustang couldn't outrun a stagecoach or how the "white man" could so easily pick up an Indians trail. I think Eco was trying to make a point refering to how the movies depicted Indians was not true and Hollywoods version differs from the real life occurences of the West.

John Wayne

I do not have a vast knowledge as far as John Waynes career goes but I do know he is probably one of the most decorated western actors in the history of our country. His demeanor in the movies I have seen is generally regarded as the typical tough, gritty cowboy that most people associate cowboys with. I also know he made a ton of movies because I have seen some of his movies where he is well in his fifties, if not sixties. I have also seen him act in old war movies , not just westerns. I expect his movies to have a problematic storyline with him being a deciding factor in the outcome, as most stars in movies do even today.