“Some people are useless on top of the ground. They ought to be under it,
inspiring the cabbages.” – Mark Twain
When it comes to American History the “Revolutionary Era” with all of its “players” in history has always held my interest. It is a fascinating time to think about how always these people and cultures came to a point to create an outcome of a totally new type of country to exist in the World at that time. 236 years later, we are still trying to fully understand what they did. The other part is not based entirely on a historical facts but more on the “archetypes” it created in the culture. “Western” genre will always hold some degree of “mysticism” in American culture. It probably started back in 1803 when President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territories from France. He then commissioned Lewis and Clark to go out and document this “unknown land”. America then became in a way a “nomadic” society moving and trying to make its fortune. “Go West” the motto for seeking that “fortune” became a part of the American Experience.
The “Western” premise usually consists of a person or family trying their hardest to work towards trying to hold on to just a small of the “fortune”. What has become known as the chance at that “American Dream”. (No one is ever going to admit to the duality that will always exist within the American Dream. It’s “strength and pride” versus the “fragility and desperation” to it. ) There is always some “bigger entity” trying to steal that away from them. The “Western” genre is made of archetypes of “good and evil” that make up the sides to the story. However, the most interesting characters are often the ones who exist somewhere between those sides. The legendary “Lone Man” in many cases.
There is a movie that touches on the previous points. I had never seen this movie before. I also do not know how I missed seeing this picture before. I just recently watched Sergio Leone’s 1968 movie, Once Upon a Time in the West. (Charles Bronson playing the man known as just “Harmonica” is a great performance. Sergio Leone created yet another great character of few words who conveys so much at the same time.)
I am going to diverge from the “Western” itself for a moment.
He may be 81 years and last appeared in a Western 20 years ago, Clint Eastwood will be forever the iconic symbol of the Western movie genre.
He recently starred in a car commercial that first aired during this year’s Super Bowl. The commercial was not selling a specific car although a car company was sponsoring it. However, Clint Eastwood was used as a spoke person who was urging Americans that they can rally together to get things moving once again. It is a message that needed to come from a man of “experience” who has seen enough of history that has taken place and realize that there is the other side. It had the right message of “reliance and resilience” for the country.
However, this is Presidential Election cycle year and political pundits had to weigh in. The problem in this country is everyone thinks that everyone motives are all “political”. Everything that anyone says is “dissected and analyzed” to a degree that the original message is totally lost. This problem really took off when President Clinton argued about the line between “oral and actual sex.” The memories. It was really fun watching the look on the Evening News guys’ faces when arguing about “blow jobs” during the Dinner Hour. But I do not want to start a political debate. I will leave that two people I know on Facebook. They are “fun vs. sad” and I am not going to say who is which one or when.
It took no time to hear how Clint Eastwood was being fooled into making a “subversive political message”. In election years, “nonsense” gets the headlines. A simple message this country needed reminding of. That is it. And you come off as an idiot if you think there is more to than that. I think all sides need to “ratchet down” on their rhetoric and some need to be hit with that “ratchet”.
Here is some reaction links. Fox News debate segment and Clint Eastwood’s own.
“Noise proves nothing. Often a hen who has merely laid an egg cackles as if she had laid an asteroid” – Mark Twain
I then heard Rush Limbaugh’s decree that Clint was “duped” into it. But he himself is a fan of Eastwood’s. Who has never watched any of his movies. Look at the character Clint Eastwood has portrayed over the years. His characters never “carry water for fool’s in positions of authority”. Dirty Harry just would not be the same if he “played along with those in charge”. Watch the “Behind the Scenes” segments on his DVD’s and he will explain why he took on the character or the movie. It usually has nothing to do with the potential box office sales. Or what others tell him he should be doing.
Plus, he ran for mayor of his home town and won back in 1986. Here is synopsis of that. Read it and you realize how wrong the “blow hard” got Mr. Eastwood’s character when it comes to politics.
I want to get back to “Western Genre” of movies for one more title to watch. Here is the trailer for it.
This movie does not play like a typical movie in its genre. This film is more of character study. It is also more of psychological story of what happens to a man (Jesse James) who becomes more of “myth” than anything. And on the other hand, it is also about the man (Robert Ford) who gets too caught up in his own “hero worshipping”. This movie is about the consequences of those two extremes.
NOTE. I used Mark Twain quotes in this piece because I like his commentary on American culture. He may have passed on but many of his points are still very much relevant to today’s society.
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