I haven't seen many Westerns, El Topo and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly are the only two that come to mind (and they aren't exactly your classic Western). I was surprised to find myself so interested in the plot and characters. I'd assumed it would be all spitting, shooting, and hacking up Natives (which it unfortunately ultimately turned into) but it came strong with genuine characters. The plot was so incredibly simple but did more than work as the characters brought so much tension and interest to the story. These aren't a bunch of characters riding a stagecoach, they're people with ambitions and hopes and pasts and futures. That being said I understand this is a basic component of any good story--I'm just stating how shocking it was to find it in an old Western. And THAT being said, looking at it plainly, the movie was enjoyable but will otherwise most likely be unmemorable (save for the absolutely non-subtle ways that the Natives were made villain).
At first I was pretty into the film and was starting to seriously think about reorganizing my netflix list to accomodate some Westerns. But now I think I'll just rewatch El Topo or The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly if I want to see six-shooters and sand.
Or hell, who wants to have a Mad Max Marathon?
A Mad Max marathon would be awesome. I hadn't thought of them as westerns before, but they pretty much are. You could throw in Tank Girl too.
ReplyDeleteBut there's also a lot going on with Stagecoach beyond the level of the plot and stereotypical characters. There's a reason Orson Welles was so fascinated with it.