In the 1959 Film Rio Bravo, a western, we see four men who stand alone in the face of adversity in the name of the law. In the 1966 film El Dorado, also a western, we can see this same scenario played out again. Both films were written by Leigh Brackett and directed by Howard Hawks. Although they are similar in there plot, there are some very obvious differences.
In the opening scene of Rio Bravo, we see Dude, a Deputy Sheriff, a disheveled looking man, as he enters a saloon through the back door, and he is mocked by a well-dressed man for his unkempt look and his desperate need for a drink. It is at this point that we see J T Chance, a Sheriff and Dudes close friend, as he tries to restore Dudes dignity and self respect. As the story unfolds Dudes condition becomes clearer. It is the result of several months of drinking whisky in an attempt to rid his memory of a failed romance. The relationship between Chance and Dude is that of close personnel friends with Chance being the more dominant of the two, Chance looks at Dude with pity and often shows compassion for his good friend. T...
The image created for the outlaw hero is the “natural man.” They are adventurous but also wanderers, and loners. Outlaw heroes are more likely to commit a crime, use weapons and carry guns. The outlaw hero represents self-determination and freedom from conflicts. On the other hand, the official hero is portrayed to be “the civilized” man. He often follows the norms of society, and has typical roles such as a lawyer, teacher, and family man.
The film explores this in various aspects, the most prominent being Juan Vargas. Juan came from humble background and due to his simple beginnings got the position of power because the party felt like he’d be least likely to cause trouble. Nonetheless after being in the role for a short amount of time, Juan started to exploit the townspeople becoming the worst mayor to ever enter San Pedro. The film shows corruption and dishonesty in other ways, with the examples of the American who tried to swindle Juan for money after “fixing” his car. Juan’s wife, Gloria and her affair with the American man, who she ended up falling in love with. Even Lopez, the secretary for the president is corrupt and tried to shoot his rival for the positon of governor, which said rival happened to be the president’s nephew. Also, the fact that the position of governor went to the president’s nephew in a classic display of nepotism, is even a form of the corrupt actions of the
In “The Thematic Paradigm,” Robert Ray explains how there are two vastly different heroes: the outlaw hero and the official hero. The official hero has common values and traditional beliefs. The outlaw hero has a clear view of right and wrong but unlike the official hero, works above the law. Ray explains how the role of an outlaw hero has many traits. The morals of these heroes can be compared clearly. Films that contain official heroes and outlaw heroes are effective because they promise viewer’s strength, power, intelligence, and authority whether you are above the law or below it.
While the western frontier was still new and untamed, the western hero often took on the role of a vigilante. The vigilante’s role in the frontier was that of extralegal verve which was used to restrain criminal threats to the civil peace and opulence of a local community. Vigilantism was typical to the settler-state societies of the western frontier where the structures and powers of government were at first very feeble and weak. The typical cowboy hero had a willingness to use this extralegal verve. The Virginian demonstrated this throughout with his interactions with Trampas, most notably in the interactions leading up to the shoot out and during the shoot-out itself. “Others struggled with Trampas, and his bullet smashed the ceiling before they could drag the pistol from him… Yet the Virginian stood quiet by the...
The idea of masculinity is seen especially through Miguel Grande, Miguel Chico’s father. He is described as a big, dominant, hardworking policeman, and family patriarch. As a father, he wanted his son to grow up and be rough and tough, not shedding a tear in front of anyone. “He felt like crying and running away, but his father
Somewhere out in the Old West wind kicks up dust off a lone road through a lawless town, a road once dominated by men with gun belts attached at the hip, boots upon their feet and spurs that clanged as they traversed the dusty road. The gunslinger hero, a man with a violent past and present, a man who eventually would succumb to the progress of the frontier, he is the embodiment of the values of freedom and the land the he defends with his gun. Inseparable is the iconography of the West in the imagination of Americans, the figure of the gunslinger is part of this iconography, his law was through the gun and his boots with spurs signaled his arrival, commanding order by way of violent intentions. The Western also had other iconic figures that populated the Old West, the lawman, in contrast to the gunslinger, had a different weapon to yield, the law. In the frontier, his belief in law and order as well as knowledge and education, brought civility to the untamed frontier. The Western was and still is the “essential American film genre, the cornerstone of American identity.” (Holtz p. 111) There is a strong link between America’s past and the Western film genre, documenting and reflecting the nations changes through conflict in the construction of an expanding nation. Taking the genres classical conventions, such as the gunslinger, and interpret them into the ideology of America. Thus The Western’s classical gunslinger, the personification of America’s violent past to protect the freedoms of a nation, the Modernist takes the familiar convention and buries him to signify that societies attitude has change towards the use of diplomacy, by way of outmoding the gunslinger in favor of the lawman, taming the frontier with civility.
The scene opens with Miss Jimenez entering the shop in needs of a Mexican to fill a diversity slot in Governor Reagan’s office. She tells Sancho that her name is Miss JIM-menez, which is considered an Anglo pronunciation. Her insistence that she be called this leads the reader to believe she makes it a point to disassociate herself with her Hispanic heritage. She carries herself in a superior manner that signifies her entitlement to treat Sancho and the Mexican models in a negative way. She continues to list the trait requirements for the person she needs to look “good” in Reagan’s office. Sancho displays each model trying to receive Miss Jimenez’s approval. One important aspect of the play is the adjectives that Ms. Jimenez uses to describe the Mexican that she would like to use as her prototype. Such adjectives are: "suave, debonair, dark, but of course not too da...
The corrido has been identified as having distinctive characteristics that make up its theme and plot. First, the corrido has a “context of hostile relations between Anglos and Mexicans along the border and the establishment of a scenic structure, geographical locale, and opposing social forces” (Mendoza 146). The corrido’s hero “is a hard-working, peace-loving Mexican, who, when goaded by Anglos, outrages into violence, causing him to defend his rights and those of others of his community against the rinches, the Rangers” (Saldívar). This hero “is quickly introduced in legendary proportions and defiant stature” and many people must die before the hero reaches his triumphant, but tragic, demise (Mendoza 146). The Anglos in the corrido, meanwhile, are not one-dimensional villains but “complex figures who contain positive as well as negative qualities” (Mendoza 146). These distinctive traits of a corrido – setting, conflict, and characterization, among others – ...
So when he came into town, people who lived near by told Captain Torres that there was a revolutionary working the barbershop and that he would kill Torres if he wet inside to get a shave. Of course he had the ambition to walk in, so once Torres appeared inside the shop, the barber automatically knew who he was and thoughts like "Murderer or hero? My fate hangs on the edge of this razor blade. I can turn my wrist slightly, put a bit more pressure on the blade, let it sink in" (Tellez) started to pop into his head. But the barber remained calm, and said he was only a barber and that's all he will ever be. In light of that, the quote "character is what you are in the dark," follows through with his two sides because in reality, he's just a plain barber, but deep inside, he's rebel and just not letting it show through.
Hemingway presents takes the several literary styles to present this short story. Hemingway’s use of Foreshadowing, Pathos, Imagery and Personification allows the reader to enter the true context of the frustration and struggle that the couples face. Although written in the 1920’s it the presents a modern day conflict of communication that millions of couples face. At first glance the beautiful landscape of the Barcelonian hillside in which Jig refers to frequently throughout the text appears to have taken the form of White Elephants. The Americans’ response to Jigs’ observation was less than enthusiastic as he provides a brief comment and continues on with his cerveza. This was but the first of the many verbal jousts to come between Jig and the American. The metaphorical inferences in those verbal confrontations slowly uncover the couple’s dilemma and why they may be on the waiting for the train to Madrid.
Sam and Chellani are at the bar throwing back shots one after the other racing to see who could get a buzz first. So far they had guzzled down a whole bottle of whiskey and were now consuming vodka. Both of them hated vodka but It was the only way to break their year long tie. Sam threw up twice between the transition of alcoholic beverages, but Chellani remained unfazed. Grillby, the bartender, watched the two hardheads closely everytime they walked into the bar. If they were with friends, usually they would both drink one beer then turn to sweet tea later. When they arrived in matching t-shirts along with handfuls of cash, that meant Grillby needed to hide the whiskey. Grillby was the so called “referee” for the two and was also one of their
One might wonder what a 1960 Western American movie would have to do with a 1820s transcendentalist essay. Western movies are often filled with violence and death far from the teachings of Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Self Reliance". Surprisingly, the movie "The Magnificent Seven" has borrowed some ideas from the essay. The premise of the movie lies in a small town terrorized by a bandit named Calvera. The people are forced into giving up their food and goods. The movie emphasizes on the gunslingers that are hired to protect their town, but the innocent farmers are most profound in their discovery of their own strength. Many concepts in this American classic have hints of Emerson's essay.
There have been laws set in place to protect the integrity and sovereignty of the apache tribes, however the american government tries to negate this rules by taking Apache land away from them. Mining companies have collaborated with United States government to give them position of reserved San Carlos Apache nation land. As author Derrick broze has noted, “Defence department funding bill grants… Rio Tinto, a 2,400 land parcel which includes parts of the tonto national forest…” (Broze). The Rio Tinto mining company desires position of those lands because of its rich deposit of copper found directly under the territory. This may not seem to be considerable compared to the 1,800,000 acres of land the San Carlos Apache nation has, but it is sufficient
Colombia is named after Christopher Columbus, even though Alonso de Ojeda, Columbus' companion was who discovered the land in 1499. He explored the country and was amazed by the wealth of the local Indians. Their gold and stories about treasure led to the creation of El Dorado myth, a kingdom plentiful in gold. The Spaniards heard of the myth and traveled to Colombia in search of El Dorado, but their only resulted in rapid colonization. Jiménez de Quesada, Sebastián de Benalcázar and Nikolaus Federmann started to conquer the rest of the country and battled for supremecy until 1550 when King Carlos V of Spain forced the colony infer the Viceroyality of Peru. During the 16th and 17th centuries, Africans were shipped to the country and began to
No two people are exactly alike, but they can be similar in many ways. Not only can they share the same features and characteristics, but they can also harness the same qualities and values. People who are kind, brave, noble, and honest often think alike, just as the evil and hateful. Kindred spirits can also be prevalent in those who have never met before and never will. Even without the other person being present, the question, “what would he/she do,” always comes into play when faced with a difficult situation. This question is crucial to Santiago, an old fisherman battling a marlin in the middle of the sea. Thinking of his legendary baseball hero, Joe DiMaggio, gives the man faith that he can conquer his strife. In Ernest Hemingway’s, “The Old Man and the Sea,” Santiago compares himself to DiMaggio by discussing their similar backgrounds, reflecting on DiMaggio’s physical struggle, and resolving to reign victorious.