THE MAN WITH NO NAME CRITICAL ANALYSIS 9
The Man with No Name Critical Analysis
Caroline Sonbay
University of Michigan - Flint
The Man with No Name Critical Analysis To think of the American western or traditional western, brings visions of the good guy the cowboy who saves the day and the rides away or the sheriff who protects the town and gets the lady. Those were the simpler scenes when it is easy to differentiate between the good and bad guys. The motives and morals were clear as was the setting, the mood or tone and format of the filming. Those were movies that represented a different and simpler time in America and the movies romanticized those times. ?The …show more content…
Revolutionary and anarchistic movements in the country as a response to disapproval of the involvement in the Vietnam conflict began to take root. No longer content to trust in and believe in the government and its policies, people were taking to the streets in protest. They were dissatisfied with the pursuit of success and the capitalist and materialistic culture. The American society became more jaded and more individualistic. American cinema was changing during this time as well and reflecting the mood of the world. Among the genres undergoing transition during this time, ?the Western was perhaps the greatest barometer?the genre long seen as most uniquely American, most assuredly linked to the national character and mythology, seemed to be evolving into a new, rougher beast? (McClain, 2010, p. 52). This was no more evident than in the Sergio Leone …show more content…
The story of a loner who was selfishly looking to make money pitted two ?gangs? against each other while he played the middle. This is a personification of the United States at the time of the conflict. The country was involved in a conflict across the sea between two warring nations in the hopes of winning and gaining something of value for the country or the government. The movie was a mirror into what Europeans and specifically Italian filmmakers such as Leone though of Americans, depicting them as selfish manipulators who only were interested in making money and our own selfish gains. However, he also recognized the audience?s wishes for a hero. ?Joe? may not have been the typical hero from past westerns. He did have decency for the innocents. He was out for himself at first in order to make money off the turmoil in the town, but he did have good qualities such as aiding in the release of Marisol and her