The Good, the Bad and the Ugly & Navajo Joe

The Spaghetti Western is a different genre of western films which were produced and directed by Italians. Common themes of the Spaghetti Western have to do with Mexicans and the Mexican-American border, but also themes and characters that are not usually present in traditional westerns. Navajo Joe is a spaghetti western which portrays an unusual plot in comparison to the typical westerns we have viewed. The main difference of this western was that the main character was a Navajo Indian, and the plot surrounded him and his revenge towards a group of outlaws. Never before have we seen an Indian play a part anything other than an enemy or simply a prop. Joe on the other hand became trustworthy and the American village actually hired him to protect them from the outlaws. He does this successfully, making him a hero. This was a completely different twist in a western plot than traditional westerns. The hero was not the typical white alpha male, but Indian; someone who is usually killed by the alpha male cowboy. The power that the Indian holds over the town, because of his ability to protect them from Duncan, the outlaw, is remarkable. In traditional westerns, a village would not succumb to the need for an Indian to protect them, or to pay him for his efforts. The sequence of events that occur in this movie may reflect the idea of racism and how Indians are equal to, or even more capable than the average white man. The white village was dependent on Joe, which may be a reflection of the international view of Americans; that Americans are not superior to other races and may need the help of others to succeed.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is another spaghetti western which is very different than traditional westerns through the use of its characters. Although the main character is the typical white alpha male, played by Clint Eastwood, the two other characters who represent “the ugly” and “the bad” are not white. There is an interesting relationship between Tuco (The Ugly) and Blondie (The Good) because they are somewhat friends but then become enemies when Blondie leaves him stranded in the desert. Tuco survives and catches Blondie and almost hangs him, and then Blondie gets away. This back and forth relationship between these two seems to reflect the idea of racism going on in the country; the way different races were battling back and forth. Another interesting part of the movie was the three main characters were able to easily fool the soldiers and act as though they were part of the regiments. This showed how unprofessional the army was, and how both white and men of other races can fool them and they were simply allowed into the army.