McCarthy

Honestly, I had a hard time getting into and understanding this story. I did notice however that it is very descriptive. It mentions buzzards eating dead bodies, and a bat eating at Sproule's chest. Anyway, after I finished reading this story, I felt like I was completely lost about what I had just read. I decided to do a bit of research about the story and maybe that would help give me some background. I found out that the story is about a runaway teenage boy from Tennessee who winds up in Texas. He gets caught up with a gang that kills Indians. This is during the time of the Mexican War.

Sergio Leoni

It's hard to listen to one of these podcasts ( I think that's what this is called). You really have to pay attention! It was surprising when Frayling said that when Leoni went to the film industry most of the other directors said western movies were over and done with. Obviously Leoni didn't care. I thought it was funny when it mentions that Leoni didn't like the movies that had much talking. He preferred action and adventure instead. Frayling made an excellent point when he said he wanted to take the western back to its innocence because most westerns had become too sophisticated. I like this idea! Maybe I can use it in a future paper! Also, I'm not surprised that in the Italian film Once Upon a Time in the West, the main character shoots a whole family along with the child. Like Frayling said, that would not have been in an American film. I'm sure this western is much different then the ones we've been watching and studying about. I'd like to watch it one day. I thought it was strange when the interviewer said that in the U.S. the Yugoslavians (who typically played the roles of Indians) would be compared to the Jews?

The Beginning of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

At the beginning, I did not like this movie. I felt it was rather boring and wished it were more like The Searchers. However, soon I quickly changed my opinion. I've never seen a movie where they label each character like they have done in this movie. When we were told who "The Ugly" wasn't expecting it. I do not like "The Bad" character; he is pretty creepy to me - his smile and eyes are mischievous and unsettling. He obviously has no guilt when killing people. So far I love the "The Good" character. Not only is he handsome, but he's rather funny too. His little scheme to find "The Ugly", collect the reward, and then shoot the rope before he was hung to death was quite clever. I thought leaving "The Ugly" stranded in the desert was a good idea - even though we saw him find his way back to another town. I also really enjoy the music. I'm excited to see what happens next on Monday.

Frayling's, Once Upon a Time in the West

I liked watching Frayling’s Once Upon a Time in the West. It was interesting listening to his opinions about the movie and the making process. He mentioned that the movement and acting was choreographed to go with the music; I think the music being in sync with the acting occurs in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly as well. In this movie, as in most movies, everything is emphasized with music. It was also interesting how in the beginning of the movie there is a similar scene from High Noon – I wonder why the director wanted that to happen? Even though this movie was not popular at first, I actually would still like to watch this movie.

I am still having trouble about my thesis for this paper. I know I want to somehow incorporate The Searchers and How to Play an Indian in my paper, but I do not know how to make a thesis for it. I have a few ideas, but none seem good enough. The following quotations are the ones that have stuck with me from How to Play an Indian. I really hope I will be able to find some way to connect these two works soon. Hopefully, I will have a better direction for the paper tomorrow after my conference with Dr. Griffiths.

13. As you lack stirrups, manage somehow to entangle your feet in the reins, so that, when you are shot, you are dragged after your mount.

- The Indians in The Searchers do this when shot.

I think these quotations are stereotypical of Indians:

16. In preparing to attack an isolated farm, send only one man to spy on it at night. Approaching a lighted window, he must observe at length a white woman inside, until she has become aware of the Indian face pressed against the pane. Await the woman’s cry and the exit of the men before attempting to escape.

22. In the case of a sortie on the part of the whites, never steal the weapons of the slain enemy, only his watch. Wait in wonderment, listen to its tick, until another enemy arrives.

- In The Searchers, enemies take one another’s scalp instead of a watch.

25. In the event that the Indian village is attacked rush from the tents in total confusion. Run around every which way, trying to collect weapons previously left in places of difficult access.

- I do not remember if the Indians did this in The Searchers, but I think it is stereotypical. Even though it is stereotypical, when I imagine a movie about cowboys and Indians, this image seems very typical.

While I am still considering ideas for my paper, I am thinking about a comparison and contrast paper. I'd like to write a paper comparing and contrasting the handout that we read "How to Play Indian" to the movie, The Searchers. I could talk about how the movie followed the rules in "How to Play Indian" and how it did not follow the rules. I'm not sure if this is the right idea for our papers, but I sure hope so. Hopefully we will discuss this in class.

John Wayne Readings

While I am not entirely sure, I think Joshua Eckhardt and Jamie Burton wrote an analysis on a poem about a movie John Wayne was in. I think the poem had something to do with people watching the movie at a drive-in movie theater. Maybe Native Americans? I liked how it talked about when the movie was over, “back in our skins” I think it was saying that the movie connected everyone through history, but now they were back in reality and not connected anymore because of skin color, i.e. whites and Native Americans. I also liked the part where it said, “[Erdrich] does diagnose [John Wayne] with the disease of western expansion”. I think this means that like every other cowboy in a western movie, Wayne was determined to continue land out west. I just thought using the word “disease” was an interesting way of putting it.

I was thankful to read the short biography about John Wayne! Now I know much more about him. I also felt very stupid, when I read he was Ethan Edwards in The Searchers. I cannot believe I didn’t catch that! I did have small feeling when we were watching the movie that Ethan Edwards was John Wayne, but I was exactly sure. I’m glad I opened my eyes and realized that’s who he is. Wayne sure was in a lot of movies. He was also married three times and had 7 children. Wow. With such an impacting career, I think he is remembered as America’s cowboy.

John Wayne Playboy Interview

Honestly, I didn’t enjoy reading this interview. I have never heard of John Wayne before or anyone of his movies mentioned so it was hard to related and connect to much of what he said. In addition, this man is extremely honest. He definitely gave his opinions without the slightest care of what others may think of his judgment. I did not understand any of the parts when he mentioned communists in the interview. I thought they asked him strange questions in the interview like about drugs, but maybe he was into drugs at one point? I don’t know since this is the first time I am hearing about him. It was hard for me to read this interview since like I said I’m not familiar with John Wayne; however, from the looks of it, it seems like he is an honest man and is famous for portraying cowboys in western films.

How to Play Indian

Personally, I thought that the passage was a little weird. While reading it, I asked myself if the whole thing was a joke. It was almost like they were making fun of Indians. One thing that led me to believe it was a joke was when I read the part about only attacking in the daytime as an Indian tradition. However, in the movie The Searchers, the Indians attacked at night. Whatever the purpose of the passage - whether it be a joke or just common rules that people believe Indians follow - I did not like it.