The Ballad of Cable Hogue evaluation action
2022-02-22 08:02
The film is like Pekinpa’s final funeral for his favorite westerns. He used his deep western feelings to compose a cowboy hymn. The first half of the story fully excavated Pekinpa's comedic talent, and it was filmed like a stage play, while the "atypical Pekinpa" element still contained Pekinpa's satire on the real society. If comedy is unexpected in the film, then the characterization of the film is very Pekinpa style. Joshua’s presentation of the complexity of human nature and Huge’s pure and transparent attitude and ideals in life represents the difference between the people in civilized society and the people in the primitive life of nature. The film adds a comedy effect. The first half of the movie shows the original expeditionary spirit of Western films. The establishment of the "Huge Spring Hotel" heralds the American spirit of hard work and self-reliance. The rising Stars and Stripes represents the director's tribute to the fulfillment of the dream of a generation of American people. The second half of the film symbolizes the decline of traditional American Western films, and also portrays revenge, which is closely related to the violent elements of Western films. Revenge here is not like revenge itself, but more like showing the blood and dignity of the tough guy in the west. The fate of Huge who was killed by a car to save Buwen reflects the inevitable outcome of barbarism encountering civilization. The tone of the film has long since ceased to be cheerful. The madness of the western desert and the long sorrow of the dusk and sunset together established the end of the tragedy, and it also contains Pekinpa’s deep understanding and unwillingness to the west.
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Extended Reading
The Ballad of Cable Hogue quotes
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Hildy: [singing] Butterfly mornings / And wildflower afternoons.
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Reverend Joshua Sloan: He charged too much. He was as stingy as they come. Yes, he might have cheated, but he was square about it. Rich or poor, he gouged them all the same.