Country: US
Technical: col 133m
Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Cast: Tim Blake Nelson, Clancy Brown, James Franco, Liam Neeson, Harry Melling, Tom Waits, Bill Heck, Zoe Kazan, Grainger Hines, Jonjo O'Neill, Brendan Gleeson, Saul Rubinek, Tyne Daly
Synopsis:
Six tales of the Old West, as revealed by the colour plates of an old storybook.
Review:
The Western remains the quintessential American format, and this portmanteau, which takes its name from the opening segment, a kind of Lucky Luke homage, makes full use of the makers' unerring ear for dialogue laced with Americana and quaint linguistic adornments. As in How the West Was Won, the other panels offer a tour of generic archetypes, from gunslinger to bank robber and lynch mob, thence to Meal Ticket, a bittersweet tale of culture and companionship, then the grisly prospector, followed by a wagon train and red Indian attack, and finally a nocturnal stage ride ferrying the occupants to the afterlife. There the similarity ends, as the Coens skewer the uncanny mix of violence, kindness, respect for the natural order and homespun wisdom of the Wild West, while adding a Poe-like dose of the macabre.
Country: US
Technical: col 133m
Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Cast: Tim Blake Nelson, Clancy Brown, James Franco, Liam Neeson, Harry Melling, Tom Waits, Bill Heck, Zoe Kazan, Grainger Hines, Jonjo O'Neill, Brendan Gleeson, Saul Rubinek, Tyne Daly
Synopsis:
Six tales of the Old West, as revealed by the colour plates of an old storybook.
Review:
The Western remains the quintessential American format, and this portmanteau, which takes its name from the opening segment, a kind of Lucky Luke homage, makes full use of the makers' unerring ear for dialogue laced with Americana and quaint linguistic adornments. As in How the West Was Won, the other panels offer a tour of generic archetypes, from gunslinger to bank robber and lynch mob, thence to Meal Ticket, a bittersweet tale of culture and companionship, then the grisly prospector, followed by a wagon train and red Indian attack, and finally a nocturnal stage ride ferrying the occupants to the afterlife. There the similarity ends, as the Coens skewer the uncanny mix of violence, kindness, respect for the natural order and homespun wisdom of the Wild West, while adding a Poe-like dose of the macabre.
