Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Lemonade Joe (1964)

Lemonade Joe • Limonádový Joe aneb Konská opera (1964)
Lemonade Joe • Limonádový Joe aneb Konská opera (1964)
Czech New Wave
Genre: Western, Comedy, Musical
Director: Oldrich Lipský
Starring: Karel Fiala, Rudolf Deyl, Milos Kopecký, Kveta Fialová, Olga Schoberová
Language: Czech
Duration: 99 min.
Rating: 8.0
Summary:
Clean-living gunfighter Lemonade Joe takes on a town full of whiskey-drinking cowboys.
Lemonade Joe also known as Lemonade Joe or the Horse Opera is a film directed by Oldrich Lipský, based on a series of short stories by Czech writer/animator Jirí Brdecka. It was the Czechoslovak entry to the 1964 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.

Probably the most well known of the spoofs on Western culture and cinema (which included science fiction, comic strips, and spy movies) to come out of the Czech New Wave—and in my opinion the most effective—Lemonade Joe is a hilarious musical parody of the Wild West inspired by B grade silent era westerns and infused with that wonderful Czech sense of satirical comedy that holds universal appeal.

Stetson City, Arizona is where this tale takes place.  A typical dusty western town where the premiere establishment is the Trigger Whisky Saloon. With its swinging mid-height doors, out of tune piano, dancing girls, and where the whiskey flows all night. The story details the black-and-white, good-and-evil rivalry between the mean proprietor of the Trigger Whisky, Doug Badman (Rudolf Deyl) and the heroic gunslinger Lemonade Joe (Karel Fiala).

A legendary figure who rides into town all dressed in white, just in time to rescue young Winifred Goodman (the lovely Olga Schoberová) from the base intentions of Badman and his sadistic brother Hogo Fogo (Milos Kopecký); and to use his impeccable marksmanship skills, which he attributes to his favorite brand of lemonade (in an obvious reference to Coca-Cola), to convince the local residents to switch to drinking that instead of whiskey.

The plot may sound childish and pedestrian, but the execution is full of visually inventive techniques and clever genre tributes. Writer Jirí Brdecka's roots were in animation and some of his ideas are used to great effect in the film. The opening scene inside the saloon shows a very cartoon like all-out bar brawl, expertly choreographed and fluidly edited with stop start motions.

There are other various little touches as well, like cigar smoke rings used to pass secret messages, and a marvelous gunfight sequence with freeze frames and graphic lines representing bullet paths. In addition to the slapstick comedy, there are a number of musical scenes performed by each of the main characters that are quite fascinating including the title song which seems to be a nonsensical combination of English and Spanish words. 

The film is shot in black-and-white and uses a predominately 'lemonade' yellow filter that on occasion switches to red, blue, or green depending on the mood of the scene. There are also some very interesting closeup shots that are strikingly similar to those that Sergio Leone made famous. Hard to say whether or not it was a conscious attempt at parody or merely coincidence (Leone's first spaghetti western A Fistful of Dollars was filmed the very same year), but still something to take note of.

At times the endless silly jokes and routines start to feel repetitive, but on the whole Lemonade Joe is still a fantastically entertaining take on the American West, a unique and enjoyable film full of playful moments, sharp wit, and that amazing and surreal Czech sense of humor.
Bonjour Tristesse
Lemonade Joe • Limonádový Joe aneb Konská opera (1964)

Lemonade Joe • Limonádový Joe aneb Konská opera (1964)

Lemonade Joe • Limonádový Joe aneb Konská opera (1964)

Lemonade Joe • Limonádový Joe aneb Konská opera (1964)

Lemonade Joe • Limonádový Joe aneb Konská opera (1964)

Lemonade Joe • Limonádový Joe aneb Konská opera (1964)

Lemonade Joe • Limonádový Joe aneb Konská opera (1964)

Lemonade Joe • Limonádový Joe aneb Konská opera (1964)

8 comments:

The Angry Lurker said...

I would like to see this as it sounds a hoot!

Lisa Thatcher said...

I LOVE LOVE this film - and for my money its the best 'take off' of the Western genre going. I'm so glad you reviewed it, it deserves so much more attention than it gets - as do all the Czech New Wave films. It's clever, subversive and witty. Your review is wonderful and will turn more and more people toward it. This always makes it into my top ten list when people want to talk about the best Western's ever.

d_4 said...

Wow this sounds fun. Definitely putting it on the list!

The Reel Foto said...

Looks fun!

Bonjour Tristesse said...

It is a blast.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yeah I'd prefer this to Blazing Saddles any day, hopefully more people will check it out.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Crazy fun. I think you'd surely enjoy it.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

You asked for less gloomy, and you got it.

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