Western Goes East: Limonádový Joe and its possible interpretations

Mgr. Kateřina Mléčková

Master's thesis

Abstract:

My diploma thesis deals with the possible interpretations of the Czech movie Limonádový Joe. On one hand, Limonádový Joe is a parody of American Western epics. To understand the cliches which the movie parodies I am first introducing the western genre itself: its definiton, stereotypes, the plot and other key features. I also include a brief genealogy of the western genre. In the structural analysis of Limonádový Joe I compare the stereotypes and plot to those analyzed in the chapter about western genre. It is discovered that Limonádový Joe uses the plot and stereotypes of American westerns but exaggerates or simplifies them in order to create a spoof. The tools of parody are demonstrated on concrete examples from the movie. The second possible interpretation of Limonádový Joe is that the movie is an allegory of competitive fight between Kolaloka and whiskey. In this sense, the movie can be "read" as a critique of capitalism. To compare Limonádový Joe with other European parodies of western I include in my thesis also the analysis of German parody of westerns - Manitou's Shoe. This German movie lampoons the "May" films, i.e. the West German westerns based on the adaptations of Karl May's books. In this sense, the two parodies differ in their spoofed subjects. Moreover, the understanding of Manitou's Shoe is conditioned by the knowledge of "May" films. This assumption would be probably not fulfilled in the home of westesterns, in the United States.

Keywords

Limonádový Joe, the western, the parody, the stereotype, the hero, the anti-hero, the villain, the woman, American westerns, cliches, anti-capitalist, dichotomy, exaggeration, simplification, romanticism, myth, the West, the Frontier, male, white, European western, German western, Manitou's Shoe.

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 30. 6. 2006

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 7. 9. 2006
• Supervisor: doc. PhDr. Tomáš Pospíšil, Ph.D.

Masaryk University

Faculty of Arts

Master programme / field:
Humanities / English Language and Literature