(no subject)

[cybermule]

Cold Mountain was good.

Except the evil blond henchman - he was not only crap, but also a blatant ripoff of characters from other westerns. Like, stereotyped crazy sadistic henchman - check!

Comments

[quercus.livejournal.com]

The role of the Blond Male Adolescent is an interesting one in films. In America films there's a long tradition of them as Evil Henchman / Psychopath, where the blond hair is in some way indicative of a liminal state and "otherness" to the normal rules of society. They're especially common in Westerns.

In English (sic) films he's traditionally homo-erotic eye candy (Oliver, Death in Venice, Master and Commander). Oddly the American _actor_ often goes on to have a career, the English beautiful boy goes downhill and ends up either in the gutter, or on the cover of a Germaine Greer book.

[cybermule.livejournal.com]

where the blond hair is in some way indicative of a liminal state and "otherness" to the normal rules of society

Wow - you should write a book on the archetypes of the Western movie. I'd buy it, at least :)

Oddly the American _actor_ often goes on to have a career

Yeah - it didn't do Klaus Kinski any harm. And who knows what happened to the kid that played Oliver. Well, I read it in a magazine actually - I think he became an osteopath or something.