How teenagers lived through the *real* Wild West experience on German television

By Anne-Katrin Lacher

The American West is often depicted as the land where the cowboys and Indians live, where coyotes and crickets wish each other goodnight, and where once was the Great American Desert. While I was combing through the German television network to find an artifact of this American West in German popular culture, I found another group of temporary inhabitants whose stay had been documented by the German broadcasting station RTL:

The TV-show called “Teenager außer Kontrolle – Letzter Ausweg Wilder Westen” [translation: Teenagers out of control – last resort wild West; UK original: “Brat Camp”] is a reality show format that accompanies a group of chosen adolescents on its way through a wilderness therapy, lasting eight weeks, in the desert of Utah in the United States of America. Four seasons were broadcasted in German television from 2007 through 2010. The teenagers were looked after by therapist Annegret Noble and her team of helpers while they were challenged by weather and nature, camping outdoors all length of their stay.

The boys and girls often originated from financially weak family backgrounds and shared their missing social skills and bad behavior. Most of them had mounted a plane for the first time in their lives and arrived in the United States of America in the smoldering heat of a Utah airport, received by their therapist and her team. In addition to their arriving in an unknown country with a totally unfamiliar landscape, they were also forbidden to drink and smoke, which most of them did regularly at home. They were picked up by SUV’s or minivans and taken directly into the great outdoors, seeing for the first time the completely unacquainted terrain of their new surroundings. Therapist Noble explains on her website that the adolescents could leave all their daily troubles and bad customs behind in this foreign environment. In the TV-show the vastness and beauty of the landscape of the American West was many times used to make the group of youngsters forget about their problems back at home in Germany. In this new space, where mainstream civilization was allegedly absent, they were left on their own a lot in the early days of the therapy to learn more about themselves and to approach their own inner self again.

While there would have probably been some ranches or small country towns available, where the therapy could have been lodged at, the therapists chose to locate it in the middle of nowhere. That way they let the teenagers experience the hardships of this inconsequential nature and environment, sometimes being surprised by a sudden and heavy shower at night, washing away their campsite.

For reasons unknown, many members of the therapist’s team often also wore cowboy hats during the shootings. If that was to represent the good old cowboy country or only to protect themselves from the burning sunlight, will never be known but the stereotype of cowboys “watching their herd (of juveniles)” in the American West was nonetheless brought back to the audience’s minds.

The adolescents were subsequently engaged into group challenges and adventures to show them how vulnerable they were in this rough landscape all on their own. These kinds of lessons could be compared with the hardships of the early settlers’ families that made their ways out into the uninhabited regions of the West such as the Shimerdas in Willa Cather’s novel My Àntonia. Though if that is a real American experience, could probably be questioned since troubles like that are not lived to see happen on a daily basis in the West anymore.

The means of therapeutic handiwork might be as effective as they are but a true American experience cannot be generated by cowboy hats and hot weather. The originality of this undertaking, created by the astonishing landscape, was counterbalanced by bluntly celebrated stereotypes. The so called “last resort wild West” is nothing but an empty image of past heroic days, sending villains to the American West, and could have also been enacted in the Sahara Desert, if it would not be for the difficult climatic circumstances in that particular region.

Source: http://www.annegret-noble.com/teenager.php

An Indian braves pain: Native American Stereotyping in German Advertisement

By Tobias Nurr, Nils Selke & Beatrice Acherberg

Our artifact for looking into ideas of the American West in German popular culture was quickly found when clicking through television commercials online. The short video clip of a pain-relieving salve seemed perfect for a closer examination of how a typical image of an Indian is portrayed in our visual mindset. As an extra it seemed dead easy to describe a TV ad and come to some conclusion about stereotyping Indians, as we have discussed this at length in the last weeks of our course. Just until we discovered that in fact – without knowing it, only Germans can catch the meaning of this ad.

The advertisement shows a seemingly Indian man in wild scenery. He is running along a lively river and collecting herbs and roots on his way. His whole appearance, the clothes and the background flute music make it clear he is supposed to be a Native American. When he tries to climb a rock he is struck by a pain in his back but by applying Kytta salve he immediately gets well again. We can then see him following the bank of the river light- footed and pain free. Finally he is shown holding the salve and uttering into the camera, “An Indian doesn’t know any pain” in his deep manly voice.

This is accompanied by the following text:

Die Natur ist voll faszinierender Kraft und Vielfalt und sie hilft uns, wenn wir Schmerzen haben. Kytta-Salbe mit dem hochwirksamen Extrakt der Beinwellwurzel wirkt schnell und stark bei Muskel-, Gelenk- und Rückenschmerzen. Ein Indianer kennt keinen Schmerz. Kytta- Salbe : Die pflanzliche Schmerzsalbe.

Translation:

Nature is full of fascinating power and diversity, and it helps us when we are in pain. Kytta- salve with the highly effective extract of the comfrey-root acts fast and strong during muscle-, joint-, and back-pains. An Indian doesn't know any pain. Kytta-salve: The herbal pain-relief salve.

The phrase “An Indian doesn't know any pain.” is a somewhat outdated expression that is most likely told to children when they hurt themselves playing. Parents use this saying since every child knows and likes Indians and wants to be brave just like them; and they can be just like a real Indian when they suppress the pain. It is enrooted even in little kids that Indians with their rituals and wild, martial way of living are nearly immune to worldly pain, they sure wouldn’t cry and scream because of a little knee bruise?! Is this the secret of the comfrey root?

When researching the phrase it appeared that this actually does go back to German’s favorite Wild West story teller Karl May. Growing up our parents and grand-parents have read and absorbed the vivid and romantic tales of May, who without any access to the original American West constructed the West for his readers who reproduce this fantasy image of Old Shatterhand and Winnetou until today.

Facing the different aspects there are to this commercial, we are dealing with a very blunt and unelaborated manifestation of the stereotypical imagery of indigenous Northern American people that is still maintained within German society. A cliché that was formed during the early to mid-twentieth-century and is still used in the year of 2012 very successfully as the campaign even won a prize for effective advertisement.

At first glance this advertisement does not appear to be racist in any way. It’s just an Indian in his natural environment right? The target audience of people older than 49 will most likely not feel repelled by this depiction of a cliché Indian and the commercials outdated tone. It meets the stereotypical image they grew up with and even if they know about the history of Native Americans by now, they most likely won’t mind.

As already mentioned this saying is somewhat old-fashioned, but when trying to sell a pain relief salve the target group doesn’t consist of teenagers and college students, but rather elderly folks who might have to struggle with back problems and joint paints. People that age for sure know that saying and have probably told it their kids. The fact that the commercial was mostly broadcasted on TV-stations ARD and ZDF in the early evenings might also underline this theory, since this is exactly the peer group that is watching at this time.

But is it okay to use the idea of the stoic brave Indian to sell a pain relieving salve? Of course Native Americans do feel pain just like any other group of people. This clearly gets dismissed when the company uses the idea to promote their product.

Unfortunately advertising is somehow ideally suited for constructing and displaying stereotypical images and neglecting all context and truth. It is horrifying to look at the deeply sexist commercials of the 1960’s and realize that people thought it was acceptable to patronize women.

It is therefore important to take the time and reflect on what has been shown to you. This particular campaign admittedly used this figure of speech in a very clever way to appeal to our childhood remembrance. One could even argue that in the video it is admitted that Indians do feel pain. The company probably decided for this image to underline the natural ingredients of the product , after all Native Americans are – in our minds – in touch with nature.

To put it in a nut shell we feel that it’s very interesting to dissect the image that is displayed in the video and analyze its actual meaning – which you normally wouldn’t spend much time thinking about, but when you do it becomes clear that this particular commercial could be criticized for reproducing an antiquated stereotype and therefore contributes to that ignorant mindset of classifying Native Americans as these wild spirits somewhere across the world rather than seeing them as an equal group of people. At the same time it doesn’t degrade Indians as much as the original idiom does since the man in the commercial is actually suffers from pain and has to rely on medical help just like everybody else.

Websites and additional sources:
Kytta domain: http://www.kytta.de/informationen/index.php

Feedback on the campaign: http://www.dasauge.de/aktuell/werbung/e1429?bild=2086

Background information on Karl May: Germans and Indians: Fantasies, Encounters, Projections (Google eBook) p. 169

Article on said idiom: http://www.noz.de/artikel/40748303/ein-indianer-kennt-keinen-schmerz-ein-dummer-spruch-der-wehtut

On advertising: http://womeninads.weebly.com/history.html

Deutsch-Amerikanisches Volksfest

By Julian Kircher & Benjamin Stramm

We have chosen the topic of the German-American public festival because it embodies the old idealized images of the United States of America, especially those of the Wild West. It has become a constant in German festival culture and the public affairs office of the United States Armed Forces considers this event as one of the most important columns of the German-American friendship. The festival was settled in the ex-American sector of Berlin, district Zehlendorf. In 2010, due to constructions at the former event location “Truman-Plaza”, the event has been moved near the central station of Berlin. The first event took place in 1961 and since 1962 the overall theme of the festival changes every year. In 1971, for instance, there was a topic called “The Wild West” while in 2002 we had “Florida – The Sunshine State”. Besides the main street on which all shacks and huts line up to present their food, beverages, collectibles and other stuff from the U.S., there is a rodeo barn with a mechanic bull, a stage for live acts, a fair with several rides and a casting for future country stars.  

On first glance this festival seems to serve as a fair for amusement only. It is merely cliché-ridden, the cliché of cowboys and the Wild West, the unknown land and the rough territory as well as the cliché of bull riding. The festival shows to its visitors that this is how the United States, in particular the West, is like. The event managers choose titles like “The Wild West”, “North-West Wilderness” and “California – Land of Contrasts” so that the West is depicted as something great and something far away from the German society and life. In the first place this event is made to preserve the image of the West which Hollywood’s film industry engraved in our heads. To be fair and despite those facts, the German-American public festival offers also attractions or shacks where you can buy contemporary food and drinks and also modern stuff from the United States like shirts.

Unfortunately, there is nothing that has any educational value. In class we read “Brokeback Mountain” which deals with the topics of romanticism among cowboys. On the festival you have cowboy and western shows where the old images are brought up: Cowboys fighting against Indians, shooting, drinking and, of course, the cowboy as an asexual guy who does not need any love or women in their life. But in our opinion that is it what the Germans want to see. They don’t want to be entertained by some gay cowboys kissing around but by that image Karl May once created.

In addition, we read a story of Proulx “The Mud Below” which deals with the overall topic of rodeo and bull riding. When you spend your time on the festival, you want to ride a bull because it is fun. You cannot get seriously injured by the mechanic bull and you might impress your friends because you are tough and keep up a long time. From Diamond, the protagonist in “The Mud Below”, we have learned that rodeo is not that easy like on the fairs. You can get harmed, break your bones or you get pierced by the bull’s horns. In most of the times, bull riders do their job a couple of years and then have to retire because of their injuries. Besides the rodeo is not a job with a good wage so the bull riders head from town to town, from event to event to get some pennies and make their life. In the rodeo barns on our festival it does not work like this. Here you get seated on the mechanic bull and it starts slowly accompanied by a moderator who tries to heat up the barn and make a little bit a party out of it. Since the visitors pay for such events, they want to stay a while on that bull. Otherwise the ride was not worth the money. So one is tumbling slowly and relaxed on the bull and the moderator gives advices to hold tight and press the knees together. Nobody in this shack knows that a normal bull ride is just a matter of seconds. Here you go slowly and easy until after 2 minutes or so you get smoothly kicked off and everybody congratulates you for your success.

In conclusion, the German-American public festival exists to entertain people. There are certain themes from the United States of America attached to the events to vary it a bit from other festivals in Berlin. We do not think it brings Americans and Germans together nor serves it for a cultural exchange or intercultural communication. The event deals with the topics of the idealized rodeo and the cowboy image that we know from TV productions. Nevertheless, the festival conveys a little bit of the American lifestyle with country music, exhibitions of American chopper bikes like Harley Davidson and all the American food and beverages, like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, waffles and pancakes, barbecue steaks, Mountain Dew, Root Beer, etc.

Beckham, Football, and the Wild West

By Valentina Borodina, Bianca Steffen, & Henna Räsänen

Our artifact is a video clip that we found on youtube. It is a commercial for the soft drink brand Pepsi. The spot is created by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO and the English football player David Beckham is the star of the clip. He rides into town with four of his Manchester United teammates for a showdown with Real Madrid, so it is a battle between two of the most successful football teams in Europe. Both teams have a sponsorship deal with Pepsi.

The commercial came out in 2003 and was directed by Tarsem Singh, who has also, for example, directed the Jennifer Lopez film 'The Cell' or the video for REM's 'Losing My Religion'.  There are also other Manchester United players like Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Juan Veron, as well as Real Madrid’s players such as Roberto Carlos, Guti, Raul, the former captain, and Iker Casillas, the goalkeeper as well as the present captain of Real Madrid and Spain’s National Team. The reason why we picked this ad is because it was made in Almeira, Spain, the location of many spaghetti westerns. It is produced in Europe but supposed to look like it was made in the American West. Despite the fact that Pepsi is actually an American brand this video still has many western stereotypes in it, which will be analyzed in the next paragraph.

The commercial starts with a group riding into a western town. The setting is copied from all the famous western movies: two storey wooden houses with porches, dry sand roads that blow clouds of dust when trampled by horse hoofs and a saloon with typical revolving doors and customers playing cards around round tables. The surrounding area is almost completely treeless, making it look barren, with mountains rising from the horizon.

As the group enters the saloon they are immediately noticed by the others as rivals. The atmosphere in the establishment gets brooding with the anticipation of a conflict. The leader of the new group orders a drink; here it is a bottle of Pepsi instead of a glass of whisky or other hard liquor. He gets challenged when a man from the other group catches his bottle and arrogantly drinks from it. This results in a command to step outside the saloon for a shootout. As the two men are facing each other on the sandy main road of the village they take off their capes and hats revealing the typical football outfits in their teams colors. They stand in a shootout position with their hands eager to grab their imaginary revolvers. The shootout position parallels that of a penalty shot making the comparison between these two situations distinct.

The setting is a mixture of the stereotypical portrayal of American West and European sport culture. Instead of cowboy boots the men are wearing football boots, and on the backs of their capes they have their player numbers. However, they are still recognizable as western heroes with their cowboy hats and leather capes. Furthermore, the teams can be divided into a “good” and a “bad” group, the good group being the one riding into town. They are identified as an English football team, and the bad group consisting of players of the Spanish team. This division has its reasons, since in many western movies Spanish-speaking cowboys, i.e. often Mexicans, are depicted as the ones creating mayhem: robbing banks and trains etc. This is played upon the fact that most players from the Real Madrid are either Spanish or South American making them the perfect villains for the commercial. Moreover, the good guys are English-speaking players from an English team, referred to as gringos, i.e. foreigners or whites, at the end of the film. In addition, the main character, David Beckham, has the same facial expression as many of the heroes in western movies, e.g. John Wayne and Clint Eastwood, as he squints his blue eyes when looking at his opponent.

The commercial is not without a bit of humor. Right before the kick a man appears right next to a sign “Wanted Rivaldo”, it is Rivaldo himself, a former player FC Barcelona, the biggest rival of FC Real Madrid. The kick happens, David Beckham became the victor of the shootout but not without cheating. As Roberto Carlos emerges from the house with a ball, a sense of revenge is in the air, leaving the whole good versus bad debate in the open. Just like in the real American West, there are no clear good or bad guys, the strangers often are not welcomed but can earn the respect of others and one victory doesn’t mean there would be no more battles.

‘Cowboy und Indianer’ – violent conflict reduced to mere entertainment

By Susanne Reiche & Rachael Farnworth

Held in Munich, Bavaria since 1810, Oktoberfest or "die Wiesn" is one of if not the most renowned annual festival in Germany, maybe even in Europe.  People gather together for sixteen days each autumn from all over Germany and the wider world to consume large amounts of beer, eat traditional German food and dance and sing into the early hours. It could not be a more German event.

Yet, amidst the merriment, is an American West influence in the form of the ‘Cowboy und Indianer’ song; complete with dance moves. The lyrics roughly translate to:

Get your lasso out
Let’s play cowboys and Indians
We’ll ride our horses without resting 
Or having a goal of any sort really
You’ve got me surrounded so I’ll give myself up 
And you can tie me to a giant pole
Come on get out your lasso, 
It will be like the very first time (wink wink nudge nudge)

On first impressions the song’s fast rhythm and upbeat melody makes you want to join in with the seemingly harmless fun, but looking at the lyrics more closely it is hard to ignore the song’s popular notion of “play[ing]” Cowboys and Indians. This led us to consider where this notion actually comes from.  Leaving the fun and games behind, we wanted to focus on the harsh truths that surround this stereotypical idea of ‘Cowboys verses Indians’ that is present in Germany and wider Europe.

When the White settlers sailed over the Pacific Ocean and arrived at the American coast in the 1600s, no one foresaw the lasting consequences that the creation of White settlements would have on the lives of the ‘Indian’s’ that already lived there. Even though the Indians helped the new settlers survive the first harsh winter by providing them with food and showing them how to assimilate to the landscape, the Whites branched out and soon inhabited much of the country; the Indian’s were indeed “surrounded.”

The White’s (or Cowboys) brought with them European traditions and customs, not to mention alcohol – satirical considering this is an Oktoberfest song - and disease, which had detrimental effects on the Native population. The vicious fight between the two groups started due to false treaties, made by the greedy settlers who took advantage of the Indians’ hospitability. What stands out though, is the sheer number of deaths on the Indian side. Many Indians did “give [them]sel[ves] up” after the brutality they faced at the hand of the Cowboys’ “lasso”. Today, this conflict has been turned into a game between two groups, with the Cowboys deemed as the heroic group, despite their actions and the overall harsh reality that the two groups were part of.

The idea of Cowboys riding “[their] horses without resting” could relate to the wide, open country and the freedom and opportunity for White settlers in the West. It could also touch on the Cowboys eagerness to catch the inferior Indians. The song also states that the Cowboys rode after the Indians without a “goal of any sort really”, and maybe there is some truth in this.  Perhaps even some Cowboys at the time viewed the suffering of Indians as nothing more than a necessary game of ‘catch us if you can’. Certainly, the Indians did not view being tied to a pole, and having their country and culture exploited, as just a game. Moreover the euphemistic connotations in the last two lines of the song, which are also reflected in the dance moves, further emphasises the idea of Cowboys and Indians is purely entertaining and is not taken seriously.

Even though there are many ways to enlighten Europeans nowadays and spread the truth about the take over of the Natives’ land by White settlers, it seems that Europeans, including Germans, still view Cowboys and Indians as nothing more than fun; a game between two groups. Perhaps this is the case because people would prefer not to think about the violence, hidden behind the entertainment factor. Consequently, we believe this song reflects the still existent, wide spread ignorance concerning the treatment of the Indians by European settlers and supports the indifference towards the violation of Native Americans, their land and their culture.

Sources:
This International Life blog: http://www.zurika.com/2011/09/the-real-dance-moves-you-need-for-oktoberfest.html

‘How to dance and sing Cowboy und Indianer’ – video: http://youtu.be/9KV8voYSP-w

Oktoberfest Official site: http://www.oktoberfest.de/en/

The VW Amarok

By Katharina

Within the past few years, SUVs and pickup trucks became more and more fashionable in Germany. Before I associated them only with the U.S., especially the American West as a means of going back and forth between towns and being able to transport a lot of things because it is quite a long ride to town. Furthermore, every time I watched an American TV show or movie with the American West as its focus, pickup trucks, amongst others, were depicted almost every time. So those cars are something associated with the U.S., but not Germany.

After having spent a year on a farm or somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Montana, as others might refer to it, I knew that people living on farms needed big pickups for hunting, driving out onto the fields or simply in order to get to town, when a blizzard had hit your place and the “regular” car would not be able to manage the snow down in the reservoir or the icy roads. I was also aware of the fact, that people would not drive the pickup just for fun, as it has a bad gas milage and is simply too expensive to be the daily ride. Of course, there are exceptions, like young people who have gotten a car for their 16th birthday or some other occasion and enjoyed the power that comes with the car.

But pickups here in Germany?! I was not aware of them until I returned and saw more and more large pickups driving around town, like the Dodge Ram, of which I think it is simply over the top here in our urban areas. I know there are farms around my place and the farther away one is from the city, the more rural it gets. The interesting thing though is, that it is not the farmers driving around in those cars, but people living in the city.

The artifact I chose, is the VW Amarok and the commercial showing how the driver of the car imagines how he is driving around the desert and a mountain terrain even though he is only taking his son to basketball practice. The interesting aspect is that the car has a license plate sign for Hannover – a not so rural place to live in. Furthermore, the vehicle was not produced for the American market, but all other continents, including Australia – a place where it is better to have a larger car as well. But pickups to me are something that belong to rural areas, as small cars sometimes do not suffice anymore and larger wheels and a larger car in general are necessary. So it can be said that those large cars, not only the VW Amarok, but also the Audi Q7 or the BMW X6 are more fun cars in Germany for those with the extra cash that can be spend on whatever they desire.

The reason for choosing the car in general is the fascination of driving on an endless road found in the American West and enjoying the countryside while it might also be snowing along the way. It is just amazing to see the endlessness of the countryside which is something going through my mind when reading My Antonia and Jim‘s experience in the new country. Nowadays the country is something that one is able to reach faster by car than it used to be the case with only horse carriage or train available.

Maybe it is justified to say that in those big cars the longing and the idea of those large landscapes and big skies for which the American West is so famously known, is reflected for people living in Germany and other urban areas. A lot of commercials convey the image that it is possible to break free from everyday life – from the road into the open country. Just like the commercial of the VW Amarok which breaks out of the urban road network in Germany into the open one in the American West.

My Name is Nobody

By Nornia Nitschke, Lisa Walter, Johannes Wilhelm

"My Name is Nobody" is one of the famous Italo-Western (Spaghetti Western) movies. It was released in 1973 in Italy and directed by Tonino Valerii. The idea for the movie was by Sergio Leone who mainly built this sub-genre of Western films.

The story centers on the young ‘Nobody’. A young blond and blue eyed cowboy living from one day to another. He is a gambler and thus sees life as a whole big game. He comes across the so-called ‘Wild Horde’, a gang of thieves. This is where ‘Beauregard’ comes into play. He is an old and tired man, but was once considered a legend among the cowboys and the populace of the south-west. Nobody idolizes him, but quickly recognizes that his idol is a man which does no longer live up to his legend. But since he came across the Wild Horde he now has a solution for Beauregard in order to depart in glory. He is supposed to die in combat with the Wild Bunch, facing them alone and taking them out, but dying along the shootout. That is when Nobody begins to tail Beauregard throughout New Mexico (1898) and by that encountering many of Beauregard’s old enemies and learning of his plan to set out for Europe from New Orleans. During this voyage Nobody sets in motion his plan through a certain turn of events that gets him engaged with the leader of the Wild Horde ‘Sullivan’. There he learns of the equipment of Sullivan’s gang and how Beauregard is related to them. He finally accomplishes his goal of the final showdown between the lone Beauregard and the whole Wild Horde. Nobody tells Beauregard of dynamite inside the saddle bags of the Wild Bunch and thus enables him to disable many enemies with a few precise shots. At the end of the showdown they escape in a stolen train and Nobody helps his idol one last time. They both fake a showdown within a city in which Beauregard is killed by Nobody, for the audience. Beauregard then slips away in silence and is able to depart to Europe. Where Beauregard was supposedly killed the movie then shows a sign that reads: ‘Nobody Was Faster On The Draw’

In this movie we can find several of the most dominant themes when it comes to the American West. First of all are the cowboys. Terence Hill is the perfect actor for portraying the cowboys. He is handsome, witty and cunning. He displays every aspects that everyone expects of the cowboys. Even the later glorification can be found, displayed onto the character of Beauregard. He takes his glorified last-stand and even survives that in order to depart with dignity, memorized by everyone. They are the knights of their time. But with losing their armor, they found their freedom and where able to explore the land. But we can see another part of the American West portrayed here.

New Mexico consists mostly of an arid and desert-like landscape and therefor stands for the hardships which the people of the west had to tackle every day. Hard labor, marauding bandits and the hard climate which they had to face. The relentless sun and the constant wind ad to all what made life hard in this area and the movie shows some significant insight into all that.

But the movie also tells us of a very important part of the life in the Wild West. Nobody can survive alone. Everyone depends on one another in order to survive all the struggles they are put through. The harsh environment, landscape and people alike, demand the most of everyone. Just through unity they can overcome such villains like Sullivan, which existed sure enough. The west was a dangerous place, but the movie shows in several ways how this was overcome.

Through the humoristic attitude added to the character of Nobody, the movie was less grave then it could have been. That makes it a very fine example of European culture, which portrays the American West.

The movie surely is an older example of the European popular culture since it is nearly 30 years old. But at least in Germany it is one of the most famous Spaghetti Western films and enjoys cult status. Therefore we thought it worth to be mentioned.