Dino De Laurentiis Movie “Chino” – A Cowboy ‘Goat-Song’ (Aristotle Would Love It!) … An Exercise in Cultural Archeology
Dino De Laurentiis Movie “Chino” – A Cowboy ‘Goat-Song’ (Aristotle Would Love It!) … An Exercise in Cultural Archeology
(January 15, 2014)
John Domini, in his brilliant novel “A Tomb on the Periphery" (see: Related Articles box #2) and again in a “Magna Grece” interview, consistent with Lampedusa’s theme “change to remain the same”, develops the idea that the ancient Patria Meridionale is present both ‘Materially’ and ‘Spiritually’ today South of Rome. ---- ‘Materially’: he describes “[Naples’] inner city layout and architecture [as a] Greco-Roman nucleus [with] classic structures undergoing constant adaptation ... Certainly there's no downtown so old anywhere west of Damascus…” (see:http://magnagrece.blogspot.com/2012/01/innovating-naples-interview-with-author.html) ---- ‘Spiritually’: the ancient past, metaphorically represented by La Greca, the spirit of a 2,600 year old girl whose skeleton was unearthed from “A Tomb on the Periphery" of Naples, is ever present in the culture of Italy South of Rome. --- Just as archeologist, excavating contemporary earth works, reveal remnants of the material past; similarly, what I would call, ‘cultural archeologist’, explicating contemporary cultural works, discover past cultural remnants in the contemporary works. --- Such cultural remnants can be found in the works of some of today’s foremost South of Rome artist. For example, like Domini, the works of Lampedusa, Puzo and Coppola are laced with themes and literary structures of ancient southern Italy and Sicily; also the music of Michela Musolino. Similarly, to my mind, the cultural remnants of ancient tragic drama (‘tragos’ –‘goat-song’) can be found in Dino De Laurentiis highly Un-acclaimed and very Un-noticed 1975 film “Chino.” Responding to the ancient ‘sameness’ of ever ‘changing’ Patria Meridionale, the Neopolitian filmmaker brought forth a quintessential tragic protagonist and plot structure.
Preface
“For things to remain the same, everything must change”
In the great Sicilian novel “The Leopard”, Lampedusa so eloquently captures the history of Sicily, and also to my mind the Mezzogiorno: “For things to remain the same, everything must change” (Achibald Colquhun translation of "Se vogliamo che tutto rimanga com'è bisogna che tutto cambi").
The history of Sicily is one of continual changing foreign power domination, yet the essence of the Sicilian culture stays the same.
Lampedusa has the representative of Sicily’s most recent conqueror offer Don Fabrizio, the novel’s protagonist, a seat in the Senate of the new government.
“The Piedmontese Chevalley…explained his mission … After the happy annexation [of Sicily to the Kingdom of Sardinia] … the Turin Government” [which now controls Sicily] asked Don Fabrizio to become Sicily’s Senate representative in the Turin Government.
Given the history of the comings and goings of Sicilian conquers, Don Fabrizio is not impressed.
Fabrizio thinks to himself:
“This fellow here seems to be under the impression he’s come to do me a great honor … [comparing the offer to that of] a peasant offering a present of some cheese … While one must be thankful it cannot be denied that the cheese is nauseating.”
Fabrizio tells Chevalley:
“I wonder how many Moslem imams, how many of King Roger’s knights, how many Swabian scribes, how many Angevin barons, how many jurists of the Most Catholic King how may Spanish Viceroys how many of Charles III’s reforming functionaries and who knows what happened to them all!
“We Sicilians have become accustomed, by a long, a very long hegemony of rulers who were not of our religion, who did not speak our language …we coped with the Byzantine tax collectors … Berber emirs …Spanish Viceroy [one could go on] … and “six months ago YOUR [i.e. Piedmontese] Garibaldi set foot at Marsala.
“We are old, Chevalley, very old. For more than twenty-five centuries we’ve been bearing the weight of a superb and heterogeneous civilization, all from outside …I have strong doubts whether the new Kingdom [of Italy] will have many gifts for us in its luggage
“We are old, very old” –Everything Changes and Stays the Same
Twenty-eight centuries ago (circa 750 B.C.) the Greeks came to Sicily and southern Italy, melding with the indigenous Latin Sicani and Siculi people, giving birth to the Siceliot and Italiot culture. About 400 years later the Latin Romans came south, and the Roman Siceliot / Italiot culture flourished.
With the demise of Rome, the waves of conquers Don Fabrizio refers to began and continued down to 1860 with the Garibaldi led Piedmontese conquering of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (i.e. the ‘state’ progeny of the original Siceliot /Italiot ‘culture’).
Conquers came and went; each leaving a cultural residual absorbed into the core Siceliot / Italiot ‘culture’.
Today, as Domini notes, Naples is still Greco/Roman-esque. Similarly, a thousand years after the Arabs left Sicily and more than a hundred years after the Tuscan language was foisted onto Sicily, the singing of Michela Musolino conjures the remnants of the Sicilian ‘language’ (Not dialect!) and Arabic music (e.g. listen to her sing “Beddu Carusu”; indeed consider her countenance (http://www.michelamusolino.com/#!media/cfvg).
Sicily absorbed the Arab culture and Tuscan language, but remained Sicilian (Everything Changes and Stays the Same). Similarly with the Byzantines, Normans, Spanish, etc.
Tragic Literature and Film
Careful cultural archeological ‘excavation’ of the literature and film of southern Italian and southern-Italian American artist reveals the primordial past dressed in contemporary garb; bringing forth literary themes and dramatic structures imbued with the same themes and structures produced as far back as the Siceliot /Italiots culture.
Aristotle posited that in Tragic drama,
“Character is that which revels…what kind of things a person chooses or avoids.” [The leading character (protagonist)] “is a person who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty (Poetics XIII).
{Note: “frailty” is a fault due to weakness of moral character but Not “vice or depravity”}
In amphitheaters such as the one at Sarausa (Syracuse) pictured below, Siceliot and Italiot audiences saw the plays of tragedians, wherein the characters and themes grapple with the moral complexities of ‘Justice’ and ‘Destiny’ in the context of human “frailty”.
[For example, Clytemnestra’s husband Agamemnon sacrificed their daughter Iphigenia to the god Artemis to obtain a favorable wind to take the Greek fleet to Troy. When he returned from Troy Clytemnestra brutally kills him. Is this justice? The poet asked the audience to consider.
Change but the Same
Twenty-five hundred years later, southern-Italian American progeny of those Siceliot / Italiot poets (Puzo & Coppola) presented Michael in the “Godfather”. Michael who could not escape his Destiny and also ordered his brother murdered. Is this Justice? The poets asks their audience to consider?
Both Clytemnestra and Michael suffer their inescapable tragic Destinies not the result of “vice or depravity”, rather a “character flaw” a “frailty”.
“Chino”
The Neapolitan filmmaker Dino De Laurentiis ‘follows suit’. He assembled a production team with significant southern Italian representation:
- co-producer/co-director Duilio Coletti from Abruzzia
- co-screenplay writer Arduino Maiuri from Lazio
- music score written and sung by Guido & Maurizio De Angelis from Lazio
Responding to the Partia Meridionale’s ever present past, they elevated a trite melodramatic Western into ancient tragic literature.
Protagonist – tragic flaw
De Laurentiis brilliantly develops the Aristotelian tragic character in a ninetieth century American cowboy. His protagonist Chino “is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty”
Of course, all movies and especially cowboy must have a ‘fair lady’ providing the necessary romantic sub-plot and Chino is no exception. Chino falls in love! However, unlike happy ending cowboy melodramas, ‘love’ is Chino’s ‘tragic flaw’; the “frailty” leading to his ‘fall’.
Chino follows Medea who said: “Love, did you say? It is a mighty curse.”
Chorus
What is especially fascinating about this De Laurentiis ‘tragedy’ is not only the characteristic of the protagonist and the plot line; but, he even manages to introduce a semblance of the ancient Chorus, that played an essential role in ancient tragic drama, in the form of a young boy Jamie who accidentally comes into Chino’s life and then takes a job on Chino’s horse ranch.
Plot
The plot line of “Chino” is one that has been done many times in film. The free spirited cowboy, becoming hemmed in by the encroachment of modern times: “Monti Walsh” (Lee Marvin), “Lonely Are The Brave” (Kirk Douglas), “Tom Horn” (Steve McQueen), etc.
The Lyrics of the 1934 Cole Porter / Robert Fletcher song captures the essence of these many films:
Give me land lots of land with the starry skies above
Don’t fence me in
Let me ride through the wide-open country that I love
Don’t fence me in
Let me straddle my old saddle underneath the Western sky
Wander over yonder till I see the mountains rise
Don’t fence me in.
{Note: Normally, in a review, I would not provide details about the ending. However, given the date of this film (1975), and this article being more literary criticism and cultural history than a review; I find it necessary to discuss the ending. However, there is much more reason to see the film than just the climax: narratives, character development, acting, spectacle, sub-plots, etc. Keep in mind the plots of plays like Oedipus were reproduce annually in ancient times. Everyone knew the ending before the play commenced. What they came to see, and ultimately the plays were judged, were the other dramatic elements}
“Parodos’ – The Chorus Entry
In the ancient plays, the Chorus entered at the beginning of the play singing or chanting a “Parodos”. Interestingly, “parodos” is the etymological root of the modern word “parade.” The Chorus remained on the stage and partook of the action though out the play.
Analogously, “Chino” begins with a young teenage boy, riding alone in western panorama accompanied by the singing of Guido & Maurizio De Angelis’s theme song. Essentially, the horse rider accompanied by the singing, may be thought of as a “parodos” (‘parade’).
As in ancient plays, the Chorus is often prophetic, anticipating the action and the fall of the protagonist. Similarly, the lyrics of the De Angelis song capture both the movies theme and the climax. For example,
As my life goes drifting on I’ll make some friends and move on …move on
Freedom is on a Rainbow my boy …take a ride find a rainbow my boy
From the wild you came one day and stay you want to stay
All day long we ride along,
We ride together side by side you and I
Tried to build a better life
I’m the king of what he sees, and my kingdom is my horse and me
Everything that’s ever been and everything you’ve ever seen moves on
Exposition
The rider stops and looks at a piece of paper with a roughly drawn map. He then comes upon a small crude ranch house. The owner, Chino comes out. The boy rider Jamie says he is going to the “Nash Ranch”. Chino indicates that it is some miles away. Chino offers him dinner and a place to ‘stay for the night’. However, the ‘stay for the night’ turns into days. Eventually Chino offers Jamie a permanent job. Chino and Jamie bond in father-esq son relationship.
In the second exposition scene, the day after Jamie arrives, he and Chino take some horses for sale to town. Wherein, a typical cowboy fight ensues with a typical bad guy. Of course Chino wins. The bad guy’s boss intervenes. He is Maral, a large rich rancher and ultimately the plot’s Antagonist. Also, with him is Catherine, his half-sister the fair hair maiden who clearly is taken with Chino.
At this point in the plot, the four principal elements of a tragic drama have been introduced: protagonist Chino; antagonist Maral; inciting force Catherine affecting Chino’s frailty; and the Chorus Jamie who brings the audience’s attention to Chino’s character and anticipating the fall.
There are essential two plot lines in the movie based on two conflicts between Maral and Chino. 1) A melodramatic plot based on a conflict between Maral and Chino about fencing in the range and denying Chino’s horses access to the range. 2) A tragic plot built around Chino and Catherine’s love.
Rising Action
Plot 1
Chino finds one of his horses badly cut and has to shoot it. He discovers that the cuts come from barbed wire fencing that Maral put up. He goes to Maral’s very large ranch house and confronts him about fencing in the open range. Maral tells him that by law he has right to put up the fences and walks away. Leaving Chino in the room with Catherine. They exchange a few words.
Plot 2
A few days later, Catherine comes out to Chino’s ranch and wants him to teacher her how to ride a horse. Chino agrees but there is a noticeable difference in his character. This quintessential quiet serious man, who up to this point spoke in short pizzicato phases – hardly a complete sentence – became very talkative and a jokester.
Jamie acting the role of the chorus is clearly conscious of the changed behavior. Using facial acting techniques he communicates his perplexity and most importantly concern to the audience. He communicates to the audience that something is wrong.
After Catherine leaves he comments to Chino that he thought the way he was talking to Catherine was too informal and may have not been appropriate. Chino does not understand the concern and, as did Oedipus, he ignores the chorus’ admonitions.
Catherine returns again and soon they fall in love. But her stepbrother Maral demands that Chino stay away from her.
Climax
The rising action of tragic plot 2, involving the various interactions of Catherine, and Maral’s demands, leads to a climax where Chino and Catherine are going to get married. He tells Jamie about his decision.
The tragic flaw, the frailty in Chino’s character has taken hold. He is driven by passion, almost giddy as he tells Jamie about his plans.
He’s going to put on room additions to his little house, buy a new bed, a stove and wash machine. In short, he is going to change all the material aspects of his simple non-material existence and become something completely different. He is talkative – rambling.
Jamie, again acting the Chorus with facial acting communicates to the audience that this is not good. He is filled with a sense of forbearance.
Falling Actions
Marla stops the marriage and has Chino whipped; telling him if Chino doesn’t stay away from his sister, he will kill him.
Maral has his men kill a new born colt and say they are going to kill Chino’s prize stallion next.
Denouement – the Fall
Chino realizes that he cannot win against Maral. He destroys his way of life. He stampedes his horses out into the open range. Burns his house. He rides away alone. Like Oedipus, he becomes a wanderer. Chino’s destiny is to be alone without a permanent home.
‘Exodos’ – The Chorus Exit
At the end of the ancient plays, the chorus exits (exodos) singing a processional song, which usually offers words of wisdom related to the actions and outcome of the play
Similarly, Jamie acting the chorus exits in the opposite direction of Chino to the De Angelis song offering some words of wisdom:
As my life goes drifting on I’ll make some friends and move on …move on
Freedom is on a Rainbow my boy …take a ride find a rainbow my boy
From the wild you came one day and stay you want to stay
All day long we ride along,
We ride together side by side you and I
Tried to build a better life
I’m the king of what he sees, and my kingdom is my horse and me
Everything that’s ever been and everything you’ve ever seen moves on
Conclusion Cultural Archaeology
There is of course much much more to this film than discussed above. There is for example a delightful episode where Chino, who is half Indian and raised by them, withdraws to an Indian teepee village “to think”. And, Jamie who accompanied him meets a young Indian girl.
However, like the physical archaeologists who digs and sifts through debris to find the artifacts of the past; similarly, the cultural archaeologist digs through contemporary cultural material ignoring (discarding) the pop culture elements in an effort to find the remnants of the past culture.
After the Piedmontese conquered the South militarily, they proceeded with a ‘culture war’ against the South – obliterating Southern languages, history and culture. In the words of Pino Aprile, in his brilliant book “Terroni,” the South experienced a “cultural lobotomy”.
However, as Don Fabrizio points out, the Piedmontese are only the most resent pretenders to the “very old” throne of Southern culture. As with the others, they confuse the appearance of change with the reality that stays the same.
By approaching contemporary cultural manifestations of the South in the manner of cultural archaeology, one can find the cultural remnants of the pre-Risorgimento Patria Meridionale back as far as the origins of Southern culture in Siceliot /Italiot times.
Today southern-Italian Americans still suffer the withering cultural attacks of the Piedmontese cultural war. The heirs of the Piedmontese in American university “Italian Studies” programs coupled with the northern Italian tourist industry continue their attempts at cultural lobotomization – trying to convince the Southern diaspora that the pathetic 250 year Arno Valley Renaissance art show represents a culture superior to the 3,000 year history of their Patria Meridionale.
However, the Piedmontese American university and tourist industry operatives, are seeing once again: just as the spirit of La Greca persisted thousands of years after her bones were buried in “A Tomb on the Periphery" of Naples, the spirit of Southern culture keeps resurrecting itself: Lampedusa, Puzo, Coppola, De Laurentiis, Domini, Musolino, etc.
South of Rome artist, like Don Fabrizio, are saying to the Chevalley heirs:
“We are very old” and while we “politely accept your cheese;”
nevertheless we find it “nauseating”.
DISCLAIMER: Posts published in i-Italy are intended to stimulate a debate in the Italian and Italian-American Community and sometimes deal with controversial issues. The Editors are not responsible for, nor necessarily in agreement with the views presented by individual contributors.
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