THE FRISCO KID
US, 1979, 122 minutes, Colour.
Gene Wilder, Harrison Ford, Ramon Bieri, George Di Cenzo.
Directed by Robert Aldrich.
The Frisco Kid is comedian Gene Wilder in one of his best roles, a truly endearing and genial rabbi from Poland, lost in the west in 1850. Director Robert Aldrich is noted for his toughness and action. While masculine friendship and bonds are to the fore (the rabbi's best friend is likable bank robber Harrison Ford), the tone is mainly gentle, offering a smiling poke and spoof of all the ingredients of the western (while using them to advantage). Thus this is a picture of migrants coping with American culture, language, ideas and myths and seeing them through appreciative smiling eyes? Avoiding broad, slapstick humour, this is a very nice comic western.
1. The perennial popularity of westerns, their conventions? Audience expectations of action and people in the west? The possibilities for parody and spoof? The possibility for slapstick, satire? This film as a smiling satire?
2. The focus of the title and its expectations, tone? Its ironies - indicating the treatment of themes in the film?
3. The variety of backgrounds: the opening in Poland and its atmosphere, New York. the variety of the American landscapes across the continent, the presentation of the west, California and San Francisco? The presentation of interiors and exteriors? The important contribution of the musical score: Fiddler on the Roof in the west etc.? Traditional western themes?
4. The Jewish tone of the film: the opening, Poland, religious training, the rabbi schools and meetings, the emphasis on Torah, Sabbath, rituals, relationship with God and speaking to him, religious scruple and crisis? Judaism in San Francisco? The favourable presentation of Jewish religion and the comparisons with Christianity e.g. the silent friars and the humour when the friar spoke?
5. The tone of the opening in Poland: Avram and his being 87th in the class, the tone of the meeting and the speaking of Yiddish, the manoeuvres of the leader against the will of the board, Avram and his skating, confrontation of the board? The contrast with San Francisco and the pioneering Jews, the expectations of a rabbi? The emphasis on the daughters and the pre-planned marriage, the photo? The hopes of the community, the good wishes of the Polish Jews? American Jewish background?
6. Gene Wilder's interpretation of Avram? His appearance, beard? A nice man, genial and endearing? Seeing him skate, fall, his friendship with the little boy, his presence at the meeting, his being told not to smile, his being sent off to the United States? The thought that San Francisco was near New York?
7. Avram’s impressions of America? The hardships of the voyage, difficult entry, the place of migrants, language problems, attitudes of the Americans towards the arriving migrants, difficulties of travel, distances, the Californian gold rush, the confidence trick and the violent results for Avram, the harsher aspects of America? The contrast with the Amish brethren and their friendship? Cowboys, bank robbers, trains, Indians? America as seen through Jewish eyes?
8. The sequence with the confidence tricksters: Avram's generosity in offering them money, the build-up to taking him to California, his enjoying of the ride, the manoeuvre to ambush the wagon, his being attacked and robbed? The desecration of the Torah, his being left on the road? The testing of his faith? Audience sympathy for him? Hostility to the three men? Their ugly attitudes and leering and sneering? The audience's reaction to them when they appeared later? Avram's reaction, his challenge to them, their bashing him? Tommy 's defence of him and getting his money back? The final confrontation on the beach and the ugliness of their stalking Tommy and Avram? His decision to shoot? The crisis for him in this confrontation and his conscience? The build-up to the culmination with the echoes of High Noon and the shoot-out? His relationship to the three men as the framework of western conventions and the climax?
9. The kindness of the Amish brethren and the portrait of their way of life, Avram as delirious, the saying of Jewish prayers in the west and the reaction of the children? The establishing of Avram as a truly religious man?
10. The train ride sequence, the flirtatious lady, his going to the toilet, the playing of the game 'Simon Says'? The counterpointing of Tommy's robbing the people and his skill at getting away, Avram's reappearance?
11. The observance of the Sabbath, his walking instead of going in the train? His religious scruple and the repercussions of this when he walked while the posse pursued? His not wanting to break any scruple?
12. Avram and the horse and the way that he continued to ride it especially holding the reins? His becoming lost, missing his food and everything being spoilt? The encounter with Tommy, the continued help, the sharing? The growing bond between the two and the quality of friendship? Mutual help? The humour of the horse going over the cliff? Tommy and his not wanting to go on but Avram persuading him ? however indirectly? Their moving through the snow? How well did the film build the bonds of male friendship? Sentimental?
13. The arrival in the western town, the robbing of the bank, and the humorous parody of bank robberies, the bargaining of the posse before they pursued the robbers, the journey through the west and the pursuit of the posse, the observance of the Sabbath?
14. The saloon way of life of the west, Avram waiting outside and enjoying the dancing? Tommy and his gambling and going with the girls? The saloon confrontations and the use of western conventions of fights? Tommy and his saving of Avram ?
15. The encounter with the Indians - the dangers and the torture, Avram’s chance to be an authentic religious man and true to Torah? The drugs? The attitude of the Indian chief and the parody of his articulation and knowingness? The humour of the Indians doing Polish Jewish dances?
16. The arrival in California, the lyrical scene on the beach and the camaraderie and humour, the transition to the challenge with the guns, the shootout, the crisis where Avram almost did not shoot the villain to save Tommy, the repercussions for him?
17. The continued interludes with the San Francisco Jews and their building, the daughter and her flirtatious attitudes, Avram's arrival and finding the younger daughter and finding her attractive? His pretending that he was not the rabbi? The sequence in the restaurant and Tommy being mistaken for the rabbi, Tommy's confrontation of Avram and telling him to be an authentic rabbi: the reasons given, the persuasion? Avram and his acceptance of the truth and his revelation of himself to the Jews? The enjoyment of the dinner, the possibility of marriage and the fulfilment of all Avram's hopes?
18. The gunman and his arrival, the confrontation in the restaurant, the shootout in the street, Tommy's intervention, Avram's telling him to get out of town in the rough language of the west?
19. The final wedding and the Jewish tone, the dancing and the eating, the religious motifs, the enjoyment? The use of these stills during the final credits? Avram as the nice naive rabbi reaching fulfilment? An optimistic ending?
20. The overview of the conventions of the western, their use, satire? The male camaraderie and sentiment? The importance of friendship? A western comedy with the human touch, a respectful treatment of religion with the humorous touch? A nice film?
