The Fastest Draw

Any young male child becomes an instant fan of a Western movie for he fantasizes himself as the protagonist who pulls the gun from his holster and shoot the opponent even before he squeezes the trigger. That’s the thrill in a male child’s mind. I realized much later that, the quick reflex in any one-to-one competition was unconsciously adapted within me and became an element in my character because of my Western fanfare since my age of 9. Unfortunately, that particular edge did not manifest in academic studies or competitive exams. It might be because the mass competition is not my game. It’s the ‘mano a mano’, or a Mexican stand-off which means that it is a duel where the surprise strategy is conceived to grasp the victory. A senior business associate who once found my strategies as firefighting, also complained that only when single, I was a force to reckon with. This trait has become an asset in my legal profession. The reflex to draw first comes from conviction. The speed is just complementary. I receive substantial fee in my profession from my Clients; but what stimulates me is the adrenaline rush in the legal battle against the fake doctrines practiced by certain statutory bodies. I campaign without being hostile to the opponent. And that’s no child’s play. Every childhood experience whether play or work got imbibed into my character, and this instinct in me to draw first has a long history.

A 16mm Projector was procured by our School Management around in 1965. There was a feverish excitement in all when the announcement was made. The Jesuits being mostly Tamilians and Keralites, the inaugural show was ‘Palum Phalam’, a Tamil movie. The Hostelers arrived in time at the Projection Hall for the exciting event on that Sunday evening after an early dinner. The movie started, and after about forty-five minutes, most of us helplessly dozed off into deep sleep. Suddenly there was a loud cry “Shaandheeeeee”. I woke up startled, and so did many of my mates who were slump in their seats. Shivaji was in tears, his cheeks trembling with shock, with his wife’s note in his hand stating that she has left him. We all looked at the Warden with sad and sleepy eyes. The Warden felt pathetic and signaled us to go to bed. The make-shift auditorium became almost empty in seconds.

The next week, the Warden announced screening of a Hollywood movie by name ‘The Naked Spur’ in Technicolor. We were informed that it was a Cowboy Movie, which comes under the category ‘Western’. That was my first Western. The movie was very engrossing, and I enjoyed it to the last frame. Even though I found it difficult to follow every dialogue, I understood that the hero James Stewart was the good guy hunting for the bad guy. I came to know that the ‘Spur’ is the spiked wheel attached to the rider’s boots to urge the horse to move. It was an adventure of cowboys on horses, armed with rifles and guns in ornamental holsters and stylish hats, riding through picturesque wild and rugged locales of Colorado. I vividly recollect the climax where the Hero throws a ‘spur’ at the villain’s neck which makes him lose his balance and he slips into the deep gorge and dies.

My next Western was, ‘Cowboy in Africa’ which we happened to see at Bombay during the first Tour conducted by our School in the Winter of 1967. It was a wonderful experience and an unforgettable outing which had a long-lasting influence. Our School was about 100 acres where physical exercises and academic curriculum were given equal importance. The daily physical exercises started with PT & jogging at 5am; and after the school from 3.30 pm, outdoor games such as Cricket, Foot Ball, Hockey, Baseball, etc., were compulsory. Every class had its Games Timetable. During the weekends, it was the Hill-Climbing or Trekking the, most vigorous of all exercises but adventurous. I eagerly looked forward for it. Those times it was all wild, and we often used to sight Snakes, Porcupines, Wild Cats, Mongoose, Vultures, Kites, Eagles, magnificent birds such as Peacocks, King Fisher, and many more. After our Western cinema influence, we used to run in gallops like cowboys and throw ropes made like the lasso and dramatically enact an adventure. It was unforgettable fun.

Then came the ultimate ‘Western’ experience with Ramesh Master who was inducted into the faculty to teach Physics and Maths, but in fact he was our gateway to Western Movies and Yul Brynner. He was indeed Yul Brynner in all aspects. He was slightly short. I don’t remember whether he was bald like Brynner, but his head was shaved. He always tucked his shirt with a wide black belt tightly holding his slightly bulging belly. He wore shoes with leather sole that made the clicking sound and he walked imitating Yul Brynner in ‘The Magnificent Seven’. When he arrived on Monday morning, the sound of his shoes echoed to the end of the long corridor signaling his arrival to the entire school. During his class, it was easy to coax and convince him to narrate movie stories, and he would yield especially if it was a Yul Brynner movie. Then the saga of filmography of all Yul Brunner movies was introduced to us. The Magnificent Men, Villa Rides, Double Man, Taras Bulba, etc. Ramesh Master enacted every dialogue with the tone and mannerism exactly that of Yul Brynner in a dramatic manner. He also narrated movies of other stars such as Death is Quick, Django, One Silver Dollar, Texas Addios, etc., but mostly Westerns. He used to even draw the stunt sequences on the black board to give us a firsthand visual. When it came to the syllabus, he somehow wrapped it at the end of the term. Anyway, I never understood Physics. I have seen all those movies many years later and found that were exactly as narrated by Ramesh Master.

It was in 1967-68, my movie going took a huge turn. Two major movies were released; one was Sean Connery’s ‘You Only Live Twice’ his fifth edition as James Bond, and the other one was the big daddy of all Westerns, ‘The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly’, a true rugged Western. Both movies were screened during that same year at Navrang, our favorite and best theatre of Vijayawada and the first of air-conditioned. Every frame in the spaghetti western was a highlight, the dialogues are minimal but punchy, and the haunting soundtrack of Ennio Morricone enlivened the movie in such manner that without it, the movie would not have become universally famous. The Soundtrack will survive until the world breaths its last. Even though John Barry’s track of James Bond is one extraordinary signature theme, the variations in Ennio Morricone’s scores in ‘The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly’ surpasses it in many aspects.

But above all, the most significant event was the emergence of ‘Clint Eastwood’ as a global Superstar. He was the perfect ‘Cowboy’. The entire world audience became huge fans of Clint Eastwood overnight. The lanky figure in his poncho, the mean looks with his eyes, and a short cigar, is a character out of the blue. One cannot resist adoring him in the western outfit. Ramesh Master and his Yul Brynner phased out. The saga of Eastwood’s Western movies; Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, Hang ‘Em High, Joe Kid, The Outlaw Josey Wales, High Plains Drifter, Two Mules for Sister Sara, etc., were all lapped up by all fans. Even though Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West with Charles Bronson and Henry Fonda, was a very cool western, it was nowhere near to the last edition of Eastwood’s Dollar trilogy. There were other Mexican mixed Westerns such as Five Man Army which were very entertaining but not long remembered. The one Western which was popular and remade in many languages for its storyline was Death Rides a Horse starring John Phillip Law and Lee Van Cleef. Films such as Wild Bunch were classic. Here I cannot avoid mentioning Paul Newman and Robert Redford starrer Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid one of the greatest classics in Western genera.

In the 70’s came technology. Gregory Peck starrer, The Mckenna’s Gold broke all records at the Indian Box Office, so did it run for 100 days at Devi 70mm at Madras, Urvashi 70mm at Vijayawada, and many other centers in India. It was a good adventure but less of a Western for it had many technical highlights and sound effects only to speak about. Franco Nero’s dubbed versions of The Professional Gun subsequent to Django, thereafter Jim Brown’s Take a Hard Ride, and his another with Raquel Welch’s in 100 Rifles, Sydney Poitier’s Duel at Diablo, The Deserter in the style of The Dirty Dozen, were all exciting Westerns. Fun started with Terence Hill. His starrers They Call me Trinity, and Trinity is Still My Name, were all good past time but not the real Westerns; except for Sergio Leone’s My Name is Nobody costarring Henry Fonda. I was also a fan of Burt Lancaster and his Westerns, Lawman, The Professionals, and Valdez is Coming which were all good watchable Westerns. Many years later I watched, the famous classics, Gary Cooper’s High Noon, and the Gunfight at OK Corral starring both Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, and of course they were true Westerns. Charles Bronson, Alen Delon, and the great Japanese Superstar Toshiro Mifune starrer Red Sun is an excellent Western. It was directed by Terence Young who is credited by one and all for the grooming of James Bond’s character in the first 2 editions of Sean Connery.

John Wayne’s noteworthy Westerns that I enjoyed were Stagecoach, War Wagon, and Rio Bravo. Only a few of John Wayne’s old Westerns were released in India and they were mostly with cultural backdrop of the American Civil War. I could not enjoy Wayne’s Westerns as good as those of Eastwood’s. But Kirk Douglas was one hell of an athlete and his mounting on the horse was his trademark style which no Hollywood Star even dared to attempt. Kirk Douglas and Henry Fonda starrer There was a Crooked Man was also my favorite. Jeff Bridges remake of True Grit is as good as Wayne’s. Of course, both versions bagged the Oscar for the Best Actor category. The most noteworthy suspense and thriller was the Last Train from Gun Hill an all-time classic starring Kirk Douglas and Antony Quinn. The Guns for San Sabastian was another fast paced western of Antony Quinn. They were all fun to watch.

Kevin Costner’s Silverado is action packed and then Dances With Wolves Directed by him was a classic for which he bagged the Oscar. I was such a fan of Westerns and viewed not only all of those from Hollywood but also every spaghetti Westerns from the Spanish, Italian, Germany, and French productions. Western genera of Hollywood are usually male protagonists, but the movie The Quick and the Dead which has the female superstar Sharon Stone in the lead was very fast paced Western with a terrific line of star cast in Russel Crowe, the young Leonardo Di Capri, and the Legendary Gene Hackman. A few years ago, I happened to see Russel Crowe’s 9:10 to Yuma co-starring Christian Bale which is a true riveting western. Christian Bale’s Hostiles demands a special mention with unforgettable performance from Rosamund Pike.

Western movies always fascinated me since my first one, The Naked Spur. When I visited the Disney Land at Tokyo in 1985, the photo studio with a Western Backdrop attracted me more than any exciting themes to where everyone made a beeline. I posed with childish excitement, dressed as a Cowboy with a Rifle in my hand and Wells & Fargo Stagecoach at the background. The madness was evident. Whatever Western or how many Stars portrayed as Cowboy and impressed the audience, there cannot be anybody who could impress the global audience as good as Clint Eastwood. He stood out from all, and his starrer ‘The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly’ is an immortal piece of art. I should have viewed it almost twenty to thirty times since its release. I was informed that it still is considered among the top ten among all-time greats in US.

Finally, the Icon Clint Eastwood presented to the world ‘Unforgiven’ which he declared as his last. It was his last Western but a classic for its slick direction, screenplay and well-defined characters. Not surprising, the movie won 3 Oscars in 2011. Unforgiven departed with the fantasy and myth of the protagonist Cowboy. It’s the story of an aging bandit who was transformed with renewed values by his deceased Wife. ‘Unforgiven’ explored the element that makes a person the fastest draw, and the movie redefined heroism. It’s a masterpiece and a priceless paragon. It was in Unforgiven that I figured out that it is essentially the intensity of the emotion with a conviction supported with ethical values that makes you ‘the fastest draw’, rather than the mere ability to draw your gun from the holster with speed. In this extraordinary Western, the protagonist ‘Sheriff’ of a small town called Big Whisky in the state of Wyoming is considered the fastest draw. He even demonstrates the art by way of a ‘work-shop’ in a scene to prove how cool he is in a duel and claims that he is the fastest draw. This Sheriff having no human values was flawlessly performed by Gene Hackman, who in the climax is shot by the antagonist Eastwood, an aging assassin who is incapable to shoot an object even just ten feet away. In my profession, by law any bureaucrat or Banker could be the protagonist but I prefer to represent and support only the victimized citizen or destitute entrepreneur borrower in a Court of Law for he contributes more to the economy of our country and to the society around him, displaying better human values. That consideration for human values with conviction gives me the nerve to draw faster.