Directed by Oldřich Lipský, comedy, 95 min, eng subtitles, 12+
Written by Jiří Brdečka, Oldřich Lipský
With Karel Fiala, Rudolf Deyl ml., Miloš Kopecký, Květa Fialová, Olga Schoberová
Lemonade Joe, or the Horse Opera is a 1964 Czechoslovak musical comedy film that tells the story of a clean-living, soft-drink-selling gunfighter who takes on a town full of whiskey-drinking cowboys.
The film is, most prominently, a hilarious parody of the clichés found in American Westerns, including a running satire of American capitalism and cultural imperialism. However, the seriousness of this parody and satire remains ambiguous. Created in the era when, in fact, very few real American Westerns could be seen at Czechoslovak movie theatres, Lemonade Joe is (a case of) a rather eccentric appropriation of that legendary genre, which also functioned for its audience as its much treasured substitute. To this day the film enjoys a near-iconic status in the Czech Republic, as well as a considerable cult following.
Awards
San Sebastian IFF 1964 (Silver Shell for Best Director)
With the support of the Czech Centre Brussels