User:Vernajast/sandbox-calvera-magnificent-seven
| Calvera | |
|---|---|
| 250px Eli Wallach as Calvera in The Magnificent Seven (1960) | |
| Portrayed by | Eli Wallach |
| In-universe information | |
| Nickname | Calvera |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Bandit leader |
Calvera is the leader of a Mexican gang of bandits in the 1960 western film The Magnificent Seven. He is the main antagonist of the film, and he was portrayed by Eli Wallach.
Description
[edit]Appearance
[edit]Calvera was "the bandito with two gold-capped front teeth, a crazy beatnik beard and a flamboyant air"[1]. In the film, he is depicted with a wide brimmed hat, gunslinger's belt, pistol, and a leather vest and chaps.[2][3]
Characterization
[edit]The Magnificent Seven is based on Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, however, the characterization of Calvera is very different from Kurosawa's bandit chief, who is virtually an abstraction of evil ferocity[4][5]. Calvera is a brutal yet complex villain who acts like a bandit but speaks the language of paternal authority--"I am a father to these men: they depend on me"--to justify his actions.[4].
The villagers know Calvera well; his plundering is a yearly ritual. To Sotero, the village leader, Calvera bemoans the changing times: In earlier years, cattle and gold and fruit from the trees were there for the picking, but now, even the poor boxes that Calvera steals from big churches are empty.[6]
Role in The Magnificent Seven
[edit]In the film, Calvera's bandit gang is planning to invade and pillage a small village. However, due to previous raids on the same village having stripped it of resources, he decides to wait until the barley crop has matured. A villager overhears his plans and relays this news to the village leader Sotero, who in turn hires Chris (the main protagonist, portrayed by Steve McQueen) to defend the village.[citation needed]
Cultural references
[edit]- In an episode of Futurama entitled That's Lobstertainment!, Dr. Zoidberg is dressed as a parody of Calvera in the fictional film, The Magnificent Three.[citation needed]
- A Star Trek: Deep Space 9 character named Bernardo Calvera is a reference to Bernardo (Charles Bronson's character) and Calvera (Eli Wallach's character) from The Magnificent Seven.[citation needed]
- An isolated neutron star discovered in 2007 in Ursa Minor was nicknamed Calvera by scientists. The seven other previously discovered stars of this rare type are nicknamed The Magnificent Seven.[7]
- The 1980 science fiction film Battle Beyond the Stars was "intended as a 'Magnificent Seven in outer space.'"[8] The leader of the evil Malmori raiders, Sador, is similar to the character of Calvera and plays the same antagonist role.
References
[edit]- ^ "Hidden Drama High Lights Tale Of 'Magnificent Seven'". Ocala Star-Banner (newspaper). Retrieved 2010-03-12.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|publishdate=ignored (help) - ^ Photo 1
- ^ Photo 2
- ^ a b Richard Slotkin "Gunfighter nation: the myth of the frontier in twentieth-century America". Published by: University of Oklahoma Press, 1998 - 850 p. ISBN 0806130318, 9780806130316 (P.475,478)
- ^ Steven Mintz, Randy Roberts "Hollywood's America: United States history through its films". Brandywine Press, 1993 - 341 p. ISBN 188108910X, 9781881089100 (P.235)
- ^ Ralph Lamar Turner, Robert J. Higgs "The cowboy way: the western leader in film, 1945-1995". Published by: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999 - 244 p. ISBN 0313308713, 9780313308710 (P.45)
- ^ "Rare dead star found near Earth". BBC. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
- ^ Gray, Beverly (2004). Roger Corman: blood-sucking vampires, flesh-eating cockroaches, and driller killers. Thunder's Mouth Press. p. 147. ISBN 9781560255550.
External links
[edit]The Magnificent Seven (1960) IMDB Eli Wallach IMDB