This film is currently unavailable
Lemonade Joe
A hilarious, energetic musical parody of old-style westerns, full of twists and hidden identities, which boasts a considerable cult following in the Czech Republic.
Director: Oldrich Lipsky
Overview
Joe, a clean-shaven, lemonade-swigging, sharp-shooting cowboy, enters the Trigger Whisky Saloon in Arizona’s Stetson City and orders a Kolaloka lemonade . Before he even takes a sip, he defeats a gang of robbers, dispensing justice and converting the sinful townspeople to sobriety. Joe leaves the town just as the legendary master criminal of the Wild West, aka master-of-disguise Hogo Fogo arrives. Dressed in white and black, representing good and evil, they fight for the right to promote whisky or lemonade, and for the hand of the beautiful Winifred.
Directed by Oldřich Lipský and written by Jiří Brdečka, based on his novel and stage play, this is a formally innovative, technically playful film with a striking sepia-toned cartoonish aesthetic that blends quick-fire jokes, silent slapstick, and inspired music and songs from the swinging '60s, covering everything from ragtime to blues to cabaret. As in opera, emotions are expressed in song, with a mix of conscious affectation and naivety in both lyrics and dialogue. Supported by a splendid cast including Květa Fialová as the fallen barroom singer Tornado Lou, this is a fitting contribution to the Year of Czech Music celebrations.
Related
El Mariachi El Mariachi
Crime 1992 82 mins Director: Robert Rodriguez
A travelling mariachi is mistaken for a murderous criminal, in Robert Rodriguez’s infamous ‘no budget’ exemplar of DIY action cinema.
Brokeback Mountain Brokeback Mountain
Romance 2005 135 mins Director: Ang Lee
Ang Lee’s poignant adaptation of Annie Proulx’s short story charts a tender, forbidden bond between two shepherds in the rugged American West.
A Bullet for the General A Bullet for the General
Western 1966 105 mins Director: Damiano Damiani
At the height of the Mexican Revolution, a mysterious gringo infiltrates a gang of bandits in Damiano Damiani’s radical Western.
Django Django
Western 1966 92 mins Director: Sergio Corbucci
Sergio Corbucci’s iconic and hugely influential Western follows the titular coffin-dragging drifter as he becomes embroiled in a mortal feud.
The Proposition The Proposition
Western 2006 104 mins Director: John Hillcoat
John Hillcoat and Nick Cave's brilliant, brutal bushranger western, with Guy Pearce as the outlaw tasked with tracking down his psychopathic elder brother (Danny Huston).
Irreversible Irreversible
Drama 2002 93 mins Director: Gaspar Noé
Gaspar Noé's retina-searing shocker about an assault and its revenge, told in reverse chronology and starring Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel.
Climax Climax
Drama 2018 96 mins Director: Gaspar Noé
Gaspar Noé's visually dazzling feast of music and mayhem reveals a director at the height of his provocative filmmaking powers.
Along Came Love Along Came Love
Drama 2023 124 mins Director: Katell Quillévéré
Two lovers become entwined while both harbouring deep secrets and shame, in this epic postwar romance.
Mother Mother
Thriller 2009 129 mins Director: Bong Joon-ho
Acclaimed Korean actor Kim Hye-ja is outstanding as a mother who will do anything to protect her son, in Bong Joon Ho’s fourth feature.
Craig's Wife Craig's Wife
Drama 1936 74 mins Director: Dorothy Arzner
Rosalind Russell’s breakout performance is a tour de force in Dorothy Arzner's high melodrama.
Shoplifters Shoplifters
Drama 2018 121 mins Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Hirokazu Koreeda's modern masterpiece is a dark yet touching account of an unorthodox family that relies on shoplifting to make ends meet.