Rango: A Homage to the Cinema History
by Pepa Llausas
If we examine it from a classic structural point of view, the screenplay of Rango follows all the rules in sequence, just as prescribed by screenwriting guru, Syd Field: that is to say; in three distinct acts with their corresponding times perfectly distributed.
John Logan was recruited to handle the screenplay of Rango. Among others, he oversaw the screenplay of The Last Samurai, Sweeny Todd, Gladiator, Star Trek Nemesis and Sinbad: the legend of the Seven Seas.
The director of the film, Gore Verbinsky, also directed Pirates of the Caribbean and he also takes part in the story of Rango, along with John Logan and James Ward Byrkit. On the animation side, ILM, the company founded by George Lucas, is behind the technical expertise. So we have an altogether seasoned group of people when it comes to making must-see films.
John Logan was recruited to handle the screenplay of Rango. Among others, he oversaw the screenplay of The Last Samurai, Sweeny Todd, Gladiator, Star Trek Nemesis and Sinbad: the legend of the Seven Seas.
The director of the film, Gore Verbinsky, also directed Pirates of the Caribbean and he also takes part in the story of Rango, along with John Logan and James Ward Byrkit. On the animation side, ILM, the company founded by George Lucas, is behind the technical expertise. So we have an altogether seasoned group of people when it comes to making must-see films.
The main attraction of Rango is the huge filmic references it contains. From the evident western references, such as High Noon, The Wild Bunch, Rio Bravo and Cat Ballou, to an eclectic mix of Star Wars, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Apocalypse Now. Other references are more subliminal and stimulating. How can one avoid noticing a similarity between Rango and the famous Zelig by Woody Allen? It is easy to find certain resemblances between Woody Allen without spectacles and our protagonist, or the likeness between the father of the thieves with Captain Barbosa from Pirates of the Caribbean.
The extent to which we enjoy Rango depends on our ability to recognize the large amount of movie information that is woven into each scene. The characters explain, step by step, the complete theory of the hero, Joseph Campbell, whose influence Georges Lucas incorporated into the cinema business. They reveal in each precise moment what point of the screenplay we are in. The film allows Johnny Depp to play with the soul of his main character, using it to envelop all the film with the spirit of some other of his films too. All of that, perfectly interlaced with the story, the plot, the narrative and his continuous references to other films – as if it were a multicolour Mexican poncho.
The extent to which we enjoy Rango depends on our ability to recognize the large amount of movie information that is woven into each scene. The characters explain, step by step, the complete theory of the hero, Joseph Campbell, whose influence Georges Lucas incorporated into the cinema business. They reveal in each precise moment what point of the screenplay we are in. The film allows Johnny Depp to play with the soul of his main character, using it to envelop all the film with the spirit of some other of his films too. All of that, perfectly interlaced with the story, the plot, the narrative and his continuous references to other films – as if it were a multicolour Mexican poncho.
I was tempted to imagine Rango as a sort of version of The Night Face Up by Julio Cortazar, or The South by Borges: both stories are about a man who has an hallucination while he is dying. The film starts with an accident, which ends up with Rango in the middle of the highway. Maybe so, because the owls sing, “Rango is a Dead Man.” – another glorious representation of the filmography of Johnny Depp present in Rango.
However, if you are not a fanatical lover of cinema it is possible Rango is not your kind of film. The story, it has to be said, is the least interesting element in Rango. Easily predictable, the function of the plot is only to create opportunities to insert all sorts of filmic references and jokes. For this reason some scenes are longer than necessary and the development of the characters is just as important to keep the viewer on board. John Logan is particularly skilful in this task, just as he proved to be in other films, like Pirates of the Caribbean. There are no deal-breakers here though, for the audience readily agrees to accept the rules that the film lays out – a really difficult trick that Logan seems to perform easily.
However, if you are not a fanatical lover of cinema it is possible Rango is not your kind of film. The story, it has to be said, is the least interesting element in Rango. Easily predictable, the function of the plot is only to create opportunities to insert all sorts of filmic references and jokes. For this reason some scenes are longer than necessary and the development of the characters is just as important to keep the viewer on board. John Logan is particularly skilful in this task, just as he proved to be in other films, like Pirates of the Caribbean. There are no deal-breakers here though, for the audience readily agrees to accept the rules that the film lays out – a really difficult trick that Logan seems to perform easily.
About the theme: it is easy to understand it is all about identity. Rango is a chameleon without any identity because he has always lived in a terrarium. Without history, he is like a character without story. “Who am I?” Until now, his life has been only a play of his imagination. But the circumstances give him the opportunity to play a genuine role; or, perhaps, he is dying in the middle of the road and dreams of the big story that he never had. Surprisingly, this ambiguity is not even relevant to providing a satisfactory resolution for the viewer. The point is that Rango needs to have an identity and the identity, finally, is only a personal construction.
I think it is a great idea to take a character that begins from scratch. We are social animals, which means the human psyche needs relationships with the others in order to develop itself. We form our personalities through the emotional interactions with others. Rango has identity problems because he has never mixed with others. All that he knows to do is create fantastic characters and situations. And that is what he does when his participation in real life begins: he plays. But, inevitably, playing with others reconciles him with reality – and Rango ends up having a life with a story to explain. Like any hero, he will have to confront his worst fear; to show himself without costume; to admit he needs the others and, ultimately, clash with the bad guy once he learns who he really is.
To accept ourselves is usually more difficult than to be accepted by the others. All of us feel, in some moment in our life, like Gary Cooper in High Noon; alone before the danger.
Rango displays an incredible command of animation technology within the cinema, and opens the door for a new way to understand animation. But its main attraction is that it’s an enjoyable excursion into the history of the cinema, which is skilfully threaded into the movie. The more you know of the films that are parodied, the more you will like Rango.
I think it is a great idea to take a character that begins from scratch. We are social animals, which means the human psyche needs relationships with the others in order to develop itself. We form our personalities through the emotional interactions with others. Rango has identity problems because he has never mixed with others. All that he knows to do is create fantastic characters and situations. And that is what he does when his participation in real life begins: he plays. But, inevitably, playing with others reconciles him with reality – and Rango ends up having a life with a story to explain. Like any hero, he will have to confront his worst fear; to show himself without costume; to admit he needs the others and, ultimately, clash with the bad guy once he learns who he really is.
To accept ourselves is usually more difficult than to be accepted by the others. All of us feel, in some moment in our life, like Gary Cooper in High Noon; alone before the danger.
Rango displays an incredible command of animation technology within the cinema, and opens the door for a new way to understand animation. But its main attraction is that it’s an enjoyable excursion into the history of the cinema, which is skilfully threaded into the movie. The more you know of the films that are parodied, the more you will like Rango.
Worthy of a mention are the four owls who sing the legend of the hero. Like a blend of the singers of Cat Ballou and the Mexican singers in Arizona’s Dream and with a small touch of the Greek chorus, the four owls are responsible for creating the doubt whether Rango is alive or dead – or if he is going to die. Indeed, you realise that Rango is not going to die at any moment, but it’s amusing to listen to the owls trying all the time to convince you. “When he is gonna die? Soon, compadre, soon.”
That the film is fed by itself is not new, but Rango achieves another level. Maybe a new genre of cinema is being born, or perhaps this is a beautiful yet whimsical creation from the experts who can afford themselves such fun. Because they know the subject, they possess the skills, and have the means and the money to accomplish it.
That the film is fed by itself is not new, but Rango achieves another level. Maybe a new genre of cinema is being born, or perhaps this is a beautiful yet whimsical creation from the experts who can afford themselves such fun. Because they know the subject, they possess the skills, and have the means and the money to accomplish it.