Paukkurauta-Kati

This is about the "legend" of western figures, vs. the reality.

(Remember "Unforgiven", and the way the gunfighter has a dime

novelist following him around?"

The two "shouters", Stubby Kaye and Nat "King" Cole, make it very

clear that the legend of Cat Ballou is NOT the truth: she is not, for

example, as the ballad has it, "evil through and through".

This commentary is given a meta-fictional air by the fact the Lee

Marvin (who won the Oscar for the same reason that Bogart won

for "African Queen": he played against type) is cast to play both an

ultra Lee Marvin (Strawn) and an anti-Lee Marvin (Shelleen).

A very clever charming film, and also way ahead of its

dramaturgical time.