Harmonica, a ghostly avenger?

[Skull]

I just saw the OUATITW in all of it's beautiful entirety.  Previously, I had seen it a few times on TV throughout the years but the quality of the latest transfer is staggering.  Anyway, at the end, instead of it going to commercial break, like I'm used to, I saw Harmonica ride away with Cheyenne and then I started thinking about all of the man versus nature, progress vs. man symbolism in the movie and I started to think about High Plains Drifter and Pale Rider.  I know there is a lot of evidence that points to Harmonica being flesh and blood, literally, but I can't help but think that High Plains and Pale took the unearthly aspect of OUATITW and incorporated directly into those films.

Here are some items that bring up questions:

1. Why is Harmonica riding off with Cheyenne’s body?  Is he taking him back to the afterlife with him (I know there is a thread that's already discussing this but it's important to note)?

2.  How does he know all of Frank's victim's names?

3.  How does he see things that normal men wouldn't be able to see, i.e. rifle barrel through billboard sign.

4. Last but not least, What human being would be able to resist Jill?  Kinda kidding, kinda not.

These are just some of the few things off the top of my head.  I'm hoping these questions will create more questions.

Let me know what you think.

[cigar joe]

I agree, I think you can read it that way, especially after he pops back up after being shot at Cattle Corner Station.

[KERMIT]

i thhought, at first, right, harmonica's dead after woody plugged him. but, wait. bronson's eye pops back open.
it's time for harmonica to take care of unfinished bidness.

[Beebs]

High Plains was very interesting. I've only seen it once but my favorite line is when the guys in the bar ask if he thinks he's "alittle too fast for us" and Clint replies "a lot faster than you'll ever live to be".

Harmonica is fast, recovers fast and tracks fast.

I'll try to answer some of your questions from my opinion.
1. I don't think he is doing the Field of Dreams thing and taking him to heaven into the corn crop but I had to think about this too. He can't just leave him there for Jill to find dead. He was riding away, so Harmonica rod him away so Jill wouldn't think anything of it.

2. He has been looking for Frank since he was a kid. He has encountered on Frank's trail all of his victims. Dave Jenkins, Bensen etc.

3. Again, since he was a kid he has been trained to look for things like that. from experience, where would he hide if assasinating Frank.

4. Haha, I like this one because I couldn't do this. "Discipline, 007, discipline" (Goldfinger)

I don't thind of Harmonica as a Mythical creature as Clint describes Drifter and Pale Rider. He is just a man looking for revenge and has trained to the top to do it like in Nevada Smith, McQueen learns to shoot read and live to get revenge on his parents.

[Groggy]

I agree, I think you can read it that way, especially after he pops back up after being shot at Cattle Corner Station.

WTF's in them cigars, Joe?  Watch the scene in the trading post again - Harmonica was shot in the shoulder.  That's not really "near the heart", except maybe that its closer to the heart than, say, his testicles.  But a shoulder wound, whilst certainly painful, generally isn't fatal unless there's heavy blood loss or secondary infection.

[Beebs]

You must admit though he has a pretty amazing recovery. Being shot period and getting up right away is a feat.

[iceman]

You must admit though he has a pretty amazing recovery. Being shot period and getting up right away is a feat.

Hey.. Bet I could do it as well

ICE

[Beebs]

Hey.. Bet I could do it as well

ICE

Well, after all, you are the amazing Mr. Iceman

[Groggy]

You must admit though he has a pretty amazing recovery. Being shot period and getting up right away is a feat.

True, but on the other hand we don't know for sure he long he's laying there.  When the camera cuts to the windmill, we could be talking about several minutes/hours passing, for all we know. 

I don't think Leone intended the "Harmonica IS Death" angle, it's interesting to thinking about, to be sure, but from all the interviews he gave on OUATITW, Harmonica was clearly supposed to be a human being.

[Skull]

it's interesting to thinking about, to be sure, but from all the interviews he gave on OUATITW, Harmonica was clearly supposed to be a human being.

I agree that he probably is human but there is so much symbolism and mythos that can be extracted from this movie.  Because of this, we all find it interesting to debate and discuss these inconsistencies.

Also, he's the only character, besides his red shirt, that wears all white.  It could be because of the 'good guy wears white' syndrome but I doubt it.

[Franks Harmonica]

We can also talk about the night scene when he arrives outside of Jills house playing the harmonica and disappears like a spirit when he is shot at.

[Alan Shearer 9]

In terms of why he resisted Jill maybe he was gay? He has ample opportunity to get in there but never does and the way he looks at Frank in the showdown is quite erotic

[Dlanor]

We should ask that to Dario argento and Bernado Bertolucci. Who else could know appart the writters?

[Poggle]

I kind of like that idea of Frank having made the mistake of killing a Navajo boy sometime in his career and his ghost coming for revenge. The big mistake in his career

[Dlanor]

A lethal mistake. Harmonica could have died but not by the hand of Frank (remember what Cheynne says, this guy has something to do with death). If Frank has killed Harmonica the story has no sense, because it's his brother who must be avenged, not himself.