MovieChat Forums > Ride the High Country (1962) Discussion > Just watched it - have an off-topic ques...

Just watched it - have an off-topic question

posted 12 years ago by crestviewfarms
2 replies | jump to latest

First, I was very surprised in how much I liked this firm. I have been watching classic movies for 25 years, and wonder why I didn't see this one sooner.

My off-topic question is this: In the mining camp scene, inside the hooker's cabin, there is a native-american artifact on the wall with two bright red swastikas. I had heard the Nazi German borrowed from someone Native Americans (?) for their emblem.

And, I further assume the swastika was there for a purpose in the film, to differentiate the space between the good guys, bad guys, and the struggle to identify good from evil when things don't always look black-and-white.

But, I am amateur who happens to enjoy good stories on film. Are there any experts on this board who can speak to the background of the swastika?

[–] turtletommy 12 years ago

I have no idea whether the swastika symbol was used in the film for any reason other than it was used by Native groups such as the Hopi, Apache among others. It meant different things to different tribes. The symbol itself though is an ancient one used all over the world in many different cultures. The Nazis just co-opted this widely used symbol for their regime. From wikipedia:
"The word swastika came from the Sanskrit word svastika, meaning any lucky or auspicious object, and in particular a mark made on persons and things to denote auspiciousness."

Other than its dark association with the Nazis historically the symbol doesn't seem to have carried any type of negative or evil connotation, so I rather doubt its appearance in this film was anything other than a touch of authenticity with Native-American artifacts.

[–] TheManInOil 12 years ago

The two things are unrelated. It's just a native-patterned rug.

The Nazi swastika has its origin in Asia, not America. It's a fairly simple shape and it's not surprising that it was common in various places of the world before it became associated with naziism. You'll find the same symbol in Buddhist art etc.

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