Anything could happen in this movie: you might be quietly reading the paper in the saloon or belting out notes on the piano while cowboys indulge in a bit of fisticuffs; the bad guy might get strung up by the ankles, spun around and tossed about like a rag doll; and the sterling hero might have to suffer the heartbreak of seeing his snow-white suit deliberately trashed. All this and countless other comic scenes make for mighty fine entertainment. The profusion of brilliant gags embellishing the action, situations and characterisation arises from the filmmaker’s parody of the traditional Western genre, with its ultimate clash of goodies and baddies, and from his send-up of overly sentimental opera scenarios. As in opera, feelings are here expressed in song, while conscious affectation alternates with the naive in both lyrics and dialogue. More than four and a half million Czech moviegoers were enchanted by the subtle blend of humour and nostalgia, as they were by the filmmakers’ cinematic vision, reflected in a rich variety of special effects and in their stylisation of set, performance and movement.