In Bronco Billy, Eastwood pokes mild fun at his own macho screen persona. The Wild West Show, I believe, is a metaphor for the film-making process, in which a carefully crafted illusion is created for the viewing public.
After the tent burns down, Billy has a new tent stitched together by the inmates at a mental asylum, which results in a patchwork of American flags -- literally, a crazy-quilt assemblage.
Bronco Billy is gleefully old-fashioned, even anachronistic, both in its optimistic mood, which ran counter to the popular culture at the time of its release in 1980, and in its characters -- a cowboy who belongs to another time, a daffy heiress who has stepped out of a 30's screwball comedy.
Best of all, Eastwood's heart is in the right place, and he has a genial affection toward his eccentric characters.
After the tent burns down, Billy has a new tent stitched together by the inmates at a mental asylum, which results in a patchwork of American flags -- literally, a crazy-quilt assemblage.
Bronco Billy is gleefully old-fashioned, even anachronistic, both in its optimistic mood, which ran counter to the popular culture at the time of its release in 1980, and in its characters -- a cowboy who belongs to another time, a daffy heiress who has stepped out of a 30's screwball comedy.
Best of all, Eastwood's heart is in the right place, and he has a genial affection toward his eccentric characters.