"Man of the East" - Is It REALLY a Western Comedy?

Okay, so I just finished watching "Man of the East" (1972). I know, I know, late to the party, but I’m going through a 70s cinema phase. And man, what a strange film. On the surface, it's a fish-out-of-water comedy about a poetic, bicycle-loving dude from, presumably, Europe, being thrown into the Wild West. Joe (played by Giuliano Gemma) is just so…different. He quotes poetry when he's supposed to be dueling! It's absurd, and there are funny moments, no doubt. The three uncles training him are hilarious. But I think there's something else going on here that makes it more than a straight comedy. My theory: this movie is secretly a meditation on masculinity…or maybe even a satire of it? Think about it. Joe is *constantly* being told to be "a real man," which in the West of this film clearly means being violent and stoic. He resists *every* step of the way. He’s sensitive, artistic, and totally unashamed of it. When he finally *does* learn to fight, he incorporates his style--he's still Joe! I think it's subversive. We are so used to having our western heroes being tough and aggressive. Instead, we get a man who is gentle, but not weak. And let's talk about those fight scenes. Yes, they're funny, but there's a brutality to some of them that feels…real. It clashes with the overall comedic tone. It makes you wonder if the director (who I’m still trying to figure out BTW, IMDB is failing me) was trying to make a point about how ridiculous the whole “Wild West” macho image really is. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but I think there is a deeper message in this movie. What do you folks think? Am I reaching, or is there something to my ‘manly’ theory? One last thing: I think the bicycle is important. The way he has to replace his horse with a bicycle is kind of genius.