Daniel Lee Darren Chu Alan Su Min Park Sam Kim Period 1 Westerns

The western Western movies are films set in the American West, usually taking place around the late 19th Century post Civil War era. The Western is not only one of the oldest genres to form, but is also one of the most easily distinguishable genres made in America. The Western was immensely popular between 1910 to 1960, but eventually became underappreciated over the years.

The history Westerns started off as mythos and folklore revolving around the western frontier. After the Civil War, former soldiers and outlaws made their names well known throughout America (i.e. Jesse James, Billy the Kid, etc.) Dime Novels, theatre, and other forms of visual and narrative representation entertained people in the west. Buffalo Bill Cody started the first Wild West Show and toured the world, introducing the western iconography.

The films Edwin S. Porter’s The Great Train Robbery was the first western film to be released, setting the standard for how every movie is made from then on. In 1910, western films became increasingly popular for its fairly cheap budget and simple locations The “cowboys vs. indians” subgenre dominated most westerns

The iconography The setting is usually the American frontier consisting of the wilderness and a small and usually lawless town, complete with a saloon, sheriff station, and a open stretch of road fit for showdowns and shootouts. Culture is the opposite of nature in westerns, while class is the opposite of equality in western films. Other repeating icons includes stagecoaches, cattle, hanging trees and posts, spurs, colt revolvers, bandanas, buck skins, etc.

The characters The protagonist is usually a manly sheriff, cowboy, lawman, soldier, or gunslinger with a code of honor that he lives by. Women play a conventional role to men, often playing as prostitutes or damsels in distress with a heart of gold. Young males, or tenderfoots as they’re usually called, are educated through shooting lessons. Native Americans are either portrayed as noble redmen or bloodthirsty savages.

The plot A typical western plot has the hero maintaining order in a lawless society or protecting the honor of a man or entire town from the villains in the film. Basic conflicts such as good vs. evil, man vs. nature, and sheriff vs. outlaw are carried out in a western film. Plot points includes shootouts, robberies, bar fights, hostile environments, and a final showdown between the good guy and the bad.

The style Westerns are usually fast paced with tense action sequences and fast paced editing. Westerns move slowly only to build suspense (i.e. during final showdowns or “search and destroy” moments). All lighting is usually natural and muted. Most westerns boasts huge shots of the landscape and high camera angles. Zoom ins are use to intensify emotion, especially in spaghetti westerns.

The subgenres The Classic Western: the basic western (Stagecoach, The Searchers, How The West Was Won) The Spaghetti Western: a more violent western where the hero is more revenge fueled and greed is usually the main goal (The Man with No Name trilogy) The Contemporary Western: a more modern western in a modern setting (Hud, No Country for Old Men, Brokeback Mountain) The Revisionist Western: a more historically authentic western (3:10 To Yuma, The Magnificent Seven, Unforgiven)

The key people John Wayne: actor (Stagecoach, The Searchers, Rio Bravo, True Grit) Clint Eastwood: actor (The Man with No Name Trilogy, Unforgiven, Pale Rider) John Ford: director (Stagecoach, The Searchers, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance)