Westerns

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Day One

Origins… Westerns are a genre of films usually set in the American West that embody the spirit, the struggle, and the demise of the new frontier. Most of the characteristics of Western films were part of 19th century popular Western literature, and were firmly in place before film became a popular art form

Origins… Classic Westerns reflect the history of the American Wild West. The first pioneers were living in newly established communities often spread over many miles, making law and order difficult to establish. Daring crimes and bands of outlaws were common, as were conflicts with Native peoples who already lived in the area.

Origins… When the earliest Westerns were made, remnants of the “Wild West” were still in existence; the landscape and weather conditions around Hollywood were ideal for its recreation The Western was the most popular Hollywood genre from the early 20th century to the 1960s; it made a brief resurgence in the 1990s.

Review: Setting: setting is the environment in which a story or event takes place. Setting can include specific information about time and place (e.g. Boston, Massachusetts, in 1809) or can simply be descriptive (e.g. a lonely farmhouse on a dark night). In film, setting usually goes beyond simple imagery. Settings Are Characters Too

Setting Westerns are often set on the American frontier in a geographically western (trans-Mississippi) setting with romantic, sweeping frontier landscapes or rugged rural terrain. However, Westerns may take place in a variety of geographical settings, including Mexico, Canada, Australia, and (oddly enough) Florida. There are even some films which place typically “Western” elements into settings a long time ago and in a galaxy far, far away. The Magnificent Seven Star Wars

Setting Specific settings include: lonely isolated forts ranch houses the isolated homestead the saloon the jail the livery stable the small-town main street small frontier towns Native American sites or villages.

Setting The juxtaposition of large, sweeping vistas and small, isolated shanties and saloons help move the story along. Wide open spaces normally imply that there will be action of a large scale, and also make the action look bigger and more impressive than it really is. Cripple Creek Bar Room scene (1899) trailer for The Searchers Compare the setting in these two clips. How do they differ? What elements remain the same?

Setting Westerns typically take place in the frontier times (1860-1900), and may use the Civil War, the Battle of the Alamo (1836) or the Mexican Revolution (1910) as a backdrop, but again, the time period may extend as far back as American colonial times or as far forward as the mid-twentieth century.

Themes & Setting The earliest Westerns portrayed the conflict between good and evil, and good, after many hardships, normally triumphs over evil in a neat or clever way. This theme, especially in its setting of unspoiled landscape resonated with the new America. As in many film genres, the setting often becomes more than just a vivid backdrop; it becomes a character in itself. Once Upon a Time in the West

Main Plotlines Author and screenwriter Frank Gruber listed seven plots for Westerns: Union Pacific story. The plot concerns construction of a railroad, a telegraph line, or some other type of modern technology or transportation. Wagon train stories fall into this category. Ranch story. The plot concerns threats to the ranch from rustlers or large landowners attempting to force out the proper owners. Empire story. The plot involves building a ranch empire or an oil empire from scratch, a classic rags-to-riches plot. Revenge story. The plot often involves an elaborate chase and pursuit by a wronged individual, but it may also include elements of the classic mystery story. Cavalry and Indian story. The plot revolves around "taming" the wilderness for white settlers. Outlaw story. The outlaw gangs dominate the action. Marshal story. The lawman and his challenges drive the plot.

clip from The Three Amigos Themes Other major themes include:  settlers vs. Indians, humanity vs. nature, civilization vs. wilderness, villains vs. heroes, sheriff vs. gunslinger, rugged individualist vs. the community Over time, westerns have been re-defined, re-invented and expanded, dismissed, re-discovered, and spoofed. Blazing Saddles clip from The Three Amigos In this clip, the Three Amigos are actors in Western films, who are mistaken for real heroes by the suffering people of a small Mexican town

European-made Westerns, or Eurowesterns, were immensely popular, and between 1960 and 1980, over 600 such films were made. These were usually international co-productions, and there are many different subgenres. Spaghetti Westerns are one such subgenre; they are called Spaghetti Westerns because they were produced and directed by Italians. They were typically very low-budget, using inexpensive locales. The best-known Spaghetti Westerns are Leone’s Dollars Trilogy: A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965), and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), as well as Once Upon a Time in the West (1968).

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly 1966 Directed by Sergio Leone

Italian “Spaghetti Western” film directed by Sergio Leone The third of a trilogy, but actually meant to be a prequel to the other two, A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More Released first in Italy in December 1966; It was not until December 1967 that it was released in the United States Grossed over $25M at the box office Initially, critical reception was mixed, but the film gained acclaim over time. It is now considered one of the greatest Western films of all time.

Clint Eastwood as Blondie, aka The Man With No Name The Good

Lee Van Cleef as Angel Eyes The Bad

Eli Wallach as Tuco The Ugly

While Viewing… Review concepts of TROPES and ARCHETYPES (from Horror Unit) Consider how the setting works to create a theme

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Day Two

Bellringer Westerns generally have very distinctive soundtracks, especially when introducing characters or settings. As with horror, the music sometimes becomes like a character itself. Is this true of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly? How does the soundtrack set the mood of the film?

Archetypes As with the crime and horror genres, Westerns have their own distinctive set of archetypical characters. Review Archetypes are symbols, usually images, which recur so often they are recognizable in many cultures.  Since archetypes represent human experience and behavior, they are rooted in our "collective unconscious," meaning WE ALL recognize the traits and characteristics of the archetype.  For example, we all know what a hero is and what a hero will predictably do.  We know what the underdog is and what the underdog will predictably do.

Major Archetypes

Archetypes in Westerns The Cowboy The quintessential American hero. A"cowboy" is someone whose primary job is tending a herd of cattle on a ranch. It can be any character that has the appearance and mannerisms of a cowboy. courageous, moral, tough, solid and self-sufficient, but often “slow-talking” The term "cowboy" is often used for any Western characters, regardless of whether they are actually cowboys or not

Archetypes in Westerns The Gunslinger Another famous Western hero Puts “the cool” back into guns and bullets Can appear in many genres of film, especially Western, Action, and Film Noir. Can often pull off trick shots or quick draws that are impossible in real life

Archetypes in Westerns The Outlaw A fugitive from justice into the wilderness Can be a protagonist or an antagonist Often will have a price on his head Some overlap with The Gunslinger Sometimes settles down and “goes straight”

Archetypes in Westerns The Sheriff (or Lawman) The closest and main law enforcer Wears a distinct badge, usually star-shaped. If he is ever disgraced, The Hero often shoots a hole through this badge, symbolic of the title being stripped. Often overlaps with The Gunslinger, but not always  When job becomes too big for one man to handle, then he deputizes someone else to handle those duties for him.

Archetypes in Westerns The Rancher Owner of a ranch, usually for cattle, but sometimes sheep or other animals Dresses a little better than their employees, but not by much Generally, the larger the ranch, the more likely it is that the rancher will be the antagonist  "Saving the ranch" is a common plotline for Westerns, as a couple of bad years could put a small rancher on the verge of bankruptcy. Many Cowboys have the ambition of gaining a ranch of their own

Archetypes in Westerns The Determined Homesteader Determined to have his own land, no matter what happens Generally, any horrible thing that can happen to a piece of land will happen: locusts, drought, fire, flooding, hostile natives, land barons, etc. The Determined Homesteader will hold on and will not sell their land, even for a fair price. Often has an equally resolute wife and several children, of both sexes. Even killing him doesn’t always mean the end of the story, since he leaves behind a Determined Widow Background: the Homestead Act of 1862 offered 160 acres of public land "free" if a homesteader filed a claim and succeeded in making a viable farm of the land.

Supporting Archetypes Typically, these archetypes appear as supporting characters in Westerns.

Supporting Archetypes in Westerns The Camp Cook Sometimes named “Cookie” A source of comic relief Often older (no longer able to work on the range) Often an ethnic minority A classic image Is the cook Ringing a Metal triangle To call the cowboys in to dinner The Snake Oil Salesman A traveling salesman/con man who makes his living by selling products which could not possibly work as advertised He must KNOW that the Product is Fraudulent, and sell it anyways The Undertaker (not to be confused with the wrestler known as The Undertaker) May take a measuring tape and measure gunfighters right before a big fight Generally non-descript, but very eager

Supporting Archetypes in Westerns “Miss Kitty” Female owner of a saloon and/or brothel Possible love interest of The Sherriff Almost always found in films between 1860 and 1911, in the US/Canada Is named After the Proprietor Of the Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City from the TV show “Gunsmoke” Native Americans May be “noble” (good), “savage” (barbaric), or even shamanic (magical). Unfortunately reinforces stereotypes May be of mixed ancestry The Army Scout A local with knowledge of the area; often a Native American The Posse A group of men deputized by The Sheriff to assist in the pursuit of justice, such as capturing fugitives.

Archetypes in Westerns For a very thorough review of archetypical characters in Westerns, visit: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WesternCharacters It is exhaustive!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Day Three

Common Color Schemes in Westerns Westerns rely on the natural landscape for their color palette. The colors often look washed out, as if bleached from the sun – even the character’s clothing looks less saturated This is due partially to color filming techniques at the time of production – for instance, early Technicolor has a very distinct, somewhat under-saturated “look”

Common Color Schemes in Westerns The most common colors are brown, orange, and green contrasted against the bright blue sky This can help set up conflict (since orange and blue are contrasting colors) As with many other genres, red is often used to identify an important character, due to its high contrast

Common Props Typical props depend on the time period of the plot May include: Guns (including gun- and ammo-belts) Wagons and horses Rope “Cowboy” hats Wanted Posters Boots w/ spurs

Pull It Together Once Upon a Time in the West trailer Make a bulleted list of the tropes, archetypes, and generally “Western” characteristics in this trailer. How many did you find? Did any surprise you?