The Western Genre

What is the Western Genre? Genre that started since the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus One of the oldest film genres (1903), which predates film itself The Western genre is focused on the good guys keeping law and order within the frontier Nostalgic genre of the 1900s – Dates back to the American west, creating our historical background

History of Western Genre The era of the American West began from 1850 to the 1900s Are usually set between the American Civil war and the early 1900s Popular in the 1930s-60s, but resurged in the 1990s. Popular for how it explained the history of America/myths and how the West had culture Influenced by individualism – the importance of an individual

Western Settings/Costumes Settings in Western films generally include breathtaking settings and open landscapes ( The Tetons and The Monument Valley) Usually takes place in the afternoon when the sun is still bright Can see lots of ranches, frontiers, cactus, and lots of wildlife Costumes usually include hats, leather boots, masks, denim jeans, guns, vests, and rope for lassoing animals and people

Western Heroes & Antiheroes Heroes usually include local lawmen or enforcement officers, ranchers, army officers, cowboys, territorial marshals, or skilled gunfighters Hero Characteristics: Masculine people of integrity and principle – courageous, moral, tough, solid and self-sufficient, independent and honorable attitude Hero could usually stand alone and face danger against protagonists (may have sidekicks)

Western Heroes & Antiheroes (cont) Codes of the Hero: Protecting good vs. evil, uphold the law, saving the innocent/those held captive, keep oaths made, helping the needy/unfortunate The antiheroes (antagonists) would usually wear black hats – black being a symbol of evil Men would mainly play the roles of the hero; trying to stop the antagonists Women are usually the housekeepers and serve as those that tend to the wounded

Western Dialogue Dialogue: Usually seen as quirky, witty, having emphasis being placed on the words, and is usually laconic (concise/brief), making it enjoyable to the audience

Western Film Plot Maintain law and order in the frontier Settlers vs the Indians Humanity vs. Nature Civilization vs. Wilderness Villains vs. Heroes Law and order vs. Anarchy Plot may be gloomy in the middle due to the antihero; usually resolved by the hero

Western Iconography Guns- usually includes gun fights, violence, and human massacres Bank robberies by the villains Runaway stagecoaches (for rescuing, escaping the villain) Cattle drives and rustling Bar room brawls Shootouts and showdowns Hats, Horses, Cigars, Alcohol, Rodeos

Mood & Tone Suspenseful Gloomy Violent Happy Dark

Test Questions Western films had a great influence on American culture and were able to shape Americans’ views of the old frontier by replacing actual history with myth. Westerns films got their start because Dime Novels about the Wild West were extremely popular Culture: opposite of nature in the western Class: opposite of equality in the Western

Test Questions Clint Eastwood & John Wayne were the actors most associated with Westerns Young males (tenderfoots) characters get educated in westerns with shooting lessons The roles of women in westerns are conventional and secondary to men Cowboys vs. Indians was a sub-genre that dominated box-office reign

Types of Westerns Epic Western ‘Singing cowboy’ Western Spaghetti Western Noir Western Contemporary Western Revisionist Western Comedy Western Post-Apocalyptic Western Space Western

Spaghetti Western Developed in the 1960s and 1970s Named for how most of the films were produced and directed by the Italians These films tended to be low budget and were often shot in the desert Introduced more violence over the other genres

Contemporary Western Reflects the themes and motifs of Classic westerns, yet it is set in Contemporary America Are usually taking place in the West Often explore the “ classic cowboy” struggling in the “civilized world”

Revisionist Western Came out around the 1960s in response to contemporary westerns Took a different look at the West; saw Native Americans as more than savages Call the audience to examine whether the use of violence is moral – even if the protagonist is justified

Space Western Is a genre that integrates Sci-Fi into its films Future technology is often used transport the characters into the Wild West Tend to have a lighter tone and less violence than traditional Western films

Film Techniques Western films tend to have distinct cinematography and editing Early films included title cards and ellipses Lighting was crucial to dramatic films/humorous films Serious western films that had conflict and violence used plenty of low-key lighting to emphasize the characters and the surrounding landscape Used camera techniques like zoom shots and panning for fight/gun scenes Crosscutting for chase scenes