THE WESTERNTHE WESTERN

A genre perfectly suited to the American Film IndustryA genre perfectly suited to the American Film Industry

The birth of film industryThe birth of film industry

◊ the official date of the death of the frontier (1890) coincides with the birth of film

◊ the first films - Muybridge of the horse in a gallop and the Lumiere brothers of a train arriving at a station

◊ if you combine these you get THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (1903)

◊ the official date of the death of the frontier (1890) coincides with the birth of film

◊ the first films - Muybridge of the horse in a gallop and the Lumiere brothers of a train arriving at a station

◊ if you combine these you get THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (1903)

1908 in film history…1908 in film history…

◊ The film industry moves west because of weather, landscape, non union city…

◊ the shift of production from the east coast to California also helps establish the Western

◊ California location shooting, ranches built in Burbank and MALIBU, the Sierra Nevada all provide ample variety for landscape

◊ The film industry moves west because of weather, landscape, non union city…

◊ the shift of production from the east coast to California also helps establish the Western

◊ California location shooting, ranches built in Burbank and MALIBU, the Sierra Nevada all provide ample variety for landscape

Characteristics of the WesternCharacteristics of the Western◊ action in the form of gunfighting, horse chases,

fistfights◊ landscape provides a backdrop of grandeur,

harshness, sublime beauty◊ Often trains or wagons are present as these are the

civilizing forces of progress

◊ action in the form of gunfighting, horse chases, fistfights

◊ landscape provides a backdrop of grandeur, harshness, sublime beauty

◊ Often trains or wagons are present as these are the civilizing forces of progress

More Characteristics….More Characteristics….

◊ The Civil War often plays an important role in many Westerns…

◊ A backdrop of violence◊ Heroes who have been impacted

by the violence of this war◊ The fierce independent spirit

◊ The Civil War often plays an important role in many Westerns…

◊ A backdrop of violence◊ Heroes who have been impacted

by the violence of this war◊ The fierce independent spirit

The archetypal Western heroThe archetypal Western hero

◊ he is a solitary, self-sufficient, morally ambigious figure

◊ very complicated, does not just represent a square jawed manhood

◊

◊ he is a solitary, self-sufficient, morally ambigious figure

◊ very complicated, does not just represent a square jawed manhood

◊

Mirrors the development of the west…Mirrors the development of the west…

◊ a man of violence with a shadowy past who is making the transition from civilization (the east) to wildness (the west) and back to civilization (subduing the west)

◊ He fights for order and justice but seeks to live unfettered and free….a paradox!

◊ a man of violence with a shadowy past who is making the transition from civilization (the east) to wildness (the west) and back to civilization (subduing the west)

◊ He fights for order and justice but seeks to live unfettered and free….a paradox!

The Western HeroThe Western Hero

◊ he can function in both worlds but is at home in neither

◊ often rides off into the wilderness as civilization holds no place for him

◊this departure sets up his return (in other films) and for the archetype he embodies…the loner, the independent

◊ he can function in both worlds but is at home in neither

◊ often rides off into the wilderness as civilization holds no place for him

◊this departure sets up his return (in other films) and for the archetype he embodies…the loner, the independent

The central conflict in Westerns…The central conflict in Westerns…◊ often show the attempts to tame or

modernize the West, but this always comes with a price as wilderness is cut down, the native inhabitants are dispossessed and an element of adventure and romance is lost

◊ often show the attempts to tame or modernize the West, but this always comes with a price as wilderness is cut down, the native inhabitants are dispossessed and an element of adventure and romance is lost

◊ these films are both CONSERVATIVE AND PROGRESSIVE at the same time as they mourn the passing of an older, rougher, simpler society just as they acknowledge the inevitability of a new society

◊ these films are both CONSERVATIVE AND PROGRESSIVE at the same time as they mourn the passing of an older, rougher, simpler society just as they acknowledge the inevitability of a new society

◊ Even though rooted in a specific period in United States history (1820 - 1880) each film tends to reflect the era in which they were made

◊ The western has managed to change and adapt to reflect the time/culture/ concerns/philosohpy/history of time in which it was made…

◊ Even though rooted in a specific period in United States history (1820 - 1880) each film tends to reflect the era in which they were made

◊ The western has managed to change and adapt to reflect the time/culture/ concerns/philosohpy/history of time in which it was made…

As you watch…As you watch…

◊ You will be watching westerns from different eras and will have to explain how each film reflects the concerns of the era…how it changes and modifies the genre to express something new…

◊ You will be watching westerns from different eras and will have to explain how each film reflects the concerns of the era…how it changes and modifies the genre to express something new…