The Western

Jared Peet

Film Genres: The Western

• AFI defines “western” as a genre of films set in the American West that embodies the spirit, the struggle and the demise of the new frontier.

• Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the later half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name.

Historical Context

• In the United States in the 19th century, Manifest Destiny was the widely held belief that American settlers were destined to expand across the continent.

• Historians have for the most part agreed that there are three basic themes to Manifest Destiny:1. The special virtues of the American people and their institutions;2. America's mission to redeem and remake the west in the image of agrarian America;3. An irresistible destiny direction to accomplish this essential duty.

Historical Context

• American Civil War (1861-1865)• Homestead Act of 1862• Native Americans

Themes of the Western Genre

• Conquest of the wilderness and the subordination of nature in the name of civilization or the confiscation of the territorial rights of the original, Native Americans, inhabitants of the frontier.

• Society organized around codes of honor and personal/private justice as opposed to rational, abstract, legal systems

• Story that centers on the life of a semi-nomadic wanderer, usually a cowboy or gunfighter

The Western, ctd.

• The Western typically takes these elements and uses them to tell simple morality tales

• Often stress the harshness of the wilderness and frequently set the action in an arid, desolate landscape.

• Specific settings include isolated forts, ranches and homesteads; the Native American village; or the small frontier town with its saloon, general store, livery stable and jailhouse.

Frank Gruber’s 7 Western Subgenres• Frank Gruber (d. 1967) – American writer of Westerns and detective

stories• The 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 probably fall into this category.

• The Ranch story. The plot concerns threats to the ranch from rustlers or large landowners attempting to force out the proper owners.

• The Empire story. The plot might involve building up a ranch empire or an oil empire from scratch, a classic rags-to-riches plot.

• The Revenge story. The plot often involves an elaborate chase and pursuit, but it may also include elements of the classic mystery story.

• The Cavalry and Indian story. The plot revolves around taming the wilderness for white settlers.

• The Outlaw story. The outlaw gangs dominate the action.• The Marshal story. The lawman and his challenges drive the plot.

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)• Directed by and starring Clint

Eastwood• Missouri farmer has wife and child

murdered by Pro-Union “Jayhawkers”

• Refuses to surrender at end of Civil War, goes on the run

• Revenge Story• The film is seen by many as a

Western masterpiece and has been awarded a 94% rating on the critical website Rotten Tomatoes.

• Nominated for Best Original Score at Academy Awards

Revisionist Westerns

• Beginning in the 1960s, many people questioned many traditional themes of westerns, aside from the portrayal of the Native American as a "savages", audiences began to question the simple hero versus villain dualism, and the use of violence to test one's character or to prove oneself right.

• Examples of "revisionist westerns" include Dances With Wolves and Unforgiven. Some "modern" Westerns give women more powerful roles, such as Open Range.

The Outlaw Josey Wales Background

• Civil War divided US over slavery

• Western territories split• Missouri – pro-

Confederacy/slavery• Kansas (Jayhawkers)

fought own war over slavery

• Bushwhackers – guerilla fighters during War