Embedded Files
The subject matter of the Western is closely tied with elements of time and space of the American frontier (Pye 241). The films use long-established and highly repeated plots in the exploration of conflicts pertaining to the "Old West," chiefly that of emerging civilisation versus savage wilderness (Altman 32; Friedman et al. 16, 267-8; Pye 244).
Narrative Conventions
Narrative Conventions
Western narratives are intrinsically linked to each film's setting; they are ultimately driven by either the journey from one location to another, or by a character's dedication to the location they are inhabiting (Pye 241-2; Friedman et al. 268; Tuska 26). For example, Stagecoach is driven by periods of action (travel) and inaction (rest), whereas The Hateful 8 begins with the same premise of a journey but redirects to a single location (Friedman et al. 268).
Other Western narratives driven by movement are stories of revenge and retribution, and the pursuit of a person or money (Gruber 185; Tuska 26, 29). Often the two are combined, as in True Grit, whereas the protagonist in Unforgiven returns to bounty hunting solely for money.
By contrast, plots wherein the protagonist protects a town, or seeks to cultivate a town or enterprise are similarly established narratives, defined by a lack of movement (Friedman et al. 267; Gruber 184-5; Tuska 24, 27). The latter is seen in films like McCabe and Mrs Miller and The Ballad of Cable Hogue, whereas the former, a particularly common Western plot, is exemplified in films like Shane.
These narratives interact with conflicts of the Old West period to generate a mythology through the exploration of themes that are equally tied to the genre's historical context.
Thematic Elements
Thematic Elements
Violence in Westerns is governed by strict rules that serve to contrast "necessary" violence from "uncivilised" violence (Altman 32; Friedman et al. 255-7; Warshow 37). Westerns explore this duality by acknowledging certain violence as "necessary for social progress" but still unsuited to civilisation; hence, the enactor is inevitably banished (Friedman et al. 258; Warshow 38). For example, in A Fistful of Dollars and The Searchers the protagonist ventures off alone after the violence concludes due to being unsuited to a settled life.
Civilisation itself is depicted in contrasting ways. An optimistic view of social progress and "the process of westward expansion" is frequently represented by an idyllic town or settlement, contrasting with the savagery of the wilderness or corruption that threatens it, such as the bucolic homestead in Shane (Pye 243; Friedman et al. 254). Films like this reflect an idealistic cultural ideology related to beliefs of 'Manifest Destiny' and the myth of The West.
Conversely, many Westerns are "ambivalent" in attitude towards the "encroachment of civilisation on the wilderness" (Friedman et al. 255, 262; Pye 243, 253). Films such as The Wild Bunch and Unforgiven portray a bleak view of "the settled life," where "civilised" settlements are full of bigotry and "powerful forces of social and political corruption" (Friedman et al. 254).
Westerns typically have an underlying tone of melancholy as the world around them–the frontier– is fundamentally temporary (Friedman et al. 260; Warshow 36). The frontier is liminal in nature and, as such, its success will inevitably result in its dissolution; Hence, even Westerns with a positive view of a civilised future "are still looking backwards" (Friedman et al. 260).
Summary
Characters
Narrative
Evolution
Structure
Bibliography:
Altman, Rick. "A Semantic/Syntactic Approach to Film Genres." 1984. Film Genre Reader III, edited by Barry Keith Grant, University of Texas Press, 2003, pp. 27-41.
Friedman, Lester, et al. An Introduction to Film Genres, W. W. Norton, 2013.
Gruber, Frank. The Pulp Jungle, Sherbourne Press inc., 1967.
Pye, Douglas. "The Western (Genre and Movies)." 1975. Film Genre Reader IV, edited by Barry Keith Grant, University of Texas PRess, 2012, pp. 239-254.
Tuska, Jon. The American West in Fiction, Greenwood Press, 1985.
Warshow, Robert. "Movie Chronicle: The Western." 1954. The Western Reader, edited by Jim Kitses and Gregg Rickman, Limelight Editions, 1998, pp. 35-48.
Altman, Rick. "A Semantic/Syntactic Approach to Film Genres." 1984. Film Genre Reader III, edited by Barry Keith Grant, University of Texas Press, 2003, pp. 27-41.
Friedman, Lester, et al. An Introduction to Film Genres, W. W. Norton, 2013.
Gruber, Frank. The Pulp Jungle, Sherbourne Press inc., 1967.
Pye, Douglas. "The Western (Genre and Movies)." 1975. Film Genre Reader IV, edited by Barry Keith Grant, University of Texas PRess, 2012, pp. 239-254.
Tuska, Jon. The American West in Fiction, Greenwood Press, 1985.
Warshow, Robert. "Movie Chronicle: The Western." 1954. The Western Reader, edited by Jim Kitses and Gregg Rickman, Limelight Editions, 1998, pp. 35-48.
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