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Underneath the battered denim jeans and wide-brimmed hats archetypal of the Western, is one of the most unique and long standing genres in film. Set in dusty and expansive valleys and long-gone ghost towns, the Western genre is a reminder of the struggle for manhood and the power of righteousness in a harsh and unforgiving reality. The genre is a reminder of the sublime power of nature and the relative insignificance of man, who struggles on a constant journey for honour, revenge and the confrontation of his morality.
From the Western genre protrudes many simplistic, and considered by some naive, characteristics. It is often quite a formulaic genre, with its unique iconography being repeated over decades, distilling clear criteria through which to create the genre. These aspects are also seen by many with deep respect, including the directness and engagement with formal and deeply moral concerns. There are many components which we can safely say are necessities for the genre in its identity, narrative and strategy.
Some symbols have remained central to the genre, surviving the several ages of the Western and its reinventions. The genre aesthetically acknowledges the loneliness and brutality of morality. The archetypal landscape of a dusty, expansive valley or ghost town represent the existential turmoil man faces when he must learn his own identity and become a made man. Difficult decisions must be made, often about killing or being killed, establishing the importance of stoicism and a strict moral code, representative of the harshness of reality (Warshow, 42).
Over its expansive timeline the Western has also seen many phases of reflection and revision, where core characteristics were confronted and contested, further propelling the genre and at the same time solidifying its necessary components. As the genre has become more self aware and reflexive, it has adapted its deeply philosophical questions of identity and morality to more contemporary capitalist and culturally diverse contexts (Henderson, 435). These core pillars and new adaptations of the genre will be explored throughout the contents of our website, which will give you a coherent and concise understanding of the genre in its entirety.
Summary
Characters
Narrative
Evolution
Structure
Bibliography:
Pye, Douglas. “Genre and Movies”. Movie. 20 (Spring 1975): 29-43.
Henderson, Brian. “The Searchers: An American Dilemma.” In Bill Nichols. (ed.) Movies and Methods. Vol II. Berkeley, University of California Press, 1985. 429-449.
Warshow, Robert. “Movie Chronicle: The Westerner.” Partisan Review. (March-April 1954) Rpt in Jim Kitses and Gregg Rickman (eds). The Western Reader. New York, Limelight Editions, 1998. 35-48.
Pye, Douglas. “Genre and Movies”. Movie. 20 (Spring 1975): 29-43.
Henderson, Brian. “The Searchers: An American Dilemma.” In Bill Nichols. (ed.) Movies and Methods. Vol II. Berkeley, University of California Press, 1985. 429-449.
Warshow, Robert. “Movie Chronicle: The Westerner.” Partisan Review. (March-April 1954) Rpt in Jim Kitses and Gregg Rickman (eds). The Western Reader. New York, Limelight Editions, 1998. 35-48.
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