Discussion for article #241117
you should check out a 1951 film ‘westward the women’…
So, it’ll make me reconsider my political biases?
Is it gonna convince me that slavery was a noble institution and that the Confederates were “the good guys”? lol
This seems less a review and more an exercise in wishful thinking - trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. “Brokeback Mountain” was a western? Who knew?
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The idea that Eastwood made Unforgiven to “atone” for his role in Sergio Leone’s classics is a new one to me.
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Last of the Mohicans was a Western?
The Keeping Room sounds a little like Gone with the Wind.
Thanks for your entry and congratulations, you won the post of the day!
Yeah, somebody is really stretching the definition of “Western” to try and make a preconceived point.
Nor do I agree with his review of the The Unforgiven. Women are hardly seen in a position of strength, they are still helpless prostitutes that need a big strong white man to come save the day, albeit it an older one. To me, the subtext was one that was popular in that time, “a man never has to retire, 50 (or 60) is the new 20”
And of course, he left out the Firefly show, where women definitely had positions of power, from Zoe, to Inarra, to River to even Mal’s nemesis, Christina Hendrick’s recurring character. Hell, even the big tough guy is given a girl’s name…Jane. Now I could get not wanting ot mention it because its a bit of a sci-fi/western mash up, but hey…didn’t stop him from bringing up Cowboys and Aliens.
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The frontier could have been considered the west at that point, so yea.
You actually touch on an important point - the western went out of style in part because the frontier shifted to space. When you break down the plot and characters, Star Wars is basically a western set in space.
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I thought Blazing Saddles was the most significant subversion of the Western, full stop. Also the funniest.
Even more depressing than this article is the credit line of the author; it reads like something from a Salon intern. Annie Get Your Gun and Calamity Jane are musicals. If you want a straight Western, try Annie Oakley from 1936–too old? If you want even more Barbara Stanwyck, try Forty Guns–too tough?
Tarantino’s Westerns are Westerns in the sense that Star Wars is sci-fi, or 1941 is a war movie–or a comedy. Of course, if you think he makes Westerns, you probably don’t recognize Meek’s Cutoff as one.
The frontier has historically defined the west. Thus, in Cleveland, OH there is Case-Western Reserve University (a merger of two formerly independent schools). People refer to Ohio as a part of “the Midwest”. If Ohio in fact does represent the “Midwest”, it must be at the very eastern edge of it. (As in fact, it is.)
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I would agree to a certain degree. However, Star Wars plays upon so many genres “in space” that calling it a Western in space is really short changing it. But I think you are right on that westerns have largely moved to outer space.
Which is why Firefly, after just one partial season 10+ years ago, is still so insanely popular. Whedon put it out as a that right from the get go (Literally…the opening song is a western song).
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It was all very interesting until it became clear the author had never actually seen any of those movies.
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Star Trek is essentially a western as well. Of course, Battlestar Galactica (the original series) is little more than Wagon Train in space.
I am not sure he saw “Unforgiven” let alone the “Man with No Name” trio.
You hit upon a good point. “Firefly” was a great show, period. That it had strong female characters didn’t make it great. Conversely, all the strong female characters in the world couldn’t save “The Homesman”, and unless we’re giving out diversity awards, Mario Van Peebles feeble attempt was terrible, too. If making some sort of social statement is the primary goal, the filmmaking itself will suffer, and you essentially harm the very cause you’re trying to advance IMO.
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I disagree. “The frontier” and “The West” are not always one and the same. If you’re speaking strictly of geography and history, sure, but if you’re talking movie genres, literature, etc, then no.
I highly recommend 2010’s Meek’s Cutoff. An absolute masterpiece. Don’t let the unusual aspect ratio put you off - it’s a true gem. Of storytelling, and of cinematography.
and i’ll bite
What’s the difference tween the two?
The ads on this site have gotten to be so intrusive that it’s nearly impossible to read the articles – in this case in particular, every few seconds some ad at the bottom of the page forces the browser to look at it, meaning that I need to painfully scroll through the page again to find the place that I had managed to get to before being ripped away.
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