Genre

The Western

    One of the oldest and most important genres to American Film is the Western Genre. According to Mr. Shipley, “Westerns were the preferred film genre until the 1980’s” It reflects a simpler time where men roam an empty world full of savage Indians and vast open spaces. During the 1930-60’s, hundreds of the most famous westerns were made. This is often known as the “Western Period”.The films are called “Westerns” because they usually take place in the geological west, from Mississippi to California. Some westerns have a historical background, for example they may take place during famous battles that took place in Western North America. The central conflicts in a Western are usually between a heroic character who lives in the west and his troubles with industrialization, lose of land, and conflicts with the Indians. They usually have lots of violence, weapons, and other such classic tools the the old men of the west. Usually, the hero in a Western will be some how related to ranch life, own a horse, and have a strong love for either a woman or the land. The hero will always find his foil, a character similar to himself but with evil, instead of good, intentions.
    According to filmsite.org, the roots of western films lie in folk stories and music, famous novels, mythologies about Western North America, and in some cases history. Most Westerns are based upon novels. Some of the most prolific western authors are Samuel Clemens, Francis Parkman, Bret Harte, Owen Wister, Zane Grey, and many more. This authors have written stories that tell the history and help express the feelings of the men, and sometimes women, living in post Civil War Western America. The novels capture the audience through the expressions of bravery and the old ideals of those of the west.
    Because Westerns are such an old genre, there is a massive amount of silent Westerns. Some of the greatest and most respected Westerns are from the silent era and these Westerns have set the precedent for the the films to come. The first real western movie was Edwin S. Porter’s The Great Train Robbery (1903). It is a 10 minute film that tells the story of a group of bandits that robbed a train. A posse then chased down the bandits and a gun fight ensued. The bandits tried to escape and hide their stolen money, but they were killed (filmsite.org). This film began the idea of good verse evil and is often considered one of the first films ever made. It gave a true story with a beginning, middle, and end.
    Western films are also famous for producing superstars. Until recently, the most famous actors were those of the Western genre. According the filmsite.org, the most famous western actor was William S. Hart (1870-1946). His best known films was probably Tunbleweeds. The film tells the story of the Western Land Rush. It is so famous because of the truth it expresses and the greed that was present at the time. The time seems very real and it expresses the time period perfectly. It also helped start the new style and is one of the greatest films ever made. There are very few movies that have reached its outstanding realism, considering the budget (goatdog.com).
    During the 30’s, the genre changed to an almost musical genre. Many of the cowboys began to express themselves through song. They had very little violence and showed a new side to the violent and masculine western heroes of the past. Part of the reason for this musical revolution was to put the new sound equipments to use. The people wanted to use the new technologies to its fullest, just as today with 3-D, the most overused technology of the day (filmsite.org).
    During the 30’s, the Westerns also began to include normal talkies. Once again, this was because of the new technologies were available and, as always, with talkies was money. Throughout all of these changes, the basic ideas of the westerns remained the same. The conflict was still between the western hero and the changes in society. For the most part, they remained violent, except for the singing cowboy films, and as always, the genre captured the problems faced by the people at the time and the people in the past. It continued to tell the story of the life in Western North America and continued to capture audiences. It is not a mistake that Westerns are considered the greatest and most important genre in film. They Western genre made the film industry what it is today. 




http://goatdog.com/moviePage.php?movieID=918

http://www.filmsite.org/westernfilms.html