Western Electric

The Edge of a Western How does a Western film look when it is written backwards and the themes are put on their head? This is how Jim Jarmusch envisioned his take on the Western when he directed Dead Man. The film is about an ordinary accountant William Blake, played by Johnny Depp, who is traveling to the town of Machine to start a new life. When Blake finds that there is no job for him, a set of unfortunate circumstances forces him into becoming a wanted man. Along with an American Indian guide, played by Gary Farmer, Blake forges a journey that leaves behind a trail of dead men in his path in order for him to transcend into the spiritual world according to the mentor Native American, Nobody. This film did hold on to some basic Western formulas, yet it reversed the genre and created a film that contradicts the definition of the Western brand.Through his character development, offbeat setting, and the edgy music, Jarmusch made a darker edgier western film. Right from the start Jarmusch flips the genre in his rendition of the Western in the character of William Blake (Johnny Depp). Blake comes from the east and he does not have a checkered past that matches the checked suit he is decked…

Western’s a genre with a purpose For almost as long as the medium of filmmaking has existed so too has the Western first showcased in Edwin S. Porter film The Great Train Robbery. Though overall a simple film in retrospect the way in which it pushed the medium forward was revolutionary in containing a narrative. Cowboys are the initial American heroes of filmmaking which all others pull from; Westerns as a male focused genre the central genre trope of masculinity have been constructed on a…

The following essay will compare the cinematic language of the two Western classics Stagecoach (John Ford, 1939) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Sergio Leone, 1966) while analyzing the claim that both film respectably are pioneers of the Western genre during their times proven on the basis of their original work in editing and narrative, and its influence on other filmmakers. After a brief summary of both movies, I will continue with the analysis of both, in particular with the formal…

The brothers Joel and Ethan Coen and Wes Anderson are known for their distinctive visual and thematic styles of film making. Although their respective films The Big Lebowski and The Royal Tenenbaums both have a unique style all their own they do share a theme. This shared narrative motif is a nostalgic yearning for, or perhaps even obsession, with the past. In The Big Lebowski this obsession with the past can be seen at the very beginning of the film as we follow a tumbling tumbleweed, an iconic…

Western Film “For over forty years, from 1926 to 1967, Hollywood produced more Westerns than any other kind of film” (pg.243). The western film I chose was one of Sergio Leone’s famous trilogies, which included A Fistful of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. These are known as Spaghetti Westerns. The film The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly takes place during the American Civil War and follows three men on the hunt for Confederate gold. Many westerns focus…

The Searchers is a “classic” western. It tells the story of Ethan Edwards who is accompanied by his nephew Martin Pawley and their five-year-long search to find his niece after she is captured and her family killed by the Comanche Indians. Little Big Man is a “revisionist” western. It tells the story of Jack Crabbe, a 121-year-old man asked to tell his story about his life, which includes being captured and raised by the Indians and living in a white society with a variety of jobs leading him to…

coming from the back or the side of the main characters” (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014, section 6.4). Ultimately, the type of lighting has assessed the impact of high contrast and very deep shadows in many of the indoor/outdoor scenes to establish the western theme. ◦What are the benefits of the style of lighting used? The benefits of the lighting style used to enhance the hardness of life on the Western frontier, therefore, giving the movie viewers a real sense of the western time and its…

Twelve years ago August 11 2017 the war was started when Haden and his army to attempt to over throw the king of the world and my father. So they corrupted GANC and started making war machines to kill King Rod. We barely made it but Haden will be back. He going to try to kill the rest of us and take over and we might not able to stop him, but so help me god I will kill Haden and free the world from his destructive ways. The GANC will get to helping the world function correctly. We don’t have a…

Western stories share a multitude of themes. The Revenant and The Hateful Eight show themes of violence, and nature. Both films use these themes to show the brutal power of the elements, along with the abusive nature of people. Westerns have a long standing relationship with violence. Violent ideas, and themes help show the power of characters throughout the story. In The Revenant violence is the main drive for Hugh Glass to enact revenge on Fitzgerald. The motivation for Glass to push through…

The Westerns The Genre As a Whole I will be researching how old style westerns have influenced modern day superhero movies from their editing, writing, and their aesthetic appeal. I will be going through the history of westerns as well as discussing what makes a western a western, how they’ve changed through the years, and why they’re still relevant. I will then talk about superhero films and how they have started, their brief history, how they’ve changed, and how westerns have influenced them…