Western Films and

Culture

Introduction to Westerns
By: Carston Morrell

What is a Western?

Nostalgic
Rugged
Untamed American Frontier
Old and enduring
Flexible

Western Setting
The Wild West
Trans-Mississippi

Late 19th Century

1865-1900

Isolated Civilization

Western Plots
Some type of conflict
Good vs. Bad, Cowboy vs. Indian, Sheriff vs. Robber, Law and
Order

Survival
Revenge
Conquest of the West
Emphasizes the importance of honor and sacrifice
The lone hero

Western Sub Genres

Spaghetti Westerns

Contemporary Westerns

1960s 1970s

Low
budget
Modern
More
Violence
Reflects
themes of classic
Westerns
Less noble protagonist
Classic
Ex. (The Cowboy
Good, Thevs.
Bad and
Civilized
World
The Ugly, Django
Shows
change
Unchained)
Ex. (No Country for Old
Men, Brokeback Mountain)

Western Sub Genres Cont.

Revisionist Western

1960s
Different look at Westerns

Takes place in space

Indians were more than

themes and tropes of

Uses
savages

Space Westerns

Westerns
Morales
(Star Wars,
Trek,
Ex.
Ex. (Dances
withStar
Wolves,
Guardians
of the
The Man Who
ShotGalaxy,
Liberty
Alien)
Valance)

Elements of Westerns
Ingenuity
Intricate plans, and tricks

Patience
Imperfection and vice
Saloon

Greed and vengeance

The elemental world

Character Types
Riders

Lawmen

Cowboy
Drifter
Judges
Gunslinger
Sheriffs
Outlaw
U.S Marshalls

Character Types Cont.

Townsfolk

Saloon

Blacksmiths
Shopkeeper
Saloon owner
Preacher
Gambler
Undertaker
Piano man
Doctor
Bartender

Soiled Dove

Brief History of Western Films

Silent Era
The Great Train Robbery

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oTdPklBE0Y

1903 first full length Western

Arizona

1930s
Ideal masculine role model
Radio

Brief History of Westerns Cont.

1940s 50s

Heyday of Westerns (John Wayne)

TV

1960s

Spaghetti Westerns (Clint Eastwood)

Decline of the 1980s

Tired of seeing Westerns

Revival of 21st Century

More realistic
Space Westerns

Citations

http://www.filmsite.org/westernfilms.html
https://spark.adobe.com/page/nb100/
http://thescriptlab.com/screenplay/genre/western

http://www.filmslatemagazine.com/the-evolution-of-the-wester
n-genre/
http://puffin.creighton.edu/fapa/Bruce/0New%20Film%20as
%20Art%20webfiles/all%20texts%20and%20articles/characte
r_and%20movie%20types_in_weste.htm
https://www.inverse.com/article/15098-7-great-futuristic-west
erns-from-guardians-of-the-galaxy-to-wild-wild-west

Citations Cont.
http://www.spacewesterns.com/articles/116/
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WesternChara
cters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oTdPklBE0Y

http://work.colum.edu/~amiller/westerns.htm

Western Film and

Culture
Cowboys in Film
By: Danny L. Rutherford III

Who is the American Cowboy, in

reality?
Pioneers of the settlement of the
American West
Following the American Civil war (latter half
of the 1860s)

Cattle-herders/beef industry workers

Often Hispanic or African
Perceived somewhat negatively

Who is the American Cowboy, in

Hollywood?
The Gun-Slinging Hero of the West
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=qZil728hUy0

The Lone Cowboy

Perfect physical capability
Always Anglo-Saxon (white)
Constantly in conflict with Native
Americans or Hispanics

Tropes of the Western Genre:

Again, always white
Almost certainly due to racial discrimination from the 1950s-1970s

The Stand-Off or Mexican Stand Off

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp8uoQ2PS_0

Somewhat of a symbol for anti-immigration

Always gets the girl

Where did the falsities come from,

and why does it matter?
Perpetuating racial tension in America (confirming a
prejudice)

Hidden political agendas of directors & producers

Distorts history and hides the truth, all in the name of
entertainment

Sources
Livingston, Phil. The History of the Vaquero. American Cowboy. Unknown Date.
AmericanCowboy.com

History.com Staff. Cowboys. History. 2010. History.com

U.S. History Staff. Western Folkways. U.S. History. Unknown Date. Ushistory.org
Davis, Sara. Movie History A Quick Guide to Westerns. AMC. 2011. AMC.com
Gilman, Sean. A Short History of the Western Genre, and Why The Wild Bunch Was
Ahead of its Time. Metro Classics. 7 September 2009. MetroClassics.com

Perry, C.J.. The Evolution of the Western Genre. Film Slate. 6 March 2015.
FilmSlateMagazine.com

Westerns and American

Culture:
Native Americans in Film

Abstract and Key Terms

Native Americans, or First Americans, are misrepresented in film. The Western
genre is one of the few platforms of representation in the medium.

Key Terms:
Vanishing Indian
Noble Savage
Captivity Narrative
Hollywood Indian
Plastic Shaman

Historical Bias
1709 Raid on Deerfield
European colonists began to see First Americans as savages
Northwest War
Post-American Revolution war between US and a Native
confederation. Tension increased.
Trail of Tears
Forced removal of Southeastern Natives to present day
Oklahoma
Manifest Destiny
European-American expansionist movement

Natives in Film: The Good

Native Directors:
Chris Eyre: Smoke Signals (1998), We Shall Remain (2009)
Sandra Osawa: On and Off the Res with Charlie Hill (1999)

Native Actors:
Zahn McClarnon: Fargo (2015-present), Longmire (20122017)
Alex Rice: Coyote Waits (2003), Skinwalkers (2002)
Adam Beach: Flags of our Fathers (2006), Bury My Heart at
Wounded Knee (2007)

Natives in Film: The Bad

Stereotypes
The Hollywood Indian: Based on Plains
Indians, typically Cheyenne,
Comanche, and Lakota
Noble Savage: A stoic, uncorrupted
individual in touch with nature
Plastic Shaman: An individual
attempting to pass off as a
traditional spiritual leader or shaman
"How to be a Real Indian"

Captivity Narrative
Wherein the main character (usually
white) is kidnapped by enemies
(usually Native) who are considered
uncivilized due to contrary societal
beliefs. Perpetuates belief in the
Noble Savage stereotype.
Examples in film: The Searchers (1959),
A Man Called Horse (1970)

Natives in Film: The Ugly

Disney:
Peter Pan: What Makes the Red Man Red
Pocahontas: Savages
Anglo/Caucasian Actors playing Natives:
Iron Eyes Cody, or Espera Oscar di Corti:
Various (1927-1987)
Burt Lancaster: Apache (1954)
Tony Curtis: The Outsider (1961)
Johnny Depp: The Lone Ranger (2014)
Rooney Mara: Pan (2015)

Bibliography
Ghahremani, Tanya (April 1, 2013). "25 Minority Characters That Hollywood Whitewashed". Complex.
Scherker, Amanda (July 10, 2014). "Whitewashing Was One Of Hollywood's Worst Habits. So Why Is It Still Happening?". The Huffington Post.
Webb, Franki (2009). Underrepresentation of Native Americans in Mainstream Film.
Boyd, Julia (2015). An Examination of Native Americans in Film and Rise of Native Filmmakers. The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications, Vol. 6, No. 1.
Retrieved 11/27/16
Peter Pan. Dir. Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton Luske. Disney, 1953. Film.
Pocahontas. Dir. Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg. Disney, 1995. Film.
Beverly R. Singer: Native Americans and Cinema. In: Barry Keith Grant (ed. in chief): Schirmer Encyclopedia of Film: Volume 3: Independent FilmRoad Movies.
Farmington Hills, MI: Schirmer Reference, 2007, pp. 211214, here p. 212.
Neal Salisbury. "Review of Colin Caolloway, 'North Country Captives: Selected Narratives of Indian Captivities'", American Indian Quarterly, 1994. vol. 18 (1). p. 97
Jacquelyin Kilpatrick , Celluloid Indians. Native Americans and Film (Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press, 1999), 3.
John E. O'Connor, The White Man's Indian. An Institutional Approach. In P.C. Rollins and John E. OConnor, eds. Hollywood's Indian: The Portrayal of the Native American in
Film(Lexington/KY: University Press of Kentucky, 2003), 30.
Sheets, Brian, "Papers or Plastic: The Difficulty in Protecting Native Spiritual Identity", Lewis & Clark Law Review, 17:2, p.596.