In a Western mood.

[Movie Memories]

Gave in to some impulsive buying today and decided to pick up a few of my favorite Western's on dvd that I had previously only on vhs.

Two have some noir connections to them.

The Day of the Outlaw, with Robert Ryan, Burl Ives, and Tina Louise.
The Ride Back, with Anthony Quinn and William Conrad.

Also, The Fastest Gun Alive, with Glenn Ford, Jeanne Crain, and Broderick Crawford. This is just a personal favorite; having always enjoyed Glenn Ford in just about anything.

[cigar joe]

I'm a big Western fan myself ;-)

[Movie Memories]

I'm a big Western fan myself ;-)

Every once in awhile there seems to be a rediscovery of the genre and an attempt to again capture the public's imagination. Personally, I'm always disappointed that the interest never seems to take hold.

To some extent, we may still be suffering from the effects of "over saturation" during the 1950's, both on the big and little screens.

Today's young film fans seem to have spent their "Western" time in space with Star Trek and Star Wars.

I hate to think that such an historically enjoyable genre may just fade away.

[cigar joe]

I don't think they can make them anymore. One thing about Westerns that I've been contemplating about and trying to put a finger on is what exactly is different about todays Westerns. For some reason they don't seem the same as the Classics. You'll read comments that various posters say about some of the few Westerns that come out comments like "they don't make them like they used to", or "they don't know how to make them anymore". Besides some of the obvious differences i.e. steady/shaky cam, cgi and blue screen, what else is making them seem different?

I think I've finally got it figured out and what it is is that is difference is that Westerns that were made in the 1939-1973 "Golden Age of The Western" (both in film & TV) have a certain pallet, part of it is a look that we who lived through that period or those of us that are Western Aficionados or just have seen a lot of Westerns recognise as being the "correct look" for a Western a feel that is the "correct feel" for a Western and certain traits that comprize the "correct deportment's" for a Western. Once you get those conventions correct then you can, within those conventions, try and push the envelope in a creative way.

Back in the "Golden Age" through the TV 50's basically everything was in place to make a Western, the Studio sets, the stuntmen, the costume warehouses, the paraphernalia - steam engines, wagons, stagecoaches, etc., and the great locations/landscapes.

Now to make a Western everything has to be pretty much assembled from scratch.

Our stable of actors that could make a convincing lead in a Western are limited. In the Golden Age the lead actor had a weary weathered leathery look and was usually in his thirties or older and was shown to be wise beyond his years. The actors in their twenties played the young hot heads or the naive and inexperienced kids who usually made a fatal mistake and got blown away early. Now a days the scheme is turned on its head, its the young adults and teens who are showed to be more knowledgeable than their elders, it may be playing to today's audience demographics but it doesn't ring true. Then add in the PC "code" we are now saddled with and they just aren't going to seem the same.

On top of all that you had a stable of conventional character actors who made a career of just appearing in film Westerns and in TV Westerns who also contributed to that same "correct look" and added to the cinematic memory. There are no character actors left like Chill Wills, Walter Brennan and the great Gabby Hayes,... etc., etc., actors who started as extras or stunt men in Westerns and worked there way up through the ranks and acquired well... "character".

Forget today's hewing close to historical accuracy BS, or trying to hard to get the archaic speech patterns correct, the more modern directors attempt to make a Western too true to the actual historical West the farther they get away from the classic Mythic Western and its look.

Watching a Western should be like slipping into a comfortable old pair of shoes.

[noirguru]

CJ, I agree with your analysis, but I also feel the Western genre was overexposed on TV in the 50's and 60's. The talent is not what it was, no directors like Jack Ford, Howard Hawks, Bill Wellman, etc. The same is true with the stars, no actors like John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Randy Scott, etc.

[cigar joe]

CJ, I agree with your analysis, but I also feel the Western genre was overexposed on TV in the 50's and 60's. The talent is not what it was, no directors like Jack Ford, Howard Hawks, Bill Wellman, etc. The same is true with the stars, no actors like John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Randy Scott, etc.

Its the same for Film Noir if you think about it, that world that was extant when they were made (1942-to early 60's) is gone, and to try and make one today you'd have to assemble all the components so in effect it would feel more like a period costume drama.

Westerns were contemporary when they were first made, The Great Train Robbery (1903) was filmed while members of The Wild Bunch was still active, I believe Kid Curry's last holdup was in Parachute Colorado in 1904 ( yea I found a link:http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/W...y_Parachute_CO)

Some early filmmakers of the Western actually experienced or had family members experience what they were depicting.

They also evolved slowly along with their audience and this continued the tradition with film personnel giving invaluable hands on training on how things were done, so they always seemed fresh. After the super saturation in the 1950's & 60's it all unraveled by the 70's and that link is broken.

[Movie Memories]

Sad to say that everything mentioned here regarding the demise of the Western is all too true.

"the lead actor had a weary weathered leathery look and was usually in his thirties or older and was shown to be wise beyond his years"

This is a great way to describe many of the Western's most popular leading men. Last evening I had the pleasure of watching someone who fits that description perfectly... Randolph Scott, in 7 Men From Now with Lee Marvin.

The many familiar faces of the charactor actors could be found in hundreds of these films without the viewer ever growing tired from seeing them. Somewhere in this forum is a similiar thread where I posted a video someone had sent me showing many of these actors. If you enjoy Western's and have a fondness for these actors the video is well worth a look.

It looks like we will have to settle for an occasional remake, such as 3:10 To Yuma, or take the time to find and enjoy the many great Western films of the past. As Joe pointed out, just as we do with Noir.

[Adam Lounsbery]

I think the tropes and values of the western have migrated into other genres. TV shows like Justified and Sons of Anarchy feel like westerns even though they ostensibly take place in the modern era.

And while the genre isn't even close to being as dominant as it was as recently as the '70s, I feel like we've gotten to a point where we still have a few decent ones every now and then. Open Range and the remake of True Grit are two personal favorites.

[dax]

Tombstone (1993) is one of the better new westerns in my opinion. Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) and Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer) take on a band of outlaws lead by Curly Bill Brocius, Johnny Ringo, and the Clanton brothers. A good action western but it still has some character development.