The Enduring Western Movie - Why Has it Lasted?
WHY HAS THE WESTERN MOVIE GENRE LASTED SO LONG?
American cinema has existed for over a century now – and for almost all of those hundred years, the western movie has been part of it, a continual draw for critical praise and commercial success. So, why have western movies been so beloved the world over? Why are so many people continually drawn to theaters, attracted to plunking down their hard-earned cash to see these stories of the frontier?
First, the western offers an escape. The western movie allows for a getaway from reality to a place where America was still wild and unexplored, a place where there was still some majesty and mystery left in the country. When people go to see a western movie, they’re fleeing from a complex and scattershot world where they’re most likely trapped in cubicles, burning their eyes out staring at computer screens. To see a western is to go to a different planet. A place where there are no computers or telephones, just a clattering telegraph in a run-down building. Where there’s no smog or polluted skies, just the harsh sun on the desert or the glistening snow on the prairie. Where a commute is on the back of a trusted mare or in the chugging car of a locomotive, not in a compact car or crowded subway. Where the world is simple – the good guys wear tin stars, the bad guys wear black, and the hero saves the day and gets the girl.
Beyond the escape, the western can also make someone think. The genre allows for opportunities to explore an enormous variety of social topics, shrouding their messages and insight in the same tried-and-true formulas that first brought viewers into the theaters decades ago. Within westerns, we can see explorations of themes ranging from homophobia (Brokeback Mountain) and the pervasiveness of violence (No Country For Old Men) to the experience of the American Indian (Dances With Wolves) and courage (High Noon). There’s even room for comedy, as anyone who has ever chuckled through Silverado, Blazing Saddles or The Three Amigos can attest.
It’s a big world that the western encompasses, and it’s made for a century of compelling and insightful entertainment. We’re excited to help provide you with another century.