by Darrell Jerome Banks Copyright 2005 All Rights Reserved
Face it you like horses. You like to see them run. You want to ride a Palomino and jump a fence. Not just ride the horse, you want to be a cowboy and there is nothing more exciting then a cowboy riding backwards and shooting a gun. Before drive -byes, or Arnold as the Terminator, westerns dominated the world. Since celluloid film emerged from Hollywood audiences have been fascinated with Cowboys and Native Americans. Hollywood has neglected this genre for too long. Perhaps it's easier to do a "Cellular" or other period movie.
Despite the absence of a great Western since Clint Eastwood in " Unforgiven" (1992) the genre is wide open. With remakes of the " The Love Bug" and "Assault on Precinct 13" shuffling through the Hollywood machine your opportunity to emerge as the next break out writer may be through the Arizona desert and a six shooter.
The evidence of Americans love of the West is noted in Western television shows. " The Gene Autry Show," lasted from 1950 to 1960, " Bonanza" from 1959 to 1973. The king of the western television shows, "Gun Smoke" ran from 1955 to 1975 ( See, imdb.com) So saddle up and get ready for our three part series on the Western genre.
Part I. The Modern Western
" Unforgiven" is the bar for the modern western. While "Silverado" is on par with "Unforgiven" this film provided drama, tension and the story line of the traditional Western. The good protagonist is flawed. This is revealed through character arch. At the beginning of the film we know the protagonist is a family man. We also are told through another character that Bill Muny is very bad. Is he a killer and greedy? Why does he leave his children? The screenwriter through pretext has told us the antagonist, played by Gene Hackman, is worse then Bill Many. Hackman's character just doesn't care about life or anyone else in his town.
This movie contains the classic setting of the modern western. Laid bare by the 70-year history of the genre " Unforgiven" has family, hookers, black and white and delivers what a movie should. It was awarded several Oscars for its contribution to the genre. Like the early westerns it defines the good guys. Gene Autry gave " Unforgiven its model. A real hero of World World II he became a bigger hero in Westerns. He wore a white hat. The bad guys were dressed in black. The premises take the land, the oil, and the gold. Greed ruled.
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