Western Film

The western is one of the oldest and most recognizable genres of the American motion picture industry. Borrowing characteristics from nineteenth-century western literature, the western film often focuses on the exploits of a cowboy or gunslinger whose code of honor comes in direct conflict with the lawlessness of the frontier. Edwin S. Porter's "The Great Train Robbery" (1903) was one of the earliest westerns ever produced, and it launched the career of Broncho Billy Anderson, the first cowboy star of the silent era. The genre became so popular Anderson soon found himself competing with the likes of Tom Mix and William S. Hart. The popularity of the genre only increased with the advent of sound. Two of the most popular directors of the early sound years were John Ford and Howard Hawks. Ford's classic "Stagecoach" (1939) was one of the first westerns to be shot on location in Utah's Monument Valley, and it launched the career of John Wayne. Wayne was one of the most popular actors of his generation, and his cowboy persona ultimately became the personification of America, both home and abroad, during the Cold War. Like all aspects of American culture, the turbulent events of the 1960s profoundly influenced the characteristics of the western film genre. With many Americans questioning their place in the world, the heroic cowboy personified by Wayne seemed antiquated. Clint Eastwood, a rough and morally ambiguous anti-hero in the Spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone, became the perfect replacement during these tumultuous times. The western declined in popularity during the 1980s, but the success of films like "Dancing with Wolves" (1990) and "Unforgiven" (1992) proved the continued vitality of the genre. Western films continue to attract the biggest stars to this day, and the genre remains an important American institution.