Genre Database Entry

The Western Genre

Genre Conventions - Content:
- Always set in the 19th century (1860-1910), Westward expansion & Civil War
- Themes: Conquest of wilderness or “Native Territory”
- Society based on a code of honor and social status is achieved through violence or honor.
- Sometime, the hero has a sidekick like a sheriff, a prostitute or someone from the town he is in.
- The villain is always cruel and arrogant, that break the law regularly.
- There is commonly a girl that is seduced by the hero’s actions by the end of the film.

Genre Conventions - Production Techniques:
- Our hero is always a very masculine and solitary man that is always moving from place to place (semi-nomad) and that is motivated by revenge or justice. Also, has very few possessions: clothes, a horse and a revolver.
- Exposure of beautiful western landscapes (cactii, valleys and canyons always under the bright sun)
- Reliance on long shots to show full body of main character

- Characteristic clothing: Cowboy boots, hats, spurs, collared shirts and vest, long pants, gun holsters, cigars, etc.
- Focus on weapons (Colt 45s, rifles, ropes, double barrel shotguns)

- The main character is commonly on a horse, train or saloon.



Institutional Conventions:
- Hero as main image of movie
- Use of famous/recognizable masculine and loved actors.
- Extremely superficial
- Same formula every time
- Action, justice, sex, violence, superiority

Film Example #1: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

One of the most iconic and critically acclaimed Western movie is The Good, the Bad and the Ugly directed by Sergio Leone and featuring Clint Eastwood. This movie is the last of the Dollars trilogy, which also includes For a Few Dollars More and A Fistful of Dollars. This film has everything that a Western movie normally has: a masculine, well known main actor, set in the Civil War era, the story about revenge, there are loads of action scenes and violence, etc. This formula is simple yet very rewarding if done well and this movie is a great example of that. Therefore, this is the movie I would recommend to someone that's not familiar with the Western genre.









Film Example #2: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

Another great example of a western movie is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, directed by George Roy Hill and featuring Paul Newman and Robert Redford as the two main characters. Although it is consider to be a classic western film, this movie is different from the typical Western as it takes a more comedic approach and it's set mainly on Bolivia, instead of the common West American setting. Following the same marketing tactics, Paul Newman was a Hollywood superstar at the time (1969), which helped bring more attention to the production. Also, the contrast of the American cowboy look with the Bolivian people in the film makes the viewer makes it easier for the viewer to notice their appearance: hats, spurs, holsters, leather jackets, etc. Another difference is that in this movie, the bad guys are actually the main characters as they live from robing banks and escaping from the law. However, their chemistry and their comedic way of dealing with problems makes the viewer sympathize with them.



Other Examples:
- True Grit (1969 & 2010)
- High Noon (1952)
- Django Unchained (2012)
- The Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948)
- Unforgiven (1992)
- A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
- Rio Bravo (1959)
- Tombstone (1993)