The Fall of the Western Genre
The Fall of the Western Genre
The "Myth of the West" has provided the film industry with plenty of material, and Western films have probably become the genre most characteristic of American films and television. From 1910 through the end of the 50’s, a quarter of all Hollywood films had been Westerns. When thinking of Westerns, names like John Wayne and movies like The Last of the Mohicans or High Noon come to mind. The Western enjoyed its highest popularity throughout the 40’s and 50’s. Then its status in mass media eventually tapered down during the 60’s, and by the mid to late 70’s, it was out of everyone’s sight and mind. The biggest factor contributing to the genre’s demise was the changing sociopolitical environment of the U.S. The Western, a form of entertainment that promoted an idealistic white hero bringing foreign or savage evils to justice at any cost, began to resemble real life when the Vietnam War broke out. The war had a particular effect on the conscience of the American people, causing a shift in attitude towards expansionism and our role as a cowboy in the greater world. This was what ultimately made the Western tank as a genre symbolic of the values of mid-century America. As J. Fred MacDonald put it in his history of the television Western, "no form of mass entertainment has been so dominant and then so insignificant.” (Miller)
The setting of the Western is an important feature and typical of the genre. Usually, Westerns take place in ragged mountains or gently sweeping landscapes, mostly far away from what we consider to be civilization. Examples for a typical setting are the "monoliths of Monument valley" or the "treeless expansions of the prairie" (Chemintz), where small farms or isolated ranch houses are located. Other characteristic settings include saloons, jails, and main streets in small frontier towns. The success of the genre is partially due to the comparative simplicity of the plots. The typical scenario is usually a battle of
The "Myth of the West" has provided the film industry with plenty of material, and Western films have probably become the genre most characteristic of American films and television. From 1910 through the end of the 50’s, a quarter of all Hollywood films had been Westerns. When thinking of Westerns, names like John Wayne and movies like The Last of the Mohicans or High Noon come to mind. The Western enjoyed its highest popularity throughout the 40’s and 50’s. Then its status in mass media eventually tapered down during the 60’s, and by the mid to late 70’s, it was out of everyone’s sight and mind. The biggest factor contributing to the genre’s demise was the changing sociopolitical environment of the U.S. The Western, a form of entertainment that promoted an idealistic white hero bringing foreign or savage evils to justice at any cost, began to resemble real life when the Vietnam War broke out. The war had a particular effect on the conscience of the American people, causing a shift in attitude towards expansionism and our role as a cowboy in the greater world. This was what ultimately made the Western tank as a genre symbolic of the values of mid-century America. As J. Fred MacDonald put it in his history of the television Western, "no form of mass entertainment has been so dominant and then so insignificant.” (Miller)
The setting of the Western is an important feature and typical of the genre. Usually, Westerns take place in ragged mountains or gently sweeping landscapes, mostly far away from what we consider to be civilization. Examples for a typical setting are the "monoliths of Monument valley" or the "treeless expansions of the prairie" (Chemintz), where small farms or isolated ranch houses are located. Other characteristic settings include saloons, jails, and main streets in small frontier towns. The success of the genre is partially due to the comparative simplicity of the plots. The typical scenario is usually a battle of