We received a wide range of responses; some useful, some not so useful. A large amount of people mentioned the typical time period they would expect a Western would be set in: "usually in the mid to late eighteen hundreds, but extending as far as the early 1900s", was a typical response.
We were also told that "the Western is too big to put into some simple cubbyhole", and then given examples of modern-day or even Sci-Fi films which the person felt had Western elements; they even argued that "Avatar is basically Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name riding into town in a space version of A Fistful of Dollars, pretending to be on one side while helping another."
They went on : "Star Wars is a kissing cousin to every Gene Autry or Roy Rogers Saturday matinee Western where the good guys convinced the local townspeople to stand up to the bad outlaw gang." Certainly interesting points, although we don't agree; the good vs. bad element, although a vital part of the most famous Westerns, is in virtually every other genre.
have decided to stick to the "traditional" Western format; we feel Sci-Fi could be too ambitious.
The themes of Westerns were also discussed, with "modern technology's impact on the vanishing West" mentioned as a feature of Westerns set in "the early 1900s", such as "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Wild Bunch".
Another responder raised the issue that "Westerns often involve a man (or sometimes, a woman) and how he/she relates to the land." They also said "Westerns often cause some people to make a tough decision," before giving examples of typical themes and questions: "Do they have to stand up to the "bad guys" or is it better for them, their family and their town to get away before the violent confrontation explodes?"
Even more interestingly, "Westerns can be action films, comedies, character studies, epics, historical dramas, satires and just about any other genre."
The same person also discussed typical locations::
"As far as locations go, when I think westerns, Monument Valley often comes to mind and after that, probably the Badlands. I also think of wagon trains and cattle crossing rivers, towns either full of stages, horses and people, or just before a shootout, I think of completely empty, dustblown streets."
Someone else had a less traditional view of locations:
"Westerns don't have to be set in the old West--any frontier will do, especially space," meaning this person feels that Westerns are about discovering places; exploring the unexplored, they used the movie Space Cowboys as an argument:
"If space and sci-fi are not a natural extension of the Western, would there have ever been a movie called Space Cowboys?"
Other people agreed, thinking deeper: "Is the western more than just a period of time in American history? Could it be possible that this concept of the frontier is representative of some universal human experience? "
Clearly our question provoked much lively discussion. Although many people suggested we ask something more specific, their responses, being general, covered many areas; locations, themes, typical storylines and time settings.
Another way in which we are able to understand how the audience react to these films is through user reviews, where the viewers of the films may comment on, and review it. This allows us to understand how certain movies are recieved by the audience.
This extract of a review of "Unforgiven", one of the highest rated modern Westerns in IMDB's top 10, gives us an idea of what some people like about Westerns.
"One of the greatest Westerns ever made? Certainly. Although the fact it's a western is really secondary. In truth it's a tale of the nature of evil and the nature of man."
This links into the ideas raised in posts in the forums, about Westerns including many genres and ideas, such as ""Westerns can be action films, comedies, character studies, epics, historical dramas, satires and just about any other genre.""
We also looked a review of a much older Western, "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly". In this user review, camera shots and angles were discussed as things being signature to the director, Sergio Leone:
"For one thing, I took more notice of the technical side of the film. I paid attention to Leone's famous use of close-ups, his selection of memorable character actors, and his wonderful scene-setting. I admired the detailed sets and the sweeping landscapes, the props and the costumes and all those weird, wonderful faces that Leone clearly loved to photograph."
Taking elements from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly would be advisable, considering it is so well received and popular among Western audiences. In our film, we will try and include these "sweeping landscapes" and facial close-ups.
