In my film class (Introduction to Genre and Auteur Study), we discussed western movies during our discussion section today, and one of questions that the TA brought up was, “What happened to the western movies these days?” That’s a legitimate question. After all, western movies used to be so popular in the golden age of film making -- I’m talking like back in the black-and-white movies days, when sound was first introduced to motion picture, but today, we only see maybe one western a year.
One student’s answer was that although we don’t see classic western movies with cowboys these days, the genre has not died. Rather, it has evolved to a new form -- superhero movies. She mentioned Superman as an example. One of the defining characteristics of a classic western movie is the lone hero who travels from town to town, distinguishing himself from the public mass everywhere he goes. Although Superman does not wear tight jeans (tights yes, but not tight jeans) and a cowboy hat, those of us who know anything about Superman all know of his loneliness. I believe the last Superman movie, Superman Returns, portrayed his loneliness quite well -- although Superman is loved by almost everyone, he is, and will always be, an outsider, because no one can relate to the supernatural powers of the Man of Steel. Like the lone hero of the classic western movie, Superman has no time for love -- when he returned from Krypton, he found Lois engaged to another man, and was not even aware that he has conceived a son with the love of his life.
In my opinion, the evolution of western movies from the cowboy to the superhero is no accident, but rather due to the evolution of our society. As law enforcement improved over the ages, it became harder and harder for us to associate with the cowboy type of hero. Unless he’s got some superpowers, it’s almost impossible for him to take on the law by himself. Now before you start writing comments saying I’m an idiot because there are superheroes without superpowers (like my all time favorite superhero, Batman), let me clarify what I mean. Actually, let me clarify what I don’t mean first. I don’t mean superpower purely in the traditional sense, like Superman or Spiderman or any of the mutants from X-Men. What I mean by having “superpower” is something that makes the superhero stand out from the general public, something that gives the hero a huge edge over everyone else. In other words, I claim that Batman does have superpower, and his superpower is (1) he is one of the most brilliant people on earth, (2) he has, as far as we are concerned, an infinite supply of resource in which he can make advanced gadgets such as the Bat Tumbler that we see in Batman Begins (and a bit in The Dark Knight before it’s destroyed), and (3) he can learn martial arts faster than Bruce Lee. So in the traditional sense, Batman has no superpowers, but let’s face it, even though anyone can be Batman in theory, no one can be Batman in reality.
So what happened to the good old westerns with John Wayne? I think they exist in the mainstream nowadays mainly as superhero movies, because the cowboy is simply not enough to carry on the task of single handedly enforcing the law with his pistol. That’s why movie makers have opted to giving the hero superpowers and cool flashy costumes.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
8 comments:
That's an interesting notion--the change from cowboy to superhero. Although I can't say much to compare the two, since I haven't watched many cowboy movies, I agree that as a mix of action and drama, both western and modern superheros fix snugly into that area.
However, though westerns share some common themes with superheroes, maybe enough to say that superheroes evolved from westerns, the genre itself is largely dead. It is perhaps a difference of definitions, but westerns, as its name implies, should refer only to films set in the Midwest/South and in the 19th to early 20th centuries. An analogy to biological evolution would best fit this. As organisms evolve into a new species better suited for its environment, the previous non-evolved forms may remain, but become a dying breed. In this sense, the action that drew audiences to westerns are inherent in superhero movies, but these movies cannot be categorized as westerns.
I agree with smash. The success of Westerns come from people's familiarity and affinity for the spirit of the frontier and Wild West. As that spirit becomes more distant and faded in people's memories, the popularity of the Genre has declined as well. In fact I don't think there has been a (non-remake) Western made in a long time.
I'm no expert on Westerns... is it the norm for it to be focused on the lonely protagonist? That hasn't been true of the ones I remember, like The Magnificent Seven...
X, when will the carelessness stop? It's Superman Returns.
I agree with smash and jay. Your point is relevant as well, since the obsession with superheroes had to come from somewhere. Of course, it originated with WW2 comics but it is amazing that superheroes are only gaining popularity so far into the future. The Western spirit is gone, but I suppose the spirit of Gotham, Metropolis, NYC and all the other places which these comics are set has bred a new culture. That is, all superheroes hide themselves among the regular crowd of the big city but they stand out from the millions of common folk because they can do what we can't - save the day from the forces of evil.
Yeah, popularization of superheroes have definitely corresponded with a rise in urban decay and people's anxiety in response to that. This is especially true in comic books, as you see more and more works about a dystopic society. Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen and V for Vendetta are excellent examples.
I may be wrong on this, but I believe my professor said "The Magnificent Seven" is one of the "new" Westerns. I was talking about Westerns in the traditional sense, and the lone hero is definitely part of the genre.
I do think there is an evolution from western movies to superhero movies though. I don't know much about history, but I know the westward expansion definitely stopped by 1930s. So I agree with the TA in saying that there's definitely SOMETHING about western movies that captivated people.
I think that quality is the hero character. The hero is not afraid to take the law into his own hands and beat down on injustice. That's exactly what superheroes do. So I think the superhero movies these days are just a different manifestation of the traditional western movies, albeit manifested in such a different way that they aren't even called western movies anymore.
"The hero is not afraid to take the law into his own hands and beat down on injustice."
Basically yes. It's the tough guy image. In a land of lawlessness and crime, a lone cowboy makes his own justice.
Superheroes as we know them are different because they are inherently good and just. In Western movies this was not always true ... he was just the guy you don't mess with who killed bad guys where he saw fit. Traditional superheroes rarely kill the bad guy, just capture him. They are not just a tough exterior but they have a superior sense of morality.
There are of course exceptions which Jay noted: Batman being the prominent one (though he is in some sense still pretty moral since he doesn't kill), and the other two being pretty violent.
However, ultimately I think the public just wants to see the bad guy get his ass kicked. I would go so far as to say that The Western is a conservative product, where older, tough, rugged men kick the ass of those who threaten to disturb the peace and bring unwanted change. In contrast, our present society has become more liberal and prefers superheroes because they fight with a sense of morality and purity. They not only save the world but also promote kindness towards all, tolerance, etc, etc. There is no overlooking the impact that history has had on this phenomenon.
It's probably true that interest in the old themes of Westerns has dissipated, but more "modern" Westerns still pop up from time to time. 310 to Yuma was a great movie, for example. Also, from my experience, old Westerns were very slow paced. Most people these days probably don't have the patience to sit through a movie that slow.
Superhero movies might have become popular because of the nostalgia they create in the viewers, like Westerns may have done in the past but can't do these days because, as Wayne said, people can't identify with them. Also, I think our technology these days has made Superhero movies more viable to make than in the past.
However, it's interesting to note that, according to the Wikipedia article on the Western genre, the Western's themselves evolved out of the literary "knight errant." This seems to support X's idea that there is a niche in public entertainment for movies about lone heros dishing out justice in the land and that this niche is filled differently by different generations.
Post a Comment