What Makes a Western? - Part 2: Spirit, Struggle, and Demise

Last week I discussed what makes a story a Western in therms of the historical and geographical aspects. I figured that this week I'll try and interpret an existing definition.

I'm looking at the American Film Institute's definition, which is a story "set in the American West, that embodies the spirit, the struggle, and the demise of the new frontier".

Well, we already know it doesn't have to be set in the American West, as they can also be set in Mexico or even Australia. But I've already discussed that.

By 'Spirit', I'm going to guess that they are referring to "Manifest Destiny" - a belief which emerged in the 19th Century that Americans were meant to expand. How the West was Won seems to be the strongest embodiment of that belief. Ultimately, the Spirit was about having your own land and cultivating it while raising a family and being able to survive.

This brings us to the Struggle. Frontier life could be very unforgiving, with natural, animal, or human threats. In films like Stagecoach or The Searchers, this could be Indians or outlaws - possibly illustrating the notion that settlers are bringing "civilisation" to the West, while revisionist westerns might reverse this - often with the subject of fighting change in films like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid or The Wild Bunch. The Homesman actually illustrated the Struggle as being against nature combined with the isolation of settlements.

Speaking of fighting change, this can also be a subject of the Demise. As stated previously, the Western period "officially" ended in 1890 when the US Census Bureau declared the frontier to be closed. However, change doesn't happen quickly or smoothly. Red Dead Redemption is a game all about the demise of the frontier, and how slow that demise is.

I'm getting nowhere with this, so I'll say that any story that has some kind of frontier could be considered a western.

What Makes a Western? - Part One: History and Geography

While I've started doing these Western Weekends after my regular writing has hit a slump again, I've been thinking about the Western genre and how it's defined.

Let's look at the geographical side first. I think "West" at that time was defined as anything west of the Mississippi River, and most classic western films take place in the Southwest - often Texas or the Arizona and New Mexico Territories (which didn't achieve statehood until 1912). Later revisionist Westerns might take place on the High Plains further north, often Wyoming or Montana.

Hell, sometimes they don't even have to be in the USA. Films like The Wild Bunch, The Professionals, and a lot of Spaghetti Westerns take place in Mexico, while Northwest Mounted Police takes place in Canada. There's even a sub-genre of westerns that take place in the Australian Outback - like Quigley Down Under and The Proposition.

Going further afield, you could argue that Star Wars borrows elements from western films. The Mos Eisley Cantina is essentially a western saloon with more aliens. Firefly is practically a western set in space, showing the Manifest Destiny that encouraged frontier settlement.

Anyway, geography aside, let's look at history. In early Hollywood westerns, the time span is shorter than you think. The earliest year is generally 1865, when the Civil War ended, while the period "officially" ended in 1890, when the US Census Bureau declared the frontier closed. This was also the year of Wounded Knee.

Having studied this period for my GCSEs, I know that it lasted longer than that. The biggest push West would be the California Gold Rush in 1848, but there was also the Mormons travelling to Utah before that, along with the mountain men earlier than that. You could even say that the earliest western story could be the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

As for finishing in 1890, it could be argued that the latest end date for period was as late as 1920. The Mexican Revolution (which is depicted as attracting numerous American adventurers, mercenaries, and outlaws) had come to a close, while the classic western image of the saloon had been put down with the passage of Prohibition on a national scale.

Looking at that, I suppose the popular image of the Western genre is that of deserts or plains with expansive space - which is why films set in the Outback could be called westerns. If that's the case, you could say that No Country for Old Men and Breaking Bad could be considered westerns to some extent.

The American Film Institute defines Westerns as being "set in the American West, that embodies the spirit, the struggle, and the demise of the new frontier".

I'll talk about in more detail another time. It might need a bit more space.

Western Weekends: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

It's been a while, so I figured I'd do another review, this time looking at Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, a semi-historical film about the leaders of one of the last outlaw gangs operating in the West.

Taking place in Wyoming in the late 1890s, we follow Paul Newman as Robert Leroy Parker, more commonly known as Butch Cassidy, the affable and talkative leader of the Hole in the Wall Gang. Starring alongside him is Robert Redford as his laconic right-hand man Harry 'The Sundance Kid' Longabaugh. After a botched train robbery, the two outlaws find themselves being pursued relentlessly by a special posse formed by the railroad company. Unable to elude them, they flee to Bolivia with Sundance's girlfriend Etta Place, played by Katharine Ross, where they make a living as bank robbers known as "Los Bandidos Yanquis".

While the history might not be entirely accurate, it can be agreed that Paul Newman and Robert Redford have fantastic chemistry. Yes, they're outlaws, but they're so likeable. They're not even violent outlaws - in fact it's in an honest job where Butch kills someone for the first time. You want to root for these thieves, especially when they're being chased and can't catch a break. Everyone knows the scene when they're cornered on the cliffside.

The humorous dialogue between the two stars carries the film, and the daring escapes and poignant ending add to this to create an engaging story about the twilight years of the American West.

The on-screen chemistry actually worked so well that Newman and Redford reunited with director George Roy Hill four years later in The Sting.

"Well, we're back in business boys and girls, just like the old days."