CHARACTERISTICS OF WESTERN FILMS

Characteristics of Western Films

Characteristics of Western Films

Introduction

Films and movies have long been used for the expression of ideas, feelings and traditions and the same have also been utilized as a means to preserve and record history. It should be taken into account that due to the same qualities of films, they are also used for judging and getting an idea about the conditions and situation prevailing in a society at a particular instance of time, along with the issues and problems of the same period. Moreover, the traditions and the trends of same time period, combined with the methods adopted by people to deal with those issues and problems are presented by movies of a particular country, produced in a specific time period. Thus, there are certain characteristics of movies of every part of the world and each time period, which not only highlight the specifications of the society, but also focus on the traits of individuals living in that society. The following paragraphs highlight the characteristics of western movies, with special reference to 3:10 to Yuma:

Discussion

Characteristics of Western Movies

Like all the other genres of movies, western moves have their own characteristics and specifications that differentiate them from all the other types and also present their specific characteristics. According to the definition presented by America Film Institute, Western films are those that are set in the American West and are known for encompassing the sprit and the struggle involved in the demise of new frontier, and thus are mostly composed of the rough and tough concepts and ideas (Agnew, 2012, Pp: 132). It is eminent to mention here that the genre is mostly used to describe the narrative film genre, with most of the characters and features being inspired by the 19th century popular western fiction. It should be taken into account that the popular culture was in place even before the arrival of the films, with the main protagonists being the characters like cowboys, bounty hunters, the gun sliders and other semi nomadic hunters.

It should be taken into account that the dressing and getup of the characters was one of the major differentiating features of the movie: the major characters main wore Stetson hats, spurs, bandanas and the buckskins. In addition, they were known for using guns and revolvers as their tool for survival as they had to live in exceptionally rough and tough environment, having rides between the dusty towns and trusty steeds (Grant, 2003, Pp: 512). Western movies could also be characterized by their special means of commutation: they generally used steeds as the means of transport, as that was the prevailing means of moving that time. Moreover, the western movies are high influenced by the impact of the Native Americans and stories of most of the movies deal with the conflict involved in dealing with the Native Americans.

Another major characteristic of the western movies is presence of vast landscape in the backdrop, and most of such movies have been shot in ...