The Development Course of Western Films

The 1930s and 1960s were the heyday of western films. 1930, the western film "West Malone" adapted from the best-selling novel became the first western film to win the best film Oscar. 1939, the famous director john ford starred in the classic "Flying over the Mountain" in the western classics with john wayne, a B-class actor who was still unknown at that time. The film has a compact plot and concentrated scenes, and an Indian chase for a stagecoach is thrilling, making it one of the best action scenes in film history. Known as "a model film of Hollywood narrative form", the film won the 12 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, Best Music and Best Screenplay. Since then, two "John" john ford and john wayne have worked together to create a splendid western film for 30 years.

By 1952, Noon directed by Fred zimmermann was the first "psychological western" with strong literary value and profound symbolic significance. The whole film is abridged and omits all the complicated narrative elements, and only the necessary elements are used to form the whole story. This film won four awards at the 25th Academy Awards: Best Actor, Best Editing, Best Music and Best Song. One interesting thing about the film is that the length of the film is almost the same as the actual length of the story, and the audience can look at the watch. In the 1960s, western films began to change. 1963, MGM filmed the western blockbuster History of Western Development. In the 1960s, the United States was the most competitive time for film and television. In order to win back the audience from TV, Hollywood filmmakers have tried their best, and various wide-screen movies have come out one after another. "History of Western Development" adopts a brand-new art Rama ultra-wide screen system shot by three cameras, and the image is spectacular. The film was first co-produced by three western giants, john ford, Henry Hathaway and George Marshall. It also brought together Jimmy Stewart, john wayne, henry fonda, Gregory Peck and Spencer Tracy to form a luxurious cast, and won three Oscar awards that year. During this period, American westerns have gradually declined.

At the same time, an Italian director named Sergio Leonet filmed western films called "noodle westerns" on the outskirts of Rome, such as "fistful of dollars", "To earn more money" (double escort at dusk), "Golden Escort" and "The Past in the West".

1969, great changes finally took place in American westerns. This year, three important westerns were released in the United States. True Courage finally pushed john wayne to the throne of the film emperor, butch cassidy and the sundance kid and Sundance Kid established the superstar status of paul newman and robert redford, and Sam Beijing Bo's The Story of the Wanderer completely subverted the traditional mode of western films. The protagonist of this movie is no longer just a cowboy, but a group of robbers. They only deal with bad people who are worse than themselves. The film greatly exaggerated the death scene, and shot the close-up of the human body in slow motion, which was later "carried forward" by John Woo. At this point, the myth of the west was completely ended.

Westerns have been half dead for more than 20 years. 1990, kevin costner's western epic Dancing with Wolves won seven Oscars for the first time, including best film and best director. At this time, it has been 60 years since the last western won the best film. What is commendable is that Dancing with Wolves rehabilitated the Indians on the screen and faced the past history with a correct attitude.

Three years later, the old cowboy Eastwood directed and starred in Unforgettable, which made the western film win the best Oscar again. The protagonist in the film changed from an honest cowboy to a reformed criminal. This film is a mixture of heroism and nihilism. It pays tribute to the great tradition of western movies and expresses a little agnosticism at the same time. Entering the new century, western films have also undergone new changes. The American hooligans mentioned at the beginning of the article are a typical example. The film has a faster pace, fewer elements in traditional westerns and more new action elements. This may be to win the revision of more young audiences!

Westerns reflect the spiritual tendency of Americans and become the embodiment of American heroism. Although Hollywood westerns only provide a false solution to social contradictions, they have become a myth that has lasted for nearly a hundred years!