“John Wayne is a dark knight, a damaged and isolated paternal figure which gathers in one place the allure of violence, the call away from home and the dark pleasure of soured romanticism” (Matheson 889). In his films, Wayne plays the character of the tough and unforgiving alpha male cowboy who is hardboiled from his experiences in the West. This persona has transformed Wayne from solely a movie star to a cultural Icon and political figure in society. This is because these Westerns do not transmit information about the American West to the audience, but rather the cultural zeitgeist of the period in history in which the film was made. The relation from the West to a more modern era is achieved through Film Noir, which connects the inner emotions and characteristics of the character to the outer social and physical settings of the film itself. This is clearly seen in The Searchers, in which the “the wilderness without is an accurate depiction of the emotional and moral wilderness within” (890). Wayne is purposely placed in the films scenes as taller or as tall as the buttes in the desert, where as the other riders are always seen as smaller in relation. Also the characters’ clothing and outer appearances also symbolize who they are on the interior. The dirtier ones face is, the “dirtier” the person is on the inside. The hero is always not too dirty or greasy but on the other hand he is not clean either. This represents the ambiguity of the cowboy’s moral character.
One culturally metaphorical aspect of the Western stems from the post war disillusionment in America during the middle of the 20th century. The violence, corruption and savageness shown in western films resonate from the spirit of the time in which they were conceived. Many films criticize the idea of capitalism as well, in which social injustices and economic manipulation occur. During the era in which Westerns were popular, the philosophy if existentialism was as popular well and seen in the Wayne Western Films. This existentialist ideal was the belief that individuals were completely free and took responsibility for the people they are, which included making their own decisions to shape their life. In Westerns, men often found themselves in situations in which they had to be corrupt or violent in order to do the “right” or “good” thing and become the hero. The idea of doing “good” is subjective and men and women in Westerns often took opposing platforms on the subject. The men lived on the basis of virtue ethics, which means that an action is assumed to be “good” if the person in question is believed to have good or “virtuous” moral character, therefore all his actions will be moral. The Women often lived by a deontological point of view, meaning that individuals should make decisions basis on mandatory duties, not virtues or subjective morality.
“John Wayne is a dark knight, a damaged and isolated paternal figure which gathers in one place the allure of violence, the call away from home and the dark pleasure of soured romanticism” (Matheson 889). In his films, Wayne plays the tough and unforgiving alpha male cowboy who is hardboiled from his experiences in the West. This persona allowed Wayne to transform and progress from solely a movie star to a cultural Icon and political figure in society. This is because these Westerns actually do not aim to transmit information about the 19th Century American West to the audience, but rather the cultural zeitgeist of the period in history in which the film was made, mainly the mid 20th century. The relation of the West to a more modern era is achieved through Film Noir, which connects the inner emotions and characteristics of the characters to the outer social and physical settings of the film itself. This is clearly seen in The Searchers, in which the “the wilderness without is an accurate depiction of the emotional and moral wilderness within” (890). Wayne is purposely placed in the film’s scenes as larger than the surrounding buttes in the desert; whereas the other riders are always seen as smaller in relation. This size difference illustrates the unmatchable strength and dominance of Wayne compared to the other characters and landscape. Also the characters’ clothing and outer appearances also symbolize who they are on the interior. The dirtier one’s face is, the “dirtier” the individual is on the inside. The heroes constantly maintain an appearance that is not excessively dirty or greasy, but also overly not clean either. This uncertain level of external cleanliness represents the ambiguity of the cowboy’s internal moral character.
ReplyDeleteOne culturally metaphorical aspect of the Western stems from the post war disillusionment in America during the mid 20th century. The American public during this era in history lived in the aura of violence and war. The violence, corruption and savage nature depicted in western films resonates from the spirit of this time in which they were conceived. Many films criticize the idea of capitalism as well, in which social injustices and economic manipulation occur. During the era in which Westerns were popular, the philosophy of existentialism was prominent as well, and seen in the Wayne Western Films. This existentialist ideology demonstrated the belief that individuals were completely free to make their own self defining decisions and took complete responsibility for the people they are and the actions they made. In Westerns, men often find themselves in situations where they have to be corrupt or violent in order to do the “right” or “good” thing and become the hero. The idea of doing “good” is subjective and men and women in Westerns often take opposing platforms concerning the issue. The men act on the basis of virtue ethics, which means that an action is assumed to be “good” if the person in question is believed to have good or “virtuous” moral character, therefore all his actions will be morally correct. The Women often live by a deontological point of view, meaning that individuals should make decisions on the basis of mandatory duties, not virtues or subjective morality.
“John Wayne is a dark knight, a damaged and isolated paternal figure which gathers in one place the allure of violence, the call away from home and the dark pleasure of soured romanticism” (Matheson 889). In his films, Wayne plays the tough and unforgiving alpha male cowboy who is hardboiled from his experiences in the West. This persona allowed Wayne to transform and progress from solely a movie star to a cultural Icon and political figure in society. This is because these Westerns actually do not aim to transmit information about the 19th Century American West to the audience, but rather the cultural zeitgeist of the period in history in which the film was made, mainly the mid 20th century. The relation of the West to a more modern era is achieved through Film Noir, which connects the inner emotions and characteristics of the characters to the outer social and physical settings of the film itself. This is clearly seen in The Searchers, in which the “the wilderness without is an accurate depiction of the emotional and moral wilderness within” (890). Wayne is purposely placed in the film’s scenes as larger than the surrounding buttes in the desert; whereas the other riders are always seen as smaller in relation. This size difference illustrates the unmatchable strength and dominance of Wayne compared to the other characters and landscape. Also the characters’ clothing and outer appearances also symbolize who they are on the interior. The dirtier one’s face is, the “dirtier” the individual is on the inside. The heroes constantly maintain an appearance that is not excessively dirty or greasy, but also overly not clean either. This uncertain level of external cleanliness represents the ambiguity of the cowboy’s internal moral character.
ReplyDeleteOne culturally metaphorical aspect of the Western stems from the post war disillusionment in America during the mid 20th century. The American public during this era in history lived in the aura of violence and war. The violence, corruption and savage nature depicted in western films resonates from the spirit of this time in which they were conceived. Many films criticize the idea of capitalism as well, in which social injustices and economic manipulation occur. During the era in which Westerns were popular, the philosophy of existentialism was prominent as well, and seen in the Wayne Western Films. This existentialist ideology demonstrated the belief that individuals were completely free to make their own self defining decisions and took complete responsibility for the people they are and the actions they made. In Westerns, men often find themselves in situations where they have to be corrupt or violent in order to do the “right” or “good” thing and become the hero. The idea of doing “good” is subjective and men and women in Westerns often take opposing platforms concerning the issue. The men act on the basis of virtue ethics, which means that an action is assumed to be “good” if the person in question is believed to have good or “virtuous” moral character, therefore all his actions will be morally correct. The Women often live by a deontological point of view, meaning that individuals should make decisions on the basis of mandatory duties, not virtues or subjective morality.
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