In the film Gunfight at the OK Corral we see two characters emerge with alpha male cowboy qualities. Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday have a kind of partnership throughout the movie. They have very different lifestyles in the film. Earp is a highly respected Marshall always in search for justice while Holiday is seen more as a cynical person who is known as a gambler and a killer. I think Wyatt and Doc's relationship was much different than an Ethan Edwards and Martin, relationship. Wyatt and Doc both needed each other for different reasons. Wyatt needed Doc's quick and accurate gun slinging abilities to save him when the men snuck up on them on the trail and during the gunfight at the OK Corral. Doc needed Wyatt's influence on him to try to change his villain like ways. However, in The Searchers Ethan Edwards feels as though he doesn't need Martin by his side at all.
On the other hand, one could view the relationship between Doc Holiday and Wyatt Earp as very similar to that of Tom Doniphan and Pompy. Tom was a highly respected man in town and was always looking to keep order in the film, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. He can be viewed as a similar character to Wyatt Earp in that sense. Doc Holiday is very much like Pompy in the sense that he is always there to save Wyatt Earp when he is in danger. When Liberty Valance and his men cornered Doniphan at gunpoint several times in the movie, Pompy would always come in with his rifle from the background which would force Valance to retreat.
The role of a side kick doesn't seem to be clear cut in the film Gunfight at the OK Corral. Wyatt and Doc have a unique relationship which involves the need for each others help in different ways during the movie.
In the film Gunfight at the OK Corral we see two characters emerge with alpha male cowboy qualities. Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday have a kind of partnership throughout the movie. They have very different lifestyles in the film. Earp is a highly respected Marshall always in search for justice while Holiday is seen more as a cynical person who is known as a gambler and a killer. I think Wyatt and Doc's relationship was much different than an Ethan Edwards and Martin, relationship. Wyatt and Doc both needed each other for different reasons. Wyatt needed Doc's quick and accurate gun slinging abilities to save him when the men snuck up on them on the trail and during the gunfight at the OK Corral. Doc needed Wyatt's influence on him to try to change his villain like ways. However, in The Searchers Ethan Edwards feels as though he doesn't need Martin by his side at all.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, one could view the relationship between Doc Holiday and Wyatt Earp as very similar to that of Tom Doniphan and Pompy. Tom was a highly respected man in town and was always looking to keep order in the film, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. He can be viewed as a similar character to Wyatt Earp in that sense. Doc Holiday is very much like Pompy in the sense that he is always there to save Wyatt Earp when he is in danger. When Liberty Valance and his men cornered Doniphan at gunpoint several times in the movie, Pompy would always come in with his rifle from the background which would force Valance to retreat.
My take on this is that Doc is a sidekick who possesses many alpha male qualities. He is not viewed as other because if he was his role wouldn't have as much of an impact on Wyatt Earp. Earp proves this when he tells Doc he wouldn't have made it through the fight at the corral without him.