Howdy, y'all!
I hope you're all wearing your cowboys hats because it is currently Legends of Western Cinema Week! It has returned and is once again hosted by Olivia, Heidi, and Hamlette!
The party has been going wild with fun the last few days! There have been games, giveaways, and reviews a plenty! I'm jumping on here quickly with my tag answers that the lovely ladies have created the questions for. I had hoped to review a movie for this, too, but time rolls away like drifting tumbleweeds.
The 2021 Legends of Western Cinema Week Tag:
1. Western movies or western TV shows?
I love TV shows because they give more character growth. That's what we all think, right? Well, so far with the western TV shows I've seen, that's not been the case. All I know is that everybody's gettin' out of Dodge.
I prefer Western movies because they give you all the good feels of a western and you can enjoy it for two hours then be done. Plus they get creative with how to wrap up the plot. Sure, "creative" usually means a shoot out, but that's expected, I guess?
2. Funny westerns or dramatic westerns?
Considering that one of my top ten movies of all time is a western that happens to be the funniest movie I know, you would think that I would chose that one. Well, Support Your Local Sheriff (1969) is in a league of its own.
There is something about the word "western" that just demands to be dramatic, right? You picture towns on the brink of disaster and people riding off into the sunset, right? For the sake of today, I'm feeling more like a dramatic western, but I wouldn't be opposed if it was funny at the same time.
3. Westerns that focus on loners or westerns that focus on families?
This is the hardest question! I feel that a western heightens the mystery of a loner. I think most of the westerns I've seen have been with either that or found families instead of birth families. Usually other families involve too much feuding. But, sometimes that's just what I'm looking for! One movie that I saw long ago, where I think it was Night Passage (1957), was about brothers who were on different sides of the train tracks, so to speak, and I LOVED IT. I'm feeling too vague today to make a definite decision.
4. Male-centric westerns or female-centric westerns?
Well, if I had seen a female-centric western than it might be my new favorite thing, but as of now I can only truthfully say that I've only seen male-centric westerns. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to change this?
5. 1930s to 1960s westerns or 1970s to 2020s westerns?
Some westerns from the 1930s to 1960s have Jimmy Stewart, so that's the obvious answer.
6. Westerns that take place in America or westerns that take place internationally?
I've only seen one international western which was The Man From Snowy River (1962). I really loved it so I wouldn't be opposed to seeing more! As far as quantity go, westerns that take place in America win.
7. Family-friendly Westerns or edgier Westerns?
My instinct is always to go with more family-friendly westerns. Most of the edgier westerns that I've seen are that way for no reason, you know? Now if we were dealing with a serious topic then I would love to see a western about it, but handled well.
8. Straightforward good guy or conflicted hero?
Usually I want all the conflict in the world. Which is a bizarre statement, I know. But in Westerns it is so comforting to have someone who is steady and secure in a terrain that is prone to treachery. Now I'm just trying to sound poetic. But really Thomas Jefferson Destry Jr. and Jim Craig are such good and lovable characters! Then there is also Ransom Stoddard, who is so deeply good and just yet has conflict aplenty. So, why not both?
9. Historically accurate Westerns or Westerns that aren't afraid to take some creative liberties?
I am probably wouldn't know the difference, actually, so give me all you've got!
10. Bittersweet or happily-ever-after endings?
Bittersweet! But only when it comes to this genre. I like Westerns to show me that there was a toll paid for what happened. If the "bad guys" are just terrible shots and everyone gets what they wanted, it feels like a cop-out. There are some times that I definitely wanted a happy ending and just get too sad about what happens (like a certain Alan Ladd movie from 1948), but usually my heart is aching in a satisfied way.
There you have it! This party is going to be ending soon, so check it out! Thank you again to all of the wonderful hosts! There are so many stunning posts entered here, I recommend checking them all out!
What do you think of my answers? Any western recommendations? As of now, that I can count off the top of my head, I've seen 37 films and 2 tv shows that fall into that genre. I'm someone who usually loves happy endings, so does anyone know why I prefer bittersweet endings in this genre? Has anyone seen Night Passage and can help confirm if that's the movie I have seen?
See you around, partner!
Chloe the MovieCritic
Very, very good answers. I approve! LOL
ReplyDeleteNight Passage with James Stewart and Audie Murphy, right??? I can't believe someone else has seen that! How cool. It also has Brandon de Wilde in a great part. People who have only seen him in Shane think he's annoying, but he's super fun in other movies I've seen him in. The brother against brother situation was beautiful. It was a really fun movie, from what I remember.
I don't see why no. 4 has to be changed... lol
The bittersweet ending is perfected in the western, for sure.
This has been Irene talking, by the way :D
Thanks, Irene! Sorry that it has taken me so long to answer comments here!
DeleteThat sounds like the one! I keep meaning to watch Shane but I haven't gotten around to it. I found a copy of the book so I kind of want to read that first, but we'll see. What other movies have you seen Brandon de Wilde in? I sometimes go back and forth on thinking younger actors are annoying or not, like Jane Withers.
For no. 4, I don't think any of the westerns I've seen should be changed (they're already made and you can't alter that!) but in the future I wouldn't be opposed to seeing more females play prominent roles, like Olivia de Havilland in The Proud Rebel, where she played a lovely woman who was trying to run her farm on her own when she gives Alan Ladd and his son a place to live and work.
Westerns screams melancholy, don't they?
The variety of western movies and TV programs has something for everybody. When I hear people say they "don't like westerns" my mind explodes. If they take a look or get introduced to the right movie, that attitude would all change.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite line in Night Passage is when Joey says to Grant: "Well, maybe you shouldn't drink, then you'd have six bits when you need it."
You are absolutely right, Caftan Woman! Whenever someone says they don't like westerns my mind goes to ask them if they have seen The Magnificent Seven, but I usually hold back to see if there is something else that would suit them better. There is sure to be one!
DeleteAh, that's an awesome line! So true. I think the exact same thing when I am watching so many characters in movies or shows!
I need to watch more westerns I've seen maybe two, but I like the ones I've seen.
ReplyDeleteOh, which two have you seen, Skye?
DeleteA lot of comedic westerns don't work for me because they spend their time making fun of the genre and its tropes instead of embracing those tropes in funny ways. So while I adore Support Your Local Sheriff and Texas Across the River and The Apple Dumpling Gang, other comic westerns generally leave me cold. So I go with dramas too ;-)
ReplyDeleteThere are female-centric westerns out there! And some of them are quite good! I recommend The Rare Breed and Cat Ballou in particular. Westward the Women is very cool too. I could see you enjoying any of those, especially The Rare Breed (which is my favorite Maureen O'Hara movie... and she's playing opposite Jimmy Stewart...)
Is that... Nathan Fillion in that Netflix commercial gif thingy?!?!?
So interesting that you find the ending of Whispering Smith too sad! I find it a little sad, in that I commiserate with Luke Smith a lot at the end, but I'm not sad about how it ends. Interesting!
I get that! It definitely is all about HOW they do it. For example, I love how Marvel makes fun of superhero movies a lot, but they often do it in ways that blow my mind because they make it part of the story. The classic superhero has a cape? Let's give Dr. Strange a cape that has a mind of its own and saves his life... I've been meaning to watch The Apple Dumpling Gang for a long time because I like Don Knotts.
DeleteOh my goodness, thank you, Hamlette! I was feeling like I was missing something, and I was! I've seen the beginning of Cat Ballou a few times but keep stopping for some reason, probably because I'm confused. That will all be sorted out when I see the whole thing! Whoa, The Rare Breed sounds AMAZING. Maureen O'Hara and Jimmy Stewart together would be a dream come true!
I...I believe it Nathan Fillion! It's from the TV Show version of A Series of Unfortunate Events. I don't think I've seen him in anything else, but he is one of my favorite characters.
Interesting indeed! I know that Luke was doing his best, but I feel like there was another way out. That his friend could have gotten better once his bad influences were gone! I'm so fascinated by Luke's character that I wish they had made a sequel of some kind...
There has to be love and affection behind the poking fun for it to work for me :-)
DeleteCat Ballou is a wacky movie. But so funny. If you can't imagine Lee Marvin being funny, you have to see it because he's just awesome in it.
I had no idea Nathan Fillion was on Series of Unfortunate Events! That's the first thing that's made me even a little interested in watching it. I love him so much on Firefly and Castle in particular.
I will tell you a little secret headcanon I have regarding Whispering Smith. I like to imagine that Luke Smith is so staggered by what happens in it that he takes an extended leave of absence from the railroad and goes off into the unknown, using the name Shane instead of his own. As he's wandering around searching for a balm for his heartache, he rides down into a valley and meets a family by the name of Starrett, and by fighting for their dignity and their rights, he reclaims his own and can then return to his job working for the railroad.
(I have this habit of smushing a couple of similar movies and characters together like that, and have done it for years. Especially when one film doesn't give me quite the closure I would like, but another works well as a sort of sequel.)
I feel that! Parodies that don't appreciate the thing they are joking about tend to be crass or crude.
DeleteIt is hard to imagine Lee Marvin being funny when all I think I've seen him in is The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance! Well, I think I've seen parts of Paint Your Wagons with him, which is another super wacky movie.
I really can't predict whether you would like ASoUE or not. So many times I think I am not going to watch something but then learn an actor I like is in it then start watching because of that. Then usually I get hooked. Just recently that happened with the show Once Upon a Time! As soon as I learned Sebastian Stan is in it I was sold.
Ah, I love that headcanon! It is totally something that Luke Smith would do. I STILL haven't seen Shane, but I found an old copy of the book in my grandma's house a few years ago (ack, time flies by way too quickly!) and have been even more excited to dig in. I don't know when I'll get a chance to see the movie, so I'll probably read that first, but will definitely picture Alan Ladd as the title character because I've seen too many screenshots from the movie to do otherwise. :-)
I love that! So many older movies just ended leaving me heartbroken, but a lot of pairs of actors stuck together so it is completely believable to work that into the previous movies. They work as better sequels than anyone could have planned!
I've seen Lee Marvin play soooo many nasty baddies, particularly in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence and The Big Heat. But I've also see him play stern-but-good in a Combat! episode and a few other things, and playful-but-ornery in Donovan's Reef, so... seeing him be a sort of irascible and loveable coot in Cat Ballou was not exactly a shock, but definitely a good surprise!
DeleteI saw Paint Your Wagon as a child and found it deeply weird. Have not wanted to see it again. But I love the song "They Call the Wind Maria" from it.
I read the first ASOUE book and didn't really care for it, so I've never really bothered with the show.
I can never decide whether the book or the movie of Shane is better. So I've stopped trying. They are both exquisite!
Very, very good answers. I approve! LOL
ReplyDelete