engleski

Iconography of Westerns

The Western brought new types of heroes to the film. As evident in the analysis of four movies in this paper, the hero can be an outlaw, a wanderer or a strong political person. In John Ford’s Stagecoach the hero is represented as an outlaw whose main purpose is to revenge the death of his father and brother. In spite of the fact that revenge is his main motive, he is a person that everyone loves. Ford directed The Searchers as well, with different type of hero, the one who is described as a wanderer without home, without anyone who can stand behind him. Although he is alone he is not afraid of anything and he is always there for his family. Ford created a difficult, complicated character who fights with his own principles. Zinneman’s protagonist in High Noon is not a wanderer. He has a wife and lives in the city and holds the position of the sheriff. In spite of the position he holds, he is compelled to fight against the bandits completely alone. Zinneman presented a strong and brave character who is determined to remain strong, although he is afraid and conscious that he is risking his life for people who betrayed him. Rio Bravo on the other hand presents a social compatibility and a great friendship in the most important and essential situations. Each one of these films brought something that defines the Western as a genre. The directors managed to present and transmit the political situation from a real world onto the theatrical screen. The iconography of Westerns shaped the American history, even if it was not the actual reality.

Western, outlaw, wanderer, sheriff, frontier

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