Hero and Antihero’s: Analyzing Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid against Silverado
The cowboy scenario in the west was only a very short period in American history, but it made a big enough of an impact on people’s views and took on a life of its own. As time progresses the views of the west change from the colorful mythologies to the more monotone realities. This vision of the west and the heroes and antiheros within it has evolved over time, in the beginning it was more romantic but as time went on different takes on the west started to unfold as focus faded from traditional heroes and turned to more personal heroes.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
In this movie Butch and the Sundance Kid are outlaws in this film made to be the hero’s despite their criminal mischief throughout the movie. The movie introduces us to the main characters by a typical threatening showdown over the claim of cheating at cards. The predictability quickly gets turned around as Butch tries to smooth the rising tensions in order to avoid conflict; this scenario is completely at odds with past western movies in which the outlaw is always trying to cause trouble at every turn. Several unorthodox characteristic are given to Butch that despite the fact that he robs people, he is still portrayed as considerate. For instance once
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Sundance holds up the train the conductors seem star struck at the fact that Butch Cassidy is robbing them and said they want to watch Butch in action when told not to move. Before Butch blows up the train with the rail currier inside he tries to talk the person out of getting any physical harm, once the explosives have gone off he checks on the welfare of the currier, which is a very unlike past western criminal portrayals. This recreation of the western hero sets the audience up for a type of metaphorical “Stockholm syndrome”, to take the side of the criminals and root for them as they challenge and escape the law. Later in the movie Butch further reveals an atypical outlaw scenario when he tells Sundance that he has never killed a man, and that his hand was forced to kill for the first time, after Sundance and him were trying to move away from their criminal past. Old western movies also show the western hero as a strong man that rides alone, Butch is further removed from that as he is constantly relying on Sundance to help him through as they run from their problems. Also the fact that they are running away further separates their hero story from the more masculine western heroes such as John Wayne who always faced the fight unswervingly. The at the first half of the movie while in America the antihero, in this case the posse of law enforcement, instills agitation as they tirelessly pursue the “Heroes” as they thwart every trick that is made to throw them off the trail. This relentless pursuit causes sympathy towards Butch and Sundance as they are driven on, unable to eat or sleep in their desperation to escape. To further put a separation of the audience on the law, they keep them at a distance so as to not get to know them, they are a faceless entity that makes it easier to dislike. The second half of the movie when the hero’s move to Bolivia the new antihero’s, the Bolivian law enforcers, are made to be cowards that run from confrontations as Butch and Sundance shoot at the pursuing posse after robbing a bank. They can constantly elude pursuit unlike the situation in America, which could symbolize the feelings towards the American government around that time period. The relationship is a in the beginning with the American antiheros is at a distance, the antihero’s are not out for a personal vendetta with the exception of the railroad who was the one that hired theses lawmen down on Butch and Sundance. The conclusion of this movie continues to take a different path as the heroes are slaughtered in a gun fight, with typical good hero of past western movies always lived through every ordeal to save the day again and again. Despite Butch and Sundance being kill the film keeps them in hero status with the fact that the locals brought in sizable military unit in order to be able to stop these Silverado (1985) This movie portrays the west in a more plausible light as a vast expanse of open frontier, full of lawlessness and corruption. A group of four men with a set course to Silverado that brings them all together, fighting for justice against a corrupt Sherriff and his rich cattle partner, once again challenging the myth of the lone hero cowboy. take on more of misunderstood vigilante who seeks justice on their terms, like when Paden shoots the thief that stole his horse and then later shoots the man wearing his hat. The Sheriff and cattle boss represent the lawlessness of the newly settled and rural locations in the west. Where the laws were whatever those in charge made them to be as it was their own little kingdom. Due to the distance between cities and other law enforcement, most sheriffs and lawmen where on their own to interrupt and carry out the law. Along with this distance came the ability to gain a type of God complex. These Sheriff’s would realize that they could flash a badge and people would do what they said. One of the most interesting characteristics of the antihero, Sheriff Cobb, was that he himself used to be an outlaw. He once was chased by possess and had a bounty on his head, but due to the city being so rural and having a rich powerful backer, he now is the one in charge of the law. There are a couple of relationships between the group of hero’s and villains.
Emmet had killed the cattle boss’s father; an act that was not forgiven despite the fact the Emmet served a jail sentence for that act. Paden who was attempting to seek a life away from his criminal past finds his old partner in crime Cobb as the Sheriff. Mel, a black land owner and his father are being driven out by the rich rancher who wishes to take over all the grazing land. Despite having different relationships with different antiheroes, all the heroes are battling the same antagonist, a rich ranger who has bribed the Sheriff and has hired guns to scare off other land
owners. In Silverado the west is a hard place to live that like the heroes, people can come together to fight injustices that are encountered. That antiheros are those that have abused their power and if one person is given too much it can have horrible results for them and the people around them. As people come west for a new beginning from unpleasant pasts, and the desire for space comes at a price. Where distance made it impossible for the law to be properly enforced, making it easy for people to act as the wish with no fear of consequence. Therefore it is up to the good nature in individuals to stand up to those types of people and to have empathy. Conclusion These films reflect so much the beliefs of the times and reading in between the lines one can grasp the general feel of the time period that these movies were filmed in. The beliefs and the hidden messages can be determined through the actions of the characters within these movies. With a more rebellious and darker perspective as the years go on the society is content with leaving the lone, white and masculine cowboy behind for a more faceted look at the West. There is a focus on the rights and wrongs in the conflicts faces between Native Americans and White settlers, becoming more violent in its portrayal. This movement not only seen in film but also in novels, art work, and history, after WWII and the rebellious 60s brought into focus the “..diversity, complexity, disunity, and fragmentation.” The mythology of the American west often shows individualism and the superiority of the masculine white male, and as time goes on the reality of how the West really was and taking off the blinders to others that made the West the iconic symbol that it is today.
The West is a very big part of American culture, and while the myth of the West is much more enticing than the reality of the west, it is no doubt a very big part of America. We’re constantly growing up playing games surrounded by the West such as cowboys and Indians and we’re watching movies that depict the cowboy to be a romanticized hero who constantly saves dames in saloons and rides off into the sunset. However, the characters of the West weren’t the only things that helped the development of America; many inventions were a part of the development of the West and helped it flourish into a thriving community. Barbed wire, the McCormick reaper and railroads—for example—were a large part of the development in the West—from helping to define claimed land boundaries, agricultural development and competition, and even growth of the West.
A preacher’s son becomes one of the most wanted outlaws that ever lived. Jesse James was one of the toughest outlaws in the old west. Jesse committed lots of crimes most say it was to get revenge on the union soldiers for the cruel treatment him and his family received. He went from guerilla warfare to running with bloody bill and killing whatever got in there way. Jesse James grew up on a small farm, joined the army, and became one of the biggest outlaws of all time.
"Relocating the Cowboy: American Privilege in "All the Pretty Horses"" Pepperdine University: Global Tides Seaver Journal of Arts and Sciences. Maia Y. Rodriguez, 2014. Web. 2 May 2016. . The Western typically illustrates the journey of a man, usually a horse riding cowboy, into the Western frontier where he must conquer nature "in the name of civilization or [confiscate] the territorial rights of the original inhabitants... Native Americans" (Newman 150). What this brand of mythology promotes is precisely the values of American culture: rugged individualism, achievement and success, activtity and work, democracy and enterprise, and--most importantly--
The image created for the outlaw hero is the “natural man.” They are adventurous but also wanderers, and loners. Outlaw heroes are more likely to commit a crime, use weapons and carry guns. The outlaw hero represents self-determination and freedom from conflicts. On the other hand, the official hero is portrayed to be “the civilized” man. He often follows the norms of society, and has typical roles such as a lawyer, teacher, and family man.
In “The Thematic Paradigm,” Robert Ray explains how there are two vastly different heroes: the outlaw hero and the official hero. The official hero has common values and traditional beliefs. The outlaw hero has a clear view of right and wrong but unlike the official hero, works above the law. Ray explains how the role of an outlaw hero has many traits. The morals of these heroes can be compared clearly. Films that contain official heroes and outlaw heroes are effective because they promise viewer’s strength, power, intelligence, and authority whether you are above the law or below it.
...to Americans: if their prospects in the East were poor, then they could perhaps start over in the West as a farmer, rancher, or even miner. The frontier was also romanticized not only for its various opportunities but also for its greatly diverse landscape, seen in the work of different art schools, like the “Rocky Mountain School” and Hudson River School, and the literature of the Transcendentalists or those celebrating the cowboy. However, for all of this economic possibility and artistic growth, there was political turmoil that arose with the question of slavery in the West as seen with the Compromise of 1850 and Kansas-Nebraska Act. As Frederick Jackson Turner wrote in his paper “The Significance of the Frontier in American History” to the American Historical Association, “the frontier has gone, and with its going has closed the first period of American history.”
The cowboy hero, The Virginian, as portrayed in Owen Wister’s novel was the first of his kind and today is known as the stereotypical mythic cowboy figure which our view of the western frontier are based from. The Virginian was the first full length western novel apart from the short dime novels which marked the final stage in the evolution of the cowboy hero to a national icon. The Virginian was published in 1902 and at that time was wildly popular because of the settlement of the west. The story of the cowboy who had the skill and courage to take control of the untamed frontier enthralled people. The cowboy hero had a few distinguished qualities, he was a self-appointed vigilante, he had a very strict moral code, he had exceptional perception skills and he had the ability to adapt. Owen Wister’s The Virginian was the first to portray these qualities and really created a deeper cowboy character.
In "The Thematic Paradigm", Robert Ray explains how there are two distinctly different heroes, the outlaw hero and the official hero. The official hero embraces common values and traditional beliefs, while the outlaw has a clear sense of right and wrong but operates above the law (Ray). Ray explains how the role of an outlaw hero has many traits. "The attractiveness of the outlaw hero's childishness and propensity to whims, tantrums, and emotional decisions derived from America's cult of childhood", states Ray. (309) Ray also says, "To the outlaw hero's inconsistence on private standards of right and wrong, the official hero offered the admonition, you cannot take the law into your own hands." (312) The values of these two traditional heroes contrasts clearly. Society favors the outlaw hero because we identify with that character more. We see ourselves more so in the outlaw hero than in the official hero. The outlaw hero has the "childlike" qualities that most of us wish we had as adults. To civilians it may seem that the outlaw hero lives more of a fantasy life that we all wish to have.
Somewhere out in the Old West wind kicks up dust off a lone road through a lawless town, a road once dominated by men with gun belts attached at the hip, boots upon their feet and spurs that clanged as they traversed the dusty road. The gunslinger hero, a man with a violent past and present, a man who eventually would succumb to the progress of the frontier, he is the embodiment of the values of freedom and the land the he defends with his gun. Inseparable is the iconography of the West in the imagination of Americans, the figure of the gunslinger is part of this iconography, his law was through the gun and his boots with spurs signaled his arrival, commanding order by way of violent intentions. The Western also had other iconic figures that populated the Old West, the lawman, in contrast to the gunslinger, had a different weapon to yield, the law. In the frontier, his belief in law and order as well as knowledge and education, brought civility to the untamed frontier. The Western was and still is the “essential American film genre, the cornerstone of American identity.” (Holtz p. 111) There is a strong link between America’s past and the Western film genre, documenting and reflecting the nations changes through conflict in the construction of an expanding nation. Taking the genres classical conventions, such as the gunslinger, and interpret them into the ideology of America. Thus The Western’s classical gunslinger, the personification of America’s violent past to protect the freedoms of a nation, the Modernist takes the familiar convention and buries him to signify that societies attitude has change towards the use of diplomacy, by way of outmoding the gunslinger in favor of the lawman, taming the frontier with civility.
When one thinks of the United States of America, they probably consider our history, our culture, our media, our impressive cities and the extremely wide variety of beautiful wildernesses that we are lucky enough to still enjoy. We are lucky enough to have a melting pot of cultures in this country, and many different kinds of people. However, when thinking of an original, all-American figure, cowboys come to mind for many people. Our history and the settlement of the U.S. was unlike any other country, and the development of the country in the more western states came with the unique and fascinating time period referred to now as “The Old West”. The Old West was a crucial time in American history, and though it was a simpler time it also came with its share of excitement. Some of the most memorable details about the Old West were the characters that came with it, and some extremely interesting ones were the least conforming- the outlaws. Jesse Woodson James was one of the most notorious outlaws in American history. His name would go down in history as one belonging to a tough as nails and fearless bank robber who led a group of outlaws across the mid-west robbing banks and trains, and even murdering people. When we look at the big picture of what the U.S. has become today, The Old West certainly has had a large impact on our culture, and Jesse James certainly had a large impact on the Old West. Though most would argue that he was not a decent or moral person, one cannot argue that he was still a very interesting and unique icon of the west. So how did Jesse Woodson James change and leave his mark on the United St...
Over the years, the idea of the western frontier of American history has been unjustly and falsely romanticized by the movie, novel, and television industries. People now believe the west to have been populated by gun-slinging cowboys wearing ten gallon hats who rode off on capricious, idealistic adventures. Not only is this perception of the west far from the truth, but no mention of the atrocities of Indian massacre, avarice, and ill-advised, often deceptive, government programs is even present in the average citizen’s understanding of the frontier. This misunderstanding of the west is epitomized by the statement, “Frederick Jackson Turner’s frontier thesis was as real as the myth of the west. The development of the west was, in fact, A Century of Dishonor.” The frontier thesis, which Turner proposed in 1893 at the World’s Columbian Exposition, viewed the frontier as the sole preserver of the American psyche of democracy and republicanism by compelling Americans to conquer and to settle new areas. This thesis gives a somewhat quixotic explanation of expansion, as opposed to Helen Hunt Jackson’s book, A Century of Dishonor, which truly portrays the settlement of the west as a pattern of cruelty and conceit. Thus, the frontier thesis, offered first in The Significance of the Frontier in American History, is, in fact, false, like the myth of the west. Many historians, however, have attempted to debunk the mythology of the west. Specifically, these historians have refuted the common beliefs that cattle ranging was accepted as legal by the government, that the said business was profitable, that cattle herders were completely independent from any outside influence, and that anyone could become a cattle herder.
A typical Western would usually be set in the late 19th century in the mid-west of America in a remote town. The town is usually small, lonely and unwelcoming. Typically a western set looks like it is in the middle of a desert with sand, cacti and tumbleweed which gives a desert look, there are usually never any lakes or rivers around these features make the place look really hot and deserted. The buildings are generally timber board houses with swinging doors and outside the buildings are places to keep their horses, there is also always a General Store and a Saloon. Horses and carriages and cattle are used to give a western feel. The cowboys are typically dressed in western style clothing for example they wear simple shirts and jeans they may also wear ponchos, waist coats, hats, boots with spurs, guns and a belt to hold the gun and bullets, Hero's tend to wear lighter clothing and the villain’s tend to wear darker clothing.
The cowboys of the frontier have long captured the imagination of the American public. Americans, faced with the reality of an increasingly industrialized society, love the image of a man living out in the wilderness fending for himself against the dangers of the unknown. By the end of the 19th century there were few renegade Indians left in the country and the vast expanse of open land to the west of the Mississippi was rapidly filling with settlers.
Few Hollywood film makers have captured America’s Wild West history as depicted in the movies, Rio Bravo and El Dorado. Most Western movies had fairly simple but very similar plots, including personal conflicts, land rights, crimes and of course, failed romances that typically led to drinking more alcoholic beverages than could respectfully be consumed by any one person, as they attempted to drown their sorrows away. The 1958 Rio Bravo and 1967 El Dorado Western movies directed by Howard Hawks, and starring John Wayne have a similar theme and plot. They tell the story of a sheriff and three of his deputies, as they stand alone against adversity in the name of the law. Western movies like these two have forever left a memorable and lasting impressions in the memory of every viewer, with its gunfighters, action filled saloons and sardonic showdowns all in the name of masculinity, revenge and unlawful aggressive behavior. Featuring some of the most famous backdrops in the world ranging from the rustic Red Rock Mountains of Monument Valley in Utah, to the jagged snow capped Mountain tops of the Teton Range in Wyoming, gun-slinging cowboys out in search of mischief and most often at their own misfortune traveled far and wide, seeking one dangerous encounter after another, and unfortunately, ending in their own demise.
Williams, Megan. "Nowhere Man and the Twentieth-Century Cowboy: Images of Identity and American History in Sam Shepard’s True West." Modern Drama. 40 (Spring 1997): 57-73.