"The Most Dangerous Game" and High Noon
The Wild West and all of its stories, real or fake, were very popular in the 1950's. Cowboys, marshals, and bandits kept everyone, old or young, on the edge of their seats and wanting more. Adventure stories that took place on islands or in mysterious places with tons of action and difficult challenges left people wondering what was happening next captured people's attention. Although these two kinds of stories seem very different, when looked at from a different point of view they could be similar in many ways. High Noon is a movie set in the old west and "The Most Dangerous Game" is a short story that is action packed.
High Noon takes place in a boomtown called Hadleyville. It has only a few
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ways out that include the train and a couple of roads. In the beginning of the movie, Will and Amy, the just-married couple, are leaving town on one of the roads that leads to other places. The train tracks continue into the distance and show how isolated the town is. Nothing else besides the station lines the tracks and when a character, Amy, is on her way out of town she says, "' I'll be on the train when it leaves,'" (Foreman 296). This quote shows that a character just can't flee town whenever they want and that the train was very important to the people living in the town. "The Most Dangerous Game" takes place on an island called ship trap island that is owned by General Zaroff. It is in the middle of the Caribbean and the only way out is by Zaroff's boat. "Bleak darkness was blacking out the sea and the jungle when Rainsford sighted the lights. He came upon them as he turned a crook in the coastline, and his first thought is that he has come upon a village, for there were many lights. But as he forged along he saw to his great astonishment that all the lights were in one enormous building," (Connell 215). When Rainsford first arrives on the island he is confused and lost. He wakes up and sees lights, but doesn't know what they are coming from. The only building on the island is General Zaroff's huge house and there is nothing else around but ocean and jungle. The settings of these stories are both isolated from any other civilizations and there are limited ways out. The setting of these stories are similar. In High Noon, the main character is Will Kane, and he is faced with a major problem.
He is a marshal in his town and one of the men that he sent up to jail for murder is out and coming for him. Will gets the news that Frank Miller is on his way back to town on the noon train. There are numbered possible options that he has. He was already planning on leaving town to open up a store with his new wife, Amy, which he could still do. Will could stay in town and fight off Frank and his three friends, too. When discussing the possible outcomes with Amy, Will says, "'If he does, and if we run-they'll just come after us. Four of them, and we'd be all alone on the prairie,'" (Foreman 296). He is stuck in a sticky situation and he has to make quick decisions that could lead to life or death. In "The Most Dangerous Game" the main character is Sanger Rainsford, who is on a boat in the beginning of the story that is headed for the Amazon where he is going to hunt Jaguars. When he was awoken on night on the ship, he heard a loud noise and tried to look through the fog, but he accidentally fell of the ship. He swam in the direction that he heard the noise, because if there is noise there should be land. Once he got to the island, he passed out and woke up the next morning finding blood and a bullet casing of a gun with a twenty-two caliber. He walks towards the large house and then gets let in. The owner of the house, General Zaroff, recognized Rainsford from the books that
he had written about hunting. General Zaroff was also a hunter and after the two ate together and talked for a while Rainsford found out what creature he hunts. General Zaroff said that hunting animals became too boring after some time. Then General Zaroff reveals that he hunts human by leering them onto the island then giving them each a chance to win his game. "'It's a game, you see,' pursued the general blandly.' I suggest to one of them that we go hunting. I give him a supply of food and an excellent hunting knife. I give them a three hours' head start. I am to follow armed with a pistol of the smallest caliber and range. If my quarry eludes me for three days, he wins the game. If I find him,' the general smiled, 'he loses,'" (Connell 296). Rainsford is now forced to either be in the game by helping general Zaroff, play against general Zaroff, or deal with Ivan. He is left with a hard choice and not many options. He is stuck on an island that is isolated from the rest of the world just like hadleyville and he can not just run away. They have to deal with there problems and fight their own battles, that's why Kane chooses to stay and Rainsford plays the game against Zaroff. He has to stay on the island for three days to win the game. The conflicts are similar. The characters in both stories are faced with serious problems, but they face them differently. Will Kane has to think about the other people in his town and he considers the safety of the people living there. He has to put his own problems first and deal with it himself which shows that he is selfless and brave. When asked why he came back he said, "' I figured I had to. I figured it was best to stay,'" (Foreman 297). He is not cowardly when he has to face four guys with guns alone. Rainsford has to think for himself and while playing the game he has to use his smart survival skills to escape general Zaroff.
The two story High Noon and "The Most Dangerous Game" are alike in some ways, but very different in many other ways also. High Noon is a story about an honest man named will khan; Who is a Marshall that has sent a prisoner to jail named frank Miller. Who has now come out of jail to get revenge on will. When will needs the towns people of hadleyville for help to defeat frank when he comes after will no one helps. In the other hand "The Most Dangerous Game" is about two very skilled hunter between Rainsford who get trapped on Ship-Trap island by Zaroff who owns the island. When Rainsford realizes what Zaroff hunts in his island he must leave as soon as possible. Zaroff tells Rainsford he could either hunt with him or against him.
“The Most Dangerous Game” is about a man named Rainsford. When Rainsford falls off a yacht and has to swim to the nearest island, he meets a general named, General Zaroff, who became disinterested with hunting animals, so he switched to hunting humans as a game. He tricks ships into thinking that there is a channel they can sail through, but then
When world renowned hunter, Sanger Rainsford ends up marooned on an island, he finds himself in an unimaginable word. A world full of murder. He must find a way to save himself and the ones around him. Rainsford is the lesser of two evils he may have a passion for hunting but unlike General Zaroff he has limits, Rainsford kills Zaroff to save himself and many future victims.
Being hunted on an island is an experience like no other, whether it is a film or a short story. “The Most Dangerous Game” started off as a short-story, but was later turned into a film. Like many other films, the director has done some adjustments that differ from the short-story. The plot, setting, and characters were revised from the original form in the short-story. However, the difference in the characters was the most influential part that changed throughout the film.
If you said the words Wild West to someone, no doubt they would picture a mustached man sitting at a card game in an old saloon surrounded by cowboys and prostitutes. A player opposite him would be hiding an extra card up his sleeve, and soon enough he would be called on it and face off in the city square. Both players would step back and there’d be a long moment before the cheater moved for his hip holster, however he wouldn’t be fast enough. The gamer would draw his revolver and shoot the cheater dead between the eyes. Nonchalantly, the cowboys and prostitutes would go back to their drinks like it didn’t happen.
Westerns have been around for many years. Some would consider westerns to be American classics because they describe early life in a mostly undiscovered America. In class two western films were watched and discussed. These two westerns were High Noon and Shane. On the surface, these movies are categorized as the same genre and look very similar but after further inspection it can be determined that the movies have a lot of differences. Of course, both movies share the same central theme of law versus social order, but the way each movie portrays this central theme is very different. This universal theme between the two movies can be investigated through, setting, violence, view of family, how women perceive guns/violence, and the choice of
To begin with, the setting for “The Most Dangerous Game” is very fitting. The author, Richard Connell, picked the best place to set the story. Reason being, the mansion is on a large island that is feared by everyone. Also the mansion, on the outside at least, looks scary. Since it was dark out and there were cliffs surrounding the house, there was a scary shadow that was cast down. While on the yacht, Sanger Rainsford, the main character or protagonist, came across this island and asked for the name. His friend Whitney replied, “The old charts call it ‘Ship Trap Island’,” (Connell). Ship Trap Island is the name of the island. It doesn’t sound like a happy place to be but it is the dark and violent thoughts and feelings that come with the title, which perfectly fits the theme of the story. Another form of proof, to tell where the story took place is in this quote, “…the blood-warm waters of the Caribbean Sea dosed over his head” (Connell). Rainsford went to get a closer look to see the island more clearly by stepping on the rail. He lost his balance and fell...
We are introduced to the protagonist and main character, Sanger Rainsford who is a big game hunter and a WW1 veteran. The story starts off with a conversation between Whitney and Rainsford discussing the island, so we can understand the reputation it holds.
"He came upon them as he turned a crook in the coastline... His eyes made out the shadowy outlines of a palatial chateau,"(Connell 17) is an example from the text that gives the reader a look into the emotions and suspense that Rainsford felt. However, as stated earlier, Rainsford is well-educated with knowledge of the outdoors as he is a big-game hunter. Rainsford is thrown into a one-sided game with a lunatic man; this itself is a reason that emotion plays a large role in the entire plot of any story. Rainsford may have felt demoralized due to the unevenness of the game. At first, Rainsford sticks to his gut and tries to refuse the game, however General Zaroff forcefully persuades him to commit by telling his that "the game is worth playing," (Connell 23) which can be seen as a threat. The tip off from Zaroff really forces Rainsford to play, because as both Rainsford and the audience can see, Zaroff is obviously a lunatic and won 't just simply let Rainsford leave after the opportunity has arisen. The emotion that Rainsford feels, being trapped into a corner with only one solution that is the last thing one wants to do, can be related to by any human whether it be through a similar event, or through any other relatable experience. As the hunt concludes, Rainsford is congratulated on his skills and instincts by General Zaroff, but due to the past three days of isolation, Rainsford has himself become a breed of lunatic and tell Zaroff that he is "A beast at bay," (Connell 34). The deed is done and the final battle has concluded, Rainsford is victorious, not only in the game, but also the conflict between himself and Zaroff. Rainsford claims Zaroff 's possessions and territory like a wild animal claiming its ' territory. Not only does this story use a classic theme, but creates a hybrid of its ' own that
The story is an Eastern take on the Hollywood western with a dash of satire,
Sanger Rainsford has to overcome many obstacles he faces to not become what he fears, the hunted. When he is sprinting away from General Zaroff he has to fight the urge to quit, and he has to fight the battle of “The Most Dangerous Game.” He is running from the hounds, Ivan, and General Zaroff, when he arrives at a safe place he thinks about how close he was to becoming what he fears. Nevertheless, Sanger Rainsford out wits everything he has experienced and wins “The Most Dangerous Game.”
...he comparison of the stories they were only link into how the author was portraying the stories to the audience. On the other hand, the differences are quite evident, and a lot more visible while reading both stories. The lottery ended in death giving the town no hope of change no hope of the villagers being better people. While Rainsford is a survivor and now maybe a man with different views of hunting. In the most dangerous game, after being hunted for three days and adapting to the jungle, Rainsford arrives back at the home of Zaroff. When Zaroff turns on his bedroom light, he is shocked to find Rainsford concealed in the curtains of the bed. Before they fight, Zaroff states that the dogs will eat one of them that night while the other will sleep in the comfortable bed. Rainsford later concludes that he has never slept in a more comfortable bed.
The story of the American West is still being told today even though most of historic events of the Wild West happened over more than a century ago. In movies, novels, television, and more ways stories of the old west are still being retold, reenacted, and replayed to relive the events of the once so wild and untamed land of the west that so many now fantasize about. After reading about the old west and watching early westerns it is amazing how much Hollywood still glorifies the history and myth of the old west. It may not be directly obvious to every one, but if you look closely there is always a hint of the Western mentality such as honor, justice, romance, drama, and violence. The most interesting thing about the Old West is the fact that history and myth have a very close relationship together in telling the story of the West.
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.
Genre theory is the application of studying films in order to allow viewers to categorize the films into different groups before they even watch the film. Genre is a type or category of film that allows viewers to have certain expectations about what the movie will be like before actually watching it. For example, the Western genre is set in the American frontier often centering on the life of a cowboy armed with a rifle who rides a horse and fights a gunslinger or bandit. Western genre is one of the oldest, most endur¬ing and flexible genres and one of the most characteristically American genres in their mythic origins (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014, Sec 4.2, p. 81). This paper will focus on the Western genre, specifically the film The Wild