The Wild Bunch is Western genre film that showcases phenomenal directing, editing techniques, revolutionary cinematography and action like no other Western film produced to date. In this film critique, the author will analyze The Wild Bunch through the lens of the genre theory. 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 …show more content…
Directed by Sam Peckinpah, the directors’ role is to create an atmosphere of trust on the set with all actors and to translate the vision of the story so that the actors carry out the screenplay with success. The Cinematographer, Lucien Ballard, is responsible for the camera crew and capturing images that are produced from the cameras throughout filming. The main actors were William Holden (Pike), Ernest Borgnine (Dutch), Robert Ryan (Thorton), Edmond O’Brien (Sykes), Warren Oates (Lyle), James Sanchez (Angel) and Emilio Fernandez. The actor’s roles is to bring the story to life by artistically living out their characters in the story. The Wild Bunch concept design relies upon a Western action theme of good versus evil. Goodykoontz and Jacobs (2014) noted, “A theme is an idea, subject, or topic of some kind that pervades the plot. It is not so much what “happens,” but rather what the movie is “about,” part of the meaning you are expected to take away from the work” (p. 61). There are multiple themes of The Wild Bunch. First is the awful, bloody violence and killing throughout the film. Second, the end of the outlaw gunfighter era and third the theme of betrayal when The Wild Bunch suffer from their knowledge of having betrayed a friend and left him to his fate, thus violating their own code of honor and conduct which are present throughout the film. This one of a kind Western is …show more content…
A summary of the film begins and ends with two violent, bloody gun battles (Ebert, 2016). The outlaws look for one last score and they find it by striking a deal with a corrupt Mexican General. They are persuaded to hold up a train full of army munitions in exchange for $10,000 and a safe haven from a Mexican General and his troops. The whole time they are planning and carrying out their plot, they are being chased and hunted by a bounty hunter and his crew. In the final scene, the outlaw gang robs a train, but it leads to a violent and blood bath confrontation where hundreds of innocent people are gunned down (America Film Institute, n.d.). Goodykoontz and Jacobs (2014), noted “Typical Westerns deal with maintaining law and order on the frontier, and their conflict derives from easily defined opposites of good vs. evil” (p. 81). During the film The Wild Bunch, the law, in the form of bounty hunters, is always on their heels. While bad guys can be heroes, western movies typically pit the forces of good against evil and audiences typically like to see good triumph over evil. Goodykoontz and Jacobs (2014) note, “In westerns, as in many films, the hero and the villain may often be parallel opposites, two sides of the same coin, so to speak, and representative of the conflicting tendencies within any individual” (p. 81). This is true
In “The Thematic Paradigm,” University of Florida professor of film studies, Robert Ray, defines two types of heroes pervading American films, the outlaw hero and the official hero. Often the two types are merged in a reconciliatory pattern, he argues. In fact, this
My analysis begins, as it will end, where most cowboy movies begin and end, with the landscape.Western heroes are essentially synedoches for that landscape, and are identifiable by three primary traits: first, they represent one side of an opposition between the supposed purity of the frontier and the degeneracy of the city, and so are separated even alienated from civilization; second, they insist on conducting themselves according to a personal code, to which they stubbornly cling despite all opposition or hardship to themselves or others; and third, they seek to shape their psyches and even their bodies in imitation of the leanness, sparseness, hardness, infinite calm and merciless majesty of the western landscape in which their narratives unfold.All of these three traits are present in the figures of Rob Roy and William Wallace--especially their insistence on conducting themselves according to a purely personal definition of honor--which would seem to suggest that the films built around them and their exploits could be read as transplanted westerns.However, the transplantation is the problem for, while the protagonists of these films want to be figures from a classic western, the landscape with which they are surrounded is so demonstrably not western that it forces their narratives into shapes which in fact resist and finally contradict key heroic tropes of the classic western.
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.
Many westerns contain some of the same elements. For instance, almost every western ever made involves a sheriff. He is usually the peace-keeper of a small town overrun by outlaws and cowboys, which he eventually chases out of town or kills. Another element of westerns is a gunslinger. A gunslinger is usually a young man who makes his living shooting other men in showdowns, a classic example is Billy the Kid. Railroads are also a recurring image in westerns. Since the railroad was the major mode of transportation in the old west, it is always present in westerns. Finally, westerns always have a villain. The villain, usually a man, dresses very slick and will stop at nothing in his quest for power. In addition, the villain usually has a gang to carry out his dastardly deeds. The gang is usually full of incompetent, but loyal thugs, who would love to destroy a small town just for the pleasure of wanton destruction. The elements of a western are very simple, but easily manipulated into a very interesting plot.
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.
Most westerns have a heroic cowboy that fights against corrupt officials to save a small helpless town or a person in need of help. They also have women who are attracted to the cowboy, and Indians who the cowboy usually fights. The cowboy is moral and fights for good because he is free from civilization its deceit and the wilderness (Wright, 2001, pp. 18-58; Belton, 2009, pp. 248-249). Most cowboys who emerge in western films are honest and forthright.
The plot of this movie is about the struggle between the farmers and the cowboys. The farmers all want to start up crops, but the cowboys want to run their cattle through the open space so they can feed. Obviously, the two sides don’t agree. The cowboys end up attempting to use strong-arm tactics to get their way. They even try to scare the farmers off the land by burning down one of the homes of the farmers. Eventually, Shane, a former gunfight, realizes what he must do. He rides into town and kills all of the cowboys, including Wilson, the hired gun.
The Wild West is known for its cowboys and gunslingers. In the Wild West the pistol
...uggles between the savagery and civility, he and Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin), are men threatening, as well as standing, in the way of the progress and later the stability of the soon to be established “recognized territory.” There are two very different characteristics of these men though, Tom is full aware what is happing to in the New West and eventually succumbs. Meanwhile Liberty knows this is happing too, but he will do, as he must to keep the frontier open, for purely selfish reasons. This is the swan song of the boots, the gun belt and the spurs, the inevitable end of freedom that was once known since its inception at the establishment of the United States of America, but the Western was and still is today, a vast frontier of compelling stories, classic American narratives and themes that will continue to capture the imagination of all freedom loving people.
The novel, The Call of the Wild, follows a four-year-old mixed Saint Bernard and Scottish shepherd, named Buck. In the beginning of the story, Buck lives in the home of Judge Miller, located at Santa Clara Valley, California. In Santa Clara, Buck lives a luxurious life. At the time of the story, gold is discovered in the North. With this discovery, the value of large dogs like Buck escalated dramatically. The dog’s value was due most to their ability to haul heavy sleds through the abundant snow. Unfortunately, Judge Miller’s servant, Manuel steals Buck to sell him to a band of dog-nappers to pay for his accumulating gambling debts. The ring of thieves that bought Buck is gaining a secure banking by trading the dog to northern executives. Buck, who has had an easy life so far, does not adapt well to the terrain as the other canines do. Buck does not easily tolerate the confinement and mistreatment of his new authority. Buck’s gains the misconception, which then is an aide that any man with a club is a dominator and must be obeyed.
John Ford directed many well-known western films that brought back the vibrancy of that era. One of which is, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Back in 1962, when the film was made, many dismissed it as a petty, disappointing work. Much of the criticism leveled against The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance focused on its look. The majority of films were done in color that gave it a bright, upbeat tone that the public loved. The “look” present in Liberty Valance was black and white, which went against the normal film characteristic of its time. This was an artistic choice made by Ford, because it is known that the film had a extensive budget, which would of made it easy to make in color. One can inference that Ford's intention was to suggest a sense of reminiscence. To some extent, this movie is about the passing of the old ways. The West is changing. The frontier is deteriorating. The present is dissolving not into history, but into legend, which removes facts and puts in what we want to know.
In Hollywood today, most films can be categorized according to the genre system. There are action films, horror flicks, Westerns, comedies and the likes. On a broader scope, films are often separated into two categories: Hollywood films, and independent or foreign ‘art house’ films. Yet, this outlook, albeit superficial, was how many viewed films. Celebrity-packed blockbusters filled with action and drama, with the use of seamless top-of-the-line digital editing and special effects were considered ‘Hollywood films’. Films where unconventional themes like existentialism or paranoia, often with excessive violence or sex or a combination of both, with obvious attempts to displace its audiences from the film were often attributed with the generic label of ‘foreign’ or ‘art house’ cinema.
When you think of the Wild West who is the first person that comes to your mind? When you think of daring bank and train robberies in the Wild West, now who comes to your mind? Jesse James was an Ex Confederate who could not get over the loss of the Civil War, so he expressed his pain and anger in other ways. He robbed Union banks, stagecoaches, and even a few trains. Fueled by this anger, Jesse James became a giant thorn in America’s side.
The storyline is normally about a hero who comes to a town to bring peace and drive the villains out. A hero is usually seen as a vigilante as he is not told to come to help but does anyway. The hero often appears as a quiet, secretive, mysterious person who may make the audience admire him one minute and dislike him the next, he is also a very smart, cunning and adaptable which are all good values in a hero. The villain is usually fixed to one idea he thinks it is a smart cunning person but in the end is always defeated. Many scenes are set around the Saloon (bar) and there is quite often a romance involved with the hero and a local girl, the villain competing for her affections! There are two different types of villains in typical westerns Native Americans and white villains (cowboys).
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.