Classic Movies: The Searchers (1956) and The Western

Everybody knows the Western genre, or do they?

The Great Train Robbery 1903 may be the first Western movie to be filmed. While the technology and the visual quality were improving over the years, the characteristics of the  Western genre stayed the same.

But what are the characteristics of the Western genre?

“There are two basic characteristics to all westerns action and simplicity. The standard western story is a  continual series of chases, daring rescues, galloping horses, gun battles, and fistfights.”  (Elkin, 1950) 

Characteristics of Western Genre

With its clear depiction of «good» and «bad» characters, is this narration similar to WW II combat films? Not really and no it is not just about the desert, cowboys, and the Native Americans.

Interestingly, as Hollywood makes a comeback to Western films after WW II, the narration is different now. In other words:

“…stress on rugged individualism suggests a devaluation of cooperative and family  movements, and emphasis on activity and practical accomplishments devalues intellectuality and a  contemplative life; and a primary focus on the solution of a crime devalues romantic relationships.” (Elkin, 1950)

It is not the history between the groups or even the events that happened in the West. Western is about freedom and about the enemy. The only problem is the evil man or lesser man, such as “Indians”.

Town image in Western. (2012). [Image]. http://mattsunforgiven.blogspot.com/2012/01/western-genre.html

The West or the Wild West is actually the midwest in today’s United States and it refers to the time of the Gold Rush of the 19th Century.  Thus, the impact of travel is a constant in the Western genre. The protagonist is always on the move, either arriving or leaving a town or village. 

There is always a villain who is foreign to the way of American life. Mostly native American, but even sometimes a Mexican.

Other than the portrayal of the groups, the setting is fairly accurate to the 19th Century Midwest. The lawfulness was a big problem at the time and the new town and cities were generally connected through railroads in the middle of big empty lands.

While this is portrayed as the freedom of the man ego and macho lifestyle, it was a big problem for authorities and the common folk.

The Western Dichotomies 

• The Indian vs. The Westerners.
• The Actor vs. The Character
• The Easterner vs. Westerner
• The Law vs. The Frontier Law
• The Community vs. The Individual
• The Desert vs. The Garden
• The Progress vs. The Traditional ( as it is advertised)

The Western Man In Crisis, The Searcher ( 1956)

However, even the mystical Western front in Western films can not stand against the tide of time. – The protagonists, the Westerner, along with other characters start to change after the 1940s. 

“The Western’s essential conflict between civilization and savagery is expressed in a variety of  oppositions: East versus West, garden versus desert, … individual versus community, town versus  wilderness, cowboy versus Indian, schoolmarm versus dancehall girl, and so on.” (Nachbar & Lausé, 1992)

The cowboy, even with all his masculinity realizes very clearly that he does not fit with the “new world”.  Very similar to the post-war veteran trauma. The Society, the «girl», the «kid» all realize that the old Westerner, the old hero, is unfit to survive what comes next; an urban life with all its rules and restrictions.  Similar to WW II veterans coming back home and finding their home turned inside out? How this relationship is depicted in Noir films?

John Wayne in one of his classic Western roles in The Searchers (1956). (Image via Warner Bros.)

In the Searchers (1956), we have John Wayne as a Civil War veteran coming to a town to visit his family and becoming the hero once again. Just like a war hero, there is no need for the Westerner when the crisis is resolved. That is why after rescuing his niece the character of John Wayne leaves once again. Not leaving his family or the house/town, but leaving the ordinary way of life. 

“…he is an isolated, psychologically static man of personal integrity who acts because society is too  weak to do so.”(O’Brien, 2012)

It is not only the way of cowboy underlined in Western. But also a criticism of the societal standards of what needs to be done, and how the people behave and live.

Yet, Western shows that what is decided by society does not fit every situation, and sometimes the answer is adaptation. The cowboy adapts to the lifestyle of the west, he is not in the society, but that is why he survived for so long and that is why he was the one who was able to rescue her niece from the Native Americans.

In other words, he is still a hero character but not an inspiration for the audience. So, he becomes either a professional hero, a mercenary, or an outlaw. Even more so, a romance becomes even more unattainable for the Westerner. 

The Western Woman in The Searcher (1956)

The civilized world of Woman and Home is criticized by the Westerns, woman and home concepts of the old are glorified. Moreover, a woman in Western movies is usually the antithesis of Femme Fatales of Film Noir.  

While Film Noir and the Western are famous in the same era, the two genres are completely opposite of the other in terms of the portrayal of the woman.

Woman in Western. (2017). [Image]. http://cinemajam.com/mag/features/what-makes-a-western-a-western

The man who allowed himself to be domesticated by a woman is generally compared to the Westerner who is free and managed to hold onto his masculinity. He isn’t domesticated by family and the woman. 

That’s also why women are usually eliminated from the story earlier or only consist a small portion of the narration, mostly as a «damsel in distress». 

If she isn’t, the masculinity could be jeopardized and put in danger.

Sources:

Elkin, F. (1950). The Psychological Appeal of the Hollywood Western. The Journal of Educational Sociology, 24(2), 72-86. doi:10.2307/2263795

Nachbar, J., & Lausé, K. (1992). Popular culture (p. 432). Bowling Green State University.

O’Brien, W. (2012). Music in American combat films (p. 124). McFarland & Co.