an Analysis of Hollywood Western Films Films During the d and Others During the Years 1939 to 1964

In this way, a genre film can be very much a product of its time, and the task of defining genres can be a difficult process. The Western usually focuses on the American West in the second half of the nineteenth century, making the genre somewhat easier to define than some (Gehring, 1988). However, a Western is more than simply the setting. It is also made up of themes. "In short, to talk about the western is (arbitrary definitions apart) to appeal to a common set of meanings in our culture" (Tudor, 2003, p. 6). The important stipulations that define a genre are not simply traits inherent in the films themselves. They also reflect the particular culture in which they are operating (Tudor, 2003).Audiences might define genres on the basis of the characters and their roles in the story, the activities involved, audience reactions to the story, material objects and metaphorical meanings, time period and setting, and also characteristics and production values (Jeffres, Bracken, Atkin, Neuendorf, 2010; Jeffres, Neuendorf, Giles, 1990).

These standards are useful for viewing genre categories from the perspective of an audience member.Within the Western, there is often a rather arbitrary demarcation drawn between the Pre-war Western and the Revisionist Western movie. In this way, the genre of the Western is split into categories. Part of the purpose of this paper will be to examine how Westerns from 1939 to 1964 evolved in their style. The Psychological Western will also be discussed because it exists within the Revisionist time frame, also representing the rejection of classic themes and the acceptance of a certain cynicism regarding the Old West. The years 1939 to 1964 were selected because they represent a time when the Western peaked in popularity and director John Ford seemed to lead the trend in its growing dominance over the silver screen.