| The American Film Institute (AFI) defines western films as those "set in the American West that embody the spirit, the struggle and the demise of the new frontier. This genre, totally an American invention, is one of the oldest in the history of film. "The Great Train Robbery," a film by film pioneer Edwin S. Porter, was one of the first movies of this genre. Westerns reached a zenith of greatness in the 1950s, and then experienced a great decline due to overexposure on television. The genre was eventually rescued in the 1960s by Italian filmmakers, chief among them, Sergio Leone, who produced a new kind of jagged, earthy films that because they were produced by Italian filmmakers are often lovingly referred to as "Spaghetti Westerns." The inspiration for these westerns, however, came from Japan, as master filmmaker Akira Kurosawa makes a film that is a homage to the American Western, even though it is set in feudal Japan. |
Fort Apache (1948) - Directed by John Ford (128 minutes) The first of the so-called "Cavalry Trilogy" by the great John Ford (the other two films are She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Rio Grande), Fort Apache tells the story of the conflict between American soldiers and the Native Americans. This is the kind of Western that Ford excelled at, and it was shot in his favorite locale: Monument Valley on the Arizona/Utah state line. The amazing cast features John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Pedro Armendáriz, and a grown-up Shirley Temple. |
| Watch and study Fort Apache (1948). There will be a quiz on this film on April 4. |
The Searchers (1956) - Directed by John Ford (119 minutes) One of the great Westerns, and one of the great American films of all time, directed by John Ford. Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) returns from the Civil War to his brother's ranch in the hopes to find a home with his family and to be near the woman he secretly loves. But a Comanche raid destroys these plans, and Ethan sets out, along with his nephew Martin (Jeffrey Hunter), on a years-long journey to find the niece kidnapped by the Indians. Once again, shot in Monument Valley, this time in Technicolor. This film is the inspiration for Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver. |
| Watch and study The Searchers (1956). There will be a quiz on this film on April 8. |
Yojimbo 用心棒 (1961) - Directed by Akira Kurosawa (110 minutes) Set in Japan in 1860, Yojimbo tells the story of a ronin (a masterless samurai), played by superstar Toshiro Mifune, who stumbles into a town where feuding crime lords are competing for supremacy. The two bosses try to hire the deadly newcomer as a bodyguard for each of their clans. The story, directed by the great Akira Kurosawa, basically follows the plot of an American Western, even though it is set in feudal Japan, and belongs to the genre the Japanese call "jidaigeki," (a samurai film). This term served as inspiration for the young George Lucas when he was writing the first Star Wars film. |
| Watch and study Yojimbo 用心棒 (1961). There will be a quiz on this film on April 11. |
Per un pugno di dollari (A Fistful of Dollars) (1967) - Directed by Sergio Leone (99 minutes) Italian director Sergio Leone's homage to the American Western, is based on Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo. Basically, it is the same story. A man with no name (Clint Eastwood) rides into a town torn by two feuding gangs, and sells his services as bodyguard to each one. This film was produced by Italians, shot in Spain, and it stars an international mixture of actors, including the young Eastwood, who up to that time was only a television star. This is the beginning of the genre called the "Spaghetti Western." This film features the memorable music of the great Ennio Morricone. |
| Watch and study A Fistful of Dollars (1967). There will be a quiz on this film on April 15. |