Western versus Modern Film Art Comparison Research Paper

Western versus Modern Film Art Comparison - Research Paper Example Western films are mostly devoted to telling of stories that pertain to the latter half of the nineteenth century or even earlier. The themes are very much about change and transformation, the change that was brought about when primitive ways were replaced by more civilized, advanced methods (Pitts, 1997). They may be about Civil Wars or important battles. They may even be about the Industrial Revolution and other such milestones in today’s history. Although they pertain to American history alone, these western films have gained popularity worldwide because of the commercial spices added and the perfection attained in recreating history. The popular perception of the western movies is that they always have a storyline that centers on the life of a cowboy or a gunfighter and how he uses the codes of honor and private justice to eradicate all evils around him which usually include a herd of villains and get the love of his life eventually. Western firms are mostly about morality. They seek to give a message to the viewer, it may be a simple message as that of spreading love or it may be a more complicated message like working hard to benefit not the present but the future generations. Isolated and harsh settings are often used such as that of forts, ranches, deserts etc to show how the Native Americans lived (Hyams, 1984). The western films, no matter what message they are intended to portray, always show the complete and true American civilization- one that is full of music, women, gambling, violence,  and love. Western films include a variety of sub-genres. There are the classics such as Godfather trilogy and The Big Country that was released in 1958. There are also the contemporary Western movies that have the same essence in a modernized setup, for example, Hud which was released in 1963.