True Grit, the 2010 remake of a classical western directed by Henry Hathaway, is a film that fits the category of genre of order as outlined in Thomas Schatz’s “Film Genres and the Genre Film.” Being directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, the modern western depicts the contested environment of the Arkansas in the 1800’s. The western accurately portrays society as still a largely segregated version of the United States, as blacks are still slaves, and Native Americans are treated as second rate citizens. The genre of order is both upheld and interrogated by the Coen brothers, as their film has an unconventional hero, but the conflict, setting, and resolution all fit within the characteristics of the genre of order.
The hero in the film True Grit, directed by the Coen brothers, is quite unconventional as she is a
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This concept is not directly addressed by the film through dialogue, however it is implied by the interactions between Native Americans and the white Americans. One example of this treatment is when the three people are being hanged at the gallows. There were two white men who were granted last words, and a Native American, who was hanged right when he began to speak. The fact that the Native American was not granted his last words speaks to the greater discrimination that took place in the 1800’s. Schatz prosed the following convention in “Film Genres and the Genre Film:” “As has often been said, Hollywood movies are considerably more effective in their capacity to raise questions than to answer them.” (Schatz 35.) This quote is applicable to the environment of True Grit, by displaying the poor treatment of the Native Americans, but not making an effort to improve or address said treatment. This particular dimension of the film, which includes the institution of slavery, is just a part of the social commentary, by the Coen brothers, on the
One of the Natives says “We’re Indians watching Indians on tv,” which seems surreal because it is not how they live as savages. Over time these real Indians start to believe that what films show is their reality because aside from the stories they hear, seeing it shows a new perspective and changes their views on how their ancestors lived. It changes their views as in they believe they must all be these tough men who are masters of horseback riding, when they do not even own a horse. So it becomes a race to save the image or prove themselves that they have of their own culture in their own land, which is harder once civilizations grow and forget that Natives too are humans. John Trudell explains, “We're too busy trying to protect the idea of a Native American or an Indian - but we're not Indians and we're not Native Americans. We're older than both concepts. We're the people. We're the human beings.” Moreover, Native Americans believe in the great spirits of their ancestors and how nature is one with humans, but the sacred lands of where their ancestors fought for freedom and died, become forgotten by erasing the memory Americans have about the battles. The Battle of Little Bigfoot and The Battle of Wounded Knee is very much alive for the Natives in the film, there is a deep respect for their ancestors, but the memory of their ancestors only lives in them. “We'll never be able to
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
Genre and Narrative Establishment in the Opening of Pulp Fiction, The Krays and Goodfellas In this piece of coursework I am going to study, compare and evaluate three films in order to show how the genre and narrative are established in the opening five minutes of each. The three films I have chosen to study are 'Pulp Fiction', 'The Krays' and 'Goodfellas'. Pulp Fiction was released in 1995, it was written and directed by Quentin Tarantino and was star studded with the likes of John Travolta (Vincent Vega), Uma Thurman (Mia Wallace), Samuel L Jackson (Jules) and Bruce Willis (Butch). Pulp Fiction has a non-linear narrative; the film follows Vincent's life and the scenarios he transpires within just a few days.
As the classic household back in the Western days, the women were responsible to cook and clean. It was frowned upon for a lady to be out doing men’s work, and a lady to be out on the hunt for a killer was unspoken of. That is why Henry Hathaway’s 1969 western film, True Grit, stands out so much. From a traditional western film, a woman is typically found inside of the house. Their duties are cooking, cleaning, and watching the children. In the presence of, one must be utmost polite and courteous. In the film True Grit, one of the main characters, Mattie, whose role is played by Kim Darby, is a young girl who’s bound and determined to catch and see to the hanging of her father’s killer. Mattie goes about this by hiring the West’s most tough and rugged U.S. Marshal, “Rooster” Cogburn play the one and only John Wayne. One might think this would be a typical story line where a young lady hires a U.S. Marshall to capture her father’s killer,
As a result, both films represent Native Americans from the point of view of non-Native directors. Despite the fact that they made use of the fabricated stereotypes in their illustrations of the indigenous people, their portrayal was revolutionary in its own times. Each of the films adds in their own way a new approach to the representation of indigenous people, their stories unfolding in a different way. These differences make one look at the indigenous not only as one dimensional beings but as multifaceted beings, as Dunbar says, “they are just like us.” This is finally a sense of fairness and respect by the non-native populations to the Native Indians.
Charles Portis’s famous novel True grit published in 1968 was the basis of both the 1969 and the 2010 movie. The 2010 movie by the Coen Brothers covers a lot of stuff from the book, but I think they made the character Mattie a lot different then the book. In the book Mattie was a 14 teen year old girl who wasn't afraid of anything, and was not afraid to take revenge on her fathers killer Tom Chaney. Some of events in the movie made her look tough but the actor was too nice and cute to play Mattie. They also made her way more emotional than in the book. Even though they covered most of the events of the book I still don't like the way they made the movie.
The development of the Western genre originally had its beginnings in biographies of frontiersmen and novels written about the western frontier in the late 1800’s based on myth and Manifest Destiny. When the film industry decided to turn its lenses onto the cowboy in 1903 with The Great Train Robbery there was a plethora of literature on the subject both in non-fiction and fiction. The Western also found roots in the ‘Wild West’ stage productions and rodeos of the time. Within the early areas of American literature and stage productions the legend and fear of the west being a savage untamed wilderness was set in the minds of the American people. The productions and rodeos added action and frivolity to the Western film genre.
The film genre of the Western has long since proven to be more about the conflict and showdowns that occur in the storyline. Usually the western genre incorporates traditional western motifs and icons and adheres to those common plot structures of the genre, but Brokeback Mountain is different from what is to be normally expected because it does not seem like a traditional and conventional Western film at all. Brokeback Mountain has several different twists to it, like the more modern take on it – traditionally, characters in Western films were riding horses, but because Brokeback Mountain is a more modern movie, the two characters Jack and Ennis are seen traveling in cars and trucks most of the time. This alteration is very major, as in many Western films the horses are very important and not just used as a typical means of everyday transportation. The Western is a genre that brings out other genres as well in their plot – war, melodrama, romance, comedy, and action, for example.
Revenge, good versus evil, and the hard-fought victory of the underdog are the compelling themes in the western adventure novel, True Grit by Charles Portis. This work has been dubbed as “one of the great American novels” (Newsweek) and even inspired two award-winning films with its captivating characters and heart-wrenching conflicts. Only a year after the famous novel hit the American household by storm, True Grit (1969) was produced to recognize and appreciate the fans of the Portis original. Moreover, True Grit (2010) appeals to a different audience, because it pays less homage to the novel as a result of it being released nearly four decades after the book. These contrasting traits are exhibited in their trailers which are specialized to attract different moviegoers.
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.
The ironic use of the visual imagery of Westerns and the appropriation of a famous Western narrative, repurposed and rehabilitated, are what makes this film a film of the latter phase of the Western
The historical accuracy and depth will be critically viewed in this paper. I will take culture into account as well. Did this film accurately describe how American culture truly was during these decades? The best way to follow something historical is to go in chronological order, so that is exactly what this paper will start with.
It presents these people as natural savages, while the “good” ones are merely a small group of individualized cases. Also, the physical portrayals of the Native Americans in this film are also stereotypical because only some specific tribes wore feathers in their hair, however, this representation generalizes this aspect onto all Native Americans. The film also seems to assume that Natives had very little, and non-advanced languages, in which “the ‘pesky red-skins’ of the dime novels were almost completely silent, except for blood-curdling war whoops and occasional slaughter of the English language” (Kilpatrick, 1990, pg. 43-44). This even assumed that these Natives’presumed lack of language was merely primitive, and therefore, explains why the Natives in this film seem unable to learn English.
Except for his late Cheyenne Autumn, the Indian is the enemy, whether the noble warrior or drunken savage.” (1975) The characters in the stagecoach are not necessarily moral figures, each an individual that could be seen as being on the edge of acceptable society, yet it is these characters who are deemed as worthy of an emotional connection from the audience, as it is
Genres are categories of type of films, categorized in specific styles or subject maters, some genre stay single in a movie and other movies have a mixed range of genres. Uncovering the genre of a movie before viewing would reveal the movies subject matter and suitability. For example a crime/drama movie may start with a drama start but because the movie displays its genre the viewers will know eventually later on the movie will begin to involve crime scenes, what also defines the what genre it is, is the certain stock characters and dramatic situations associated with a specific category, such as a mobster having family issues.