Western Films Are Enjoying Renaissance and are More Popular Today
| November 21, 2011 | Posted by berns under Westernfilms |
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Western films make us imagine Cowboys and Indians in their glory days on the frontier. However, the classic western movies are much more than that and there are many actors as well as actresses that have taken part in this wonderful and sometimes historic representation of the early American history and way of living.
Usually, these kinds of movies would show towns covered in dust that would be inhabited by people who are scared of the gunfighters that would try to scare them. There would almost always be a scene that would be shot in the town’s saloon and there was always at least one gunfight and usually more than that. It is a time of cattle and horseback riding and mountains and other elements that defined the west during that time.
Popular Locations for Western Films
Quite a few of these western films were done in actual locations or at least the actual areas that would enable the ability to have the typical western background. Places like Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Colorado were especially used for their western atmosphere, and Eastern California was popular for the desert types of filming needed in certain stories. Entire face board, buildings which would just depict the facade, towns would be built out in the middle of nowhere for many of these movies and then be torn down when finished, this was the standard practice of many film makers.
A particular on-site location was the main backdrop for the movie “Stagecoach” and this was at the four corners region that included Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico and is called Monument Valley. Similarly, the “Cheyenne Autumn” western film was also done in that same location.
Some History on Western Films
Experts agree that the first western film that was made is titled “The Great Train Robbery” and it was all silent but is still considered to be a classic considering that it put the word western in the Hollywood dictionary.
Then there are those western movies that were done by the Italian director Sergio Leone and would feature relative newcomer Clint Eastwood. These were films such as “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, The Outlaw Josie Wales, and A Fist Few of Dollars.” These are now considered to be the new classics of this interesting genre.
The best western film actor is known to be John Wayne and he was one of the most prolific actors of his generation. Roles such as “Rooster Cogburn” and films like “The Alamo” are simply a couple of the many westerns he had made in his lifetime and he won for playing the protagonist in “True Grit.”
Lastly, those are just two of the outstanding actors that have starred or took part in the western film genre. There are many more that have had their start in these wonderful types of films as well and we will continue to enjoy their work for many years to come.
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