"...who would want to spoil his hot dog with some fancy gourmet sauce..." - True, no Grey Poupon, ...

Posted by Audiophilander (A) on February 1, 2010 at 09:50:40

In Reply to: Westerns to cinema are like hot dogs to dining posted by Victor Khomenko on January 29, 2010 at 11:50:14:

... but that's what makes westerns stick to your ribs better than the so much of the overhyped "serious" art house cuisine. Westerns as a genre run the gamut, they can be as simple as a "B" picture shoot-'em-up or as complex and varied as any situation cinema with intellectual pretensions, but one thing they all westerns have in common: they are fundamentally American.

High Noon boring? Wash your mouth out with lye soap! Have you ever considered what The Wild Bunch represents or discussed what Sam Peckinpah's transitional western genre films were about? Contemporary western films often deal with the harsh realities of adjusting to a constantly changing world and delve into the not-so-B&W aspects of loyalty, heroism and villainy rather than the overly simplified and glorified legends.

I disagree with you completely when you suggest that the western has to be "fairly dumb to be truly enjoyable." That sounds more like a personal issue or perhaps just a lack of knowledge on the subject. To the contrary, some of the more involving westerns feature compelling anti-heros, those on the fence or at a turning point in their lives. These are ethical concepts that transcend genre.

What westerns can do better than any other type of reality based film is to represent the shifting lifestyles between colonial expansionism and industrialized America, the uprooting of indigenous tribes, hardship, lawlessness, frontier justice, opportunism and disappointment, cultural and racial divisions. These are universal themes, but they can often be explored in a western setting (removed from our own) with much more poignancy than in a contemporary one.

AuPh

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - Any Western fans? Well, podnuh, you better get over to the bunkhouse and - tinear 09:55:31 01/29/10 (18)

Dang! Two recommendations from you @ the top of my ToView list in 12 hours. THANKS!...N/T - musetap 10:48:05 01/29/10 (0)

Two extremes: The Wild Bunch & Silverado! One gritty and realistic, the other romanticized; both are excellent. - Audiophilander 10:41:56 01/29/10 (16)

Too often, Eastwood's films are one-dimensional. And the shooter - tinear 11:09:57 01/29/10 (15)

Westerns to cinema are like hot dogs to dining - Victor Khomenko 11:50:14 01/29/10 (14)

"...who would want to spoil his hot dog with some fancy gourmet sauce..." - True, no Grey Poupon, ... - Audiophilander 09:50:40 02/01/10 (0)

Shane on you! - abel mccain 17:21:38 01/29/10 (0)

A tad condescending, I'd argue. Westerns, noir, war films and - tinear 14:10:11 01/29/10 (8)

Is pro wrestling art? - Victor Khomenko 14:31:50 01/29/10 (7)

Let me get this straight: you're comparing professional grappling - tinear 14:34:56 01/29/10 (6)

Must be some of them... you know... armchair-critics. - Victor Khomenko 16:01:25 01/29/10 (5)

Do you really think depicting modern man in a corporate world - tinear 20:07:07 01/29/10 (4)

I really wonder what on Earth caused THAT comment? - Victor Khomenko 20:16:38 01/29/10 (3)

The danger of violent death from Indians, roving - tinear 07:54:15 01/30/10 (2)

You made a silly comment about corporate suits - Victor Khomenko 08:33:58 01/30/10 (1)

Your comment was Western's "simple primitives." Do you think the two - tinear 18:25:23 01/30/10 (0)

RE: Westerns to cinema are like hot dogs to dining - Tom Brennan 12:21:05 01/29/10 (2)

Can I bring Patrick? - Victor Khomenko 12:28:00 01/29/10 (1)

Bring Patrick (and his wine) - go and rent Jarmusch's "Dead Man"... - abel mccain 08:48:18 02/07/10 (0)

Follow Ups

"...who would want to spoil his hot dog with some fancy gourmet sauce..." - True, no Grey Poupon, ... - Audiophilander 09:50:40 02/01/10 (0)

"...who would want to spoil his hot dog with some fancy gourmet sauce..." - True, no Grey Poupon, ...

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