Mary Kassel is a Senior Lists Writer at Screen Rant and a contributor to the site's Reviews section as well. Kassel studied film and television in college and emphasizes theory and analysis in their work. Additionally, they focus this analysis on intersectionality and the experience of artists from all walks of life.
Summary SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Clint Eastwood defined the Western movie genre for many years, but when rewatching his classic films through the lens of modern-day conventions and expectations, some obvious issues come to light. This reality isn't to say that his films should be panned and never watched again, but viewing them with a critical eye can open up the audience’s world and inform modern iterations of the genre.
No hero is compelling if they don't face a moral dilemma, no matter what movie genre they're in. The Western is notorious for blurring the lines between hero and villain because it characterizes its heroes as morally ambiguous. This characterization frequently happens in Eastwood's movies, and sometimes, his roles push the boundary between an anti-hero and a complete villain.
8 Violence Is Glamorized High Plains Drifter , The Outlaw Josey Wales Close The Outlaw Josey Wales PG Action Adventure Documentary Western Where to Watch *Availability in USDirector Clint Eastwood Release Date July 14, 1976 Cast Clint Eastwood , Chief Dan George , Sondra Locke , Bill McKinney , John Vernon , Paula Trueman Runtime 135 minutes There’s no question that fight scenes, shootouts, and epic showdowns are essential parts of Westerns, and violence in films isn't necessarily something...
Eastwood's work rarely challenges these ideas and often elevates these solo characters to the point of mythic status. Even if his characters make some connections or build familial bonds, they are almost always shattered by the end of the movie. His family is killed, which sets him on a path of revenge, or as soon as his work is done within a frontier town, he moves on, never to be heard from again.
Although Paint Your Wagon and The First Traveling Saleslady are vastly different movies within Eastwood's Western oeuvre, they both illustrate similar problems with his films. They involve Eastwood and his compatriots going West to stake out an imagined claim in territory that wasn't theirs to occupy. Additionally, they center the idea that society was nonexistent in the West until white settlers arrived, and it was their duty to build communities from scratch.
While this was a reality of the time, the opportunity was rarely presented to women to fight back and have agency. This issue is apparent when considering that women are consistently victimized and used as a plot device and motivating factor for Eastwood's male heroes to get revenge and excuse their actions.
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10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching Lucifer 8 Years After It PremieredAmanda Mullen is a writer and editor based in Long Island, New York. She received a Bachelor in Arts in English Literature from Adelphi University, and she&039;s passionate about all things involving the written word.
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