billfrat.com - How the Western was Killed

How the Western was Killed

Bill Frat
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
"The only thing Costner is good for is getting me another beer" When it comes to deceased genres, everyone seems to lament the western. Every year it's mourned and every year Hollywood half heartedly tries to breathe new life into it. They toss a couple million at Kevin Costner and Ed Harris once in a while and say 'hey, we believe you can resurrect this classic from the dead - here's 2.5 and Renee Zellweger – good luck.' You don't stop a fire by pouring gasoline on it. If you want to bring a genre back to life, you need to commit. When Disney attempted to reignite the 'Pirate Genre' they didn't float it over to some fresh face scrub and wish him the best. They brought on Depp, threw 100+ million at the movie, and scheduled it for the summer. Sure, if that had tanked, that would've signaled the end of high seas high jinks, but it's certainly better than the slow death they've been giving the Western. If Hollywood really wants to test its appeal, they need to stop going the indie route and put some bucks behind it – pun intended. And if Ridley Scott and Leo team up for a colossal dessert failure and the stake is finally put through the genre's heart, then well…at least you tried. And maybe - though Hollywood and the purists probably don't want to admit it – maybe the genre is dead. Could be that the western just doesn't stand a chance in the Superhero, CGI-dominated world we live in. Why watch a couple deputies trot amongst the tumbling weeds when Michael Bay is making cars transform into robots? There's a reason why nobody watches hockey anymore. If you over saturate the market with flashier products, people are going to leave the dull ones. All I'm saying is, if you're going to try, than try. And if not, than pouring out passable flicks – like 3:10 Yuma – is just going to remind audiences of what they're really missing. Fans eventually give up on teams that are just ok season after season. It's easier to root for a stinker because you know that there's no place to go but up. But the Western is the Hollywood equivalent of the Milwaukee Bucks – a team that's always just bad enough to finish outside the playoffs and good enough to be 12 picks away from anyone that'll help. Their mediocrity – same with Westerns – has killed them. It's like Independence Day meets Wild, Wild West, which both oddly enough star Will Smith But, to be fair and end on a high note, there is a sliver of hope on the horizon. There are rumors that Hollywood will put a lot behind graphic novel 'Cowboys Versus Aliens' – a story about cowboys and Indians teaming up to fight off alien invaders during the wild, wild west. Feel free to read that synopsis again - it was not a typo. But, you know what, all jokes aside, perhaps this is the type of tweak the genre needs. Maybe a ludicrous plot will help filter in a new audience and appreciation for it. Just because aliens forever tainted the 'Indiana Jones' legacy doesn't mean they can't save the Western. Or maybe Hollywood doesn't just want to kill the genre, they want to rip it's head off and toss it off a cliff. I'll be rooting for the cowboys. Frat it elsewhere Hits: 1534 Comments (2) BucksFan1998 , January 15, 2009 Yo easy on the Bucks. I can sense your jealousy for Francisco Ellison from here. Boxman , August 28, 2009 I think a true western ticks to a different clock than films these days. When you watch a great old John Wayne film, you see moments not captured in the current fast-paced action market. But those scenes, usually drawn out, where Wayne is listening for someone in the dark, last too long for the younger generations' attention span. Plus, lets be honest, Native Americans are depicted horribly in true old westerns, a level of obvious racism that is inappropriate in cinema, but contributed largely to the success of the genre Write comment Name Comment smaller \| bigger