Western Genre Case Study:
Films within the western genre tend to have main themes of either revenge and betrayal. The narrative of westerns typically revolve around the endeavors of a lone cowboy, who is usually on a quest seek revenge and in doing so, is met with many people who will either look to help him or look to betray him. They often involve female characters who typically have a subverted role within the film as either a love interest or a damsel in distress. For instance, 'Bone Tomahawk' (2015) features Lili Simmons as 'Samantha O'Dwyer. She plays a doctor and wife who gets kidnapped by savages and is, as a result, a character that in fact doesn't feature that much. Instead, the screen is dominated by male characters who are on a mission to save her. The typical audience of westerns is a wide age category due to a lot of violence being in the films, something which the younger generation tend to like, and also the older generations are more interested in them as a result of classic westerns being in theaters and TV throughout their childhoods. But in terms of gender, the main group they are aimed at is males due to the intense Macho-Manliness which is displayed in each of the daring heroes and villains that grace the character lists of many westerns.
Character Types:
The Archetypal Cowboy:
The term 'cowboy' in its simplest, refers to anybody who looks after cattle on a ranch and someone who is typically an adventurous Westerner who rides horseback and carries pistols. Within westerns, they tend to be the protagonist that is on a mission to save a damsel in distress; avenge a close one's death or; restoring peace and harmony to the community, on whom the well being and future of the rest of the community people depends or the one who heroically saves the day. They are usually bold, daring and independent. Of course, in order to have our film be considered a western, we must consider having a cowboy protagonist within our trailer.
The term 'cowboy' in its simplest, refers to anybody who looks after cattle on a ranch and someone who is typically an adventurous Westerner who rides horseback and carries pistols. Within westerns, they tend to be the protagonist that is on a mission to save a damsel in distress; avenge a close one's death or; restoring peace and harmony to the community, on whom the well being and future of the rest of the community people depends or the one who heroically saves the day. They are usually bold, daring and independent. Of course, in order to have our film be considered a western, we must consider having a cowboy protagonist within our trailer.
The Subverted Female Character:
As mentioned above, westerns also tend to have women within them who play subverted and less important roles than that of the men or they serve as a love interest for the protagonist. This could be said to be a direct representation of the gender roles during 19th century America with the men being the working cowboys riding around on horses with the women being stay-at-home housewives. Although, many of the westerns produced in the 21st century do in fact give women more important roles within them. For example, in 2010's 'True Grit', Mattie Ross is the character that sets out on a mission to avenge her father's death and despite her seeking help from a man, she is very much a central character within the film.
As mentioned above, westerns also tend to have women within them who play subverted and less important roles than that of the men or they serve as a love interest for the protagonist. This could be said to be a direct representation of the gender roles during 19th century America with the men being the working cowboys riding around on horses with the women being stay-at-home housewives. Although, many of the westerns produced in the 21st century do in fact give women more important roles within them. For example, in 2010's 'True Grit', Mattie Ross is the character that sets out on a mission to avenge her father's death and despite her seeking help from a man, she is very much a central character within the film.
The Sidekick:
Typically a character that aids the protagonist on his/her journey, the sidekick aims to protect and serve the protagonist in their attempt to overcome adversity. They tend to be less desirable and less intelligent than the protagonist to create a foil between the two. An example of a typical sidekick within a western film would be Gabby Hayes who played sidekick many stars during his life including John Wayne (15 times).
Typically a character that aids the protagonist on his/her journey, the sidekick aims to protect and serve the protagonist in their attempt to overcome adversity. They tend to be less desirable and less intelligent than the protagonist to create a foil between the two. An example of a typical sidekick within a western film would be Gabby Hayes who played sidekick many stars during his life including John Wayne (15 times).