Western is a significant genre in modern cinematography, though its history and significance are controversial and are actively discussed in society. There is an opinion that the Western film genre is an attempt to establish the identity of the American nation as dominated by male representatives of Anglo-Saxon culture. Such an assumption may be genuine for the origins of Westerns, but now this genre is much more complicated and broader. Western has a complex history and rich heritage and is a worldwide genre representing values and beliefs of many different nations and national environments, illustrating people’s lives from a specific “Western” perspective.
First of all, Westerns cannot be identified in a primitive way because nowadays, the genre does not only relate to the national identity of Americans. For instance, Gonzalez argues that Western is not a national genre anymore as it has become a transnational phenomenon that “has been received and interpreted differently in diverse national contexts” (257). In other words, there is much more to the genre, which now demonstrates specificities of various nations and cultures, including civil authorities and the relationships between the Middle East and the American West (Gonzalez 258). A specific term introduced by Miller and Van Riper – “international Westerns” unites the corresponding films into a large group of cinematic works (Gonzalez 258). Cinematic internationalism, or transnationalism, is associated with the film and all stages of its production, including distribution, exhibition, and reception (Gonzalez 259). Western films may have started as an attempt to institutionalize the American national identity, but now it is a more complicated genre.
Moreover, the Western genre films’ primary concern is not establishing the American national identity but the interpretation of national myths and epics. As Gonzalez claims, Westerns are a part of popular fiction that deconstructs and problematizes various foundational myths of the nation while presenting them from different perspectives (263). The researcher demonstrates that the Western genre is associated with the process described above as a part of cinematography in America, Ireland, Spain, France, and many other countries (Gonzalez 264). For instance, American Westerns illustrate the ideological implication of the American dream myth, whereas Irish Westerns refer to the legends of the Irish West associated with cultural nationalism in Ireland (Gonzalez 264). More importantly, Gonzalez states that Western films were related to the deconstruction and problematization of myths even in the period of the genre’s origins in America (263). Overall, the American national identity played a significant role in the Western film genre, but it was not its primary concern.
Summing up, Western is a complicated genre with a rich heritage associated with many countries worldwide, their national specificities, and cultures, illustrating them from a “Western” perspective. First, the Western genre is a part of American history, but it is also associated with the cultures of other countries as it has become a transnational genre. Nowadays, Western films are present globally, applying the so-called “Western” perspective to the issues of a particular country and its nation and culture. Second, Western films’ primary concern has never been the American national identity but the interpretation and deconstruction of various myths and epics. Each nation has its foundational myths, and the Western genre has always aimed to address those myths, interpreting them from a cinematic perspective. In other words, Western films are a highly complex part of modern cinematography, and the American national identity is neither their only nor primary concern.
Work Cited
Gonzalez, Jesus Angel. “Foundational Myths and National Identity in European Transnational Post-Westerns.” Western American Literature, vol. 54, no. 3, 2019, pp. 257-294.