MM
completed, maybe – just maybe – TV Westerns
A postscript
of the 40s and 50s could make a comeback
Despite the abundance of essays and articles
in an age of multi-channel viewing and such
on the Western film there are few available books
daring non-mainstream cable stations as HBO.
on the subject of the relationship between the
• Indeed it was HBO that commissioned
Western and American socio-political conflict.
Deadwood in 2004; a shockingly violent
The Rough Guide To Westerns by Paul Sampson
Western TV series created by NYPD Blue writer
(2006) and is exactly as its title suggests and
David Milch. The series handled just about all
The Pocket Essentials: Spaghetti Westerns by
the major issues that affect every living person:
Howard Hughes is a surprisingly informative
law, society, crime, business, politics, sex,
read. But for a more academic approach one
power and greed.
should attempt to get hold of copies of From
• Steven Spielberg even produced a Western
Shane To Kill Bill: Rethinking The Western by
TV mini-series called Into The West, which
Patrick McGee and Westerns: Aspects Of A Movie
first aired in 2005. Like his Sc-Fi series Taken,
Genre by Phillip French. However, The American
the story spans several decades and follows
Western by Stephen McVeigh (2007) is a ‘must-
the lives of various characters as the Old West
read’ for anyone thinking of pursuing an interest
develops and changes rather dramatically.
on the relationship between the American
Into The West focuses on the tumultuous
Western and modern politics and sociology.
relationship between white Americans and
Neil Daniels is a freelance journalist specialising in film and
Native Americans; post-9/11 the issue of
race, prejudice and civil rights is even more
rock music. Visit his website
www.neildaniels.com
important.
The future of the Western?
It’s unclear where the Western will go next. It
has endured and evolved throughout periods
of social change, retaining a loyal audience; its
most recent re-emergence, via bankable stars
such as Brad Pitt and Russell Crowe, appears
to be drawing in a younger, more cine-literate
generation. Its original historic context and mise-
en-scène may have been re-framed in the light
of cultural and political conflict, but its universal
themes are – perhaps more than ever – still
relevant and may also be therapeutic to a nation
in turmoil.
Southern Comfort Ned Kelly
Open Range
english and media centre | February 2008 | MediaMagazine 67
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