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Summary
TheWesterngenre of filmmaking was full of so many unbelievable black - and - ashen movies that showcased the enthrall account of cowboys , gunslingers , and outlaw . While many westerly movies have utilized the power of color to showcase beautiful word picture of scenic landscape as a extremely picturesque view of America was presented onscreen , plenty more have traded colour for the in effect shock of smuggled - and - blank filmmaking . While this was a necessary in the early days of Hollywood , as colour take over as the primary style of moviemaking , black - and - white films became a more intentional stylistic selection .
The salutary bleak - and - white Westerns were made by acclaimed directors like John Ford and featured iconic Western star such as John Wayne , Henry Fonda , and Glenn Ford . While most of thegreatest black - and - clean Westerns were put out during the music genre ’s heyday from the 1930s to the fifties , there were also some standout colorless vent in more recent times . Althoughblack - and - white moviesmay look outdated to some , these films have all stood the test of clip and rate among the good Westerns ever bring out .
103:10 To Yuma (1957)
Directed by Delmer Daves
Cast
A belittled - time rancher was hire to take out a great - shot crook in the smutty - and - lily-white Western classic3:10 Yuma . With Glenn Ford as the struggling everyman Dan Evans and Van Heflin as the notorious stage - robbing gunslinger Ben Wade,3:10 to Yumawas an intense westerly shootout with beautiful cinematography . As Evans sought retribution against the criminal who killed his two sons , the most striking thing about3:10 to Yumawas how well it utilize its black - and - white mental imagery to create some truly prominent mise - nut - scène .
While3:10 to Yumawas splendidly make over by director James Mangold with Russell Crowe and Christian Bale , that adjustment lacked the sharp black - and - lily-white cinematography of the original translation and paled in comparison . With an engrossing story , compelling characters , and a really impressive aesthetic,3:10 to Yumadeserved to be rank among thebest Westerns of the fifties . The film was also memorable for its report birdsong , “ The 3:10 to Yuma , " which play up the movie ’s themes of cowboys , outlaws , and the greater trade good in the Old West .
9Fort Apache (1948)
Directed by John Ford
As just one of many collaborations betweendirector John Ford and projection screen fable John Wayne , Fort Apachewas a fantastic black - and - white Western that acted as one of the first in its genre to present a likeable persuasion of Native Americans . Having previously been portrayed as one - dimensional wolf villain , Fort Apachegave acceptance to indigenous cultures and present them with previously unobserved regard . Wayne was joined by a star - stud cast inFort Apachethat also include Henry Fonda and Shirley Temple in one of her final film purpose .
With a tale inspired by literal - life history Wild West difference of opinion like the Battle of Little Bigfoot and the Fetterman Fight , Fort Apachetold a complex story about an honorable stager in difference with a discriminatory lieutenant colonel who held no respect for local tribes . The first in Ford ’s ‘ Cavalry Trilogy’,Fort Apachewas watch byShe Wore a yellowed RibbonandRio Grande . Fort Apachewas a clever and nuanced Western that revealed obscure depth with every subsequent viewing .
8The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
As a film released in 1962,The Man Who Shot Liberty Valancewas produced after color had taken over the moving-picture show industry and was intentionally made in black - and - livid to feed into its themes of mythmaking . Withtwo legendary westerly stars team up up , The gentleman Who Shot Liberty ValancestarredJohn Wayne and James Stewartin an expertly craft deconstruction of the myth of the Old West . A statement on the glorification of bandits , gunslingers , and outlaws , the photographic film was a stepping gem toward a more ego - aware fashion of filmmaking in Hollywood .
This John Ford Western deal the vibrant landscape painting of movies likeThe Searchersfor intense melodrama .
WhileThe Man Who Shot Liberty Valanceleaned into many trope and clichés of the westerly musical genre , it did so in a ego - aware way that highlighted how legends were made , and the way society bends the true statement for the saki of a right story . A hefty representation of the complexities of heroes and villains , this John Ford Western trade the vibrant landscapes of movies likeThe Searchersfor intense melodrama . The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’sthemes can be tot up well by its iconic quotation : “ This is the westward , sir . When the caption becomes fact , impress the legend . ”
7Blood On The Moon (1948)
Directed by Robert Wise
In this gritty Western noir , a vagrant named Jim Garry gets catch in the heart of a deadly feud between nester and cattle rancher in postwar Wyoming . Initially hire by his one-time friend to help in a deceptive scheme against the settlers , Garry ’s conscience is wake up by love story and the vicious world of this war tight to nursing home . As the tensions escalate into fierceness , Garry must choose a side , unavoidably pass to a crashing showdown .
roue on the Moonwas a swift 88 - minute Western that utilized its black - and - white mode to represent a gripping , psychological , film noir Western . place by Robert Wise and asterisk Robert Mitchum , this extremely engrossing Old West write up revolved around the unemployed cowhand Jim Garry , his purchasable friend Tate Riling , and a dispute between homesteaders and cowhand John Lufton . As a fast - drawn westerly drama , line on the Moonwas full of suspense and intrigue .
Blood on the Moonwas based on the novelGunman ’s Cattleby Luke Shortand was an interesting melange of music genre that took the dependable from both Westerns and film noirs to birth something unfeignedly unequalled . While the news report of a noble man embroiled in intense conflict was nothing new , descent on the Moonput a cagey twist on a good gunfighter step in to terminate a contravention . Full of memorable scenes , such as the epic bar fight , Blood on the Moonwas essential viewing for westerly partisan .
6My Darling Clementine (1946)
Over the years , there have been innumerable westerly movies made about theoutlaws Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday , but one of the best has to be John Ford’sMy Darling Clementine . Set during the lead - up to the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral , My Darling Clementinewas an gratifying black - and - snowy Western and a classic dramatization of the Earp legend and his fast - shooting ways . With special performance by Henry Fonda and Victor Mature , the appealingness ofMy Darling Clementinehas not lessened in the almost 80 years since its departure .
As Earp and his work party tried to settle a score with the Clanton mob , whom they believe stole their Bos taurus and murder their brother , My Darling Clementinewas a fascinating written document of the events circumvent Tombstone . The cinema was pass on extra relevancy as Ford claimed to have known the existent Earp ( viaLife in the 1800s ) , which gave his representation inMy Darling Clementinea unique entreaty . As an outlaw who was never recorded on video or audio , the fact that Ford made a movie about Earp madeMy Darling Clementinea unique and significant diachronic document .
5Dead Man (1995)
Directed by Jim Jarmusch
While many of the best black - and - livid westerly movies were made during the height of the literary genre from the 1930s to the fifties , the American auteur Jim Jarmusch frame his unique vision on this style with his 1995 movieDead Man . A extremely unusual acid westerly starring Johnny Depp , Dead Mantook viewers on a journeying through the Old West , the poetry of William Blake , and many allusion to 20th - one C American finish . Described by Jarmusch as a “ psychedelic Western " ( viaThe Age),Dead Manwas shot entirely in monochrome and featured a soundtrack by Neil Young .
Dead Mantold the story of an accountant named William Blake who see a aboriginal American spirit guide named Nobody who prepared him for his incoming into the ghostlike humankind . As an idiosyncratic exploration of colonialism , civilization , and personal identity , Dead Manwas very unlike from the opprobrious - and - white Westerns of the past tense . A sound revision of many Western tropes , Dead Manproved that there were still new avenues that could be explore within the genre .
4The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)
Directed by William A. Wellman
The Ox - Bow Incidentlost out on the Best Picture Academy Award toCasablancaand deserved to be remember with the same veneration and honor with the same legacy as that classic love story picture . As a black - and - snowy classic and one of the earliest examples of a psychological Western , The Ox - Bow Incidentwas a dark drama that stood in stark line to the more upbeat Westernsthat were popular at the metre . The Ox - Bow Incidentwas an unbelievably thought-provoking movie that westerly legendClint Eastwood stated was his favorite pic of all time .
Despite its trailblazing repute , The Ox - Bow Incidentwas not a commercial bang at the prison term of its release , as its tale about three men separate over whether to lynch a human beings was far too sour for mainstream contemporary audiences . However , the vivid radical ofThe Ox - Bow Incidentwere also part of the reason it has stand the mental test of clip . As a sinewy statement deriding mob lynching , The Ox - Bow Incidentwas an unflinching look at the moralistic contradiction of society .
3The Gunfighter (1950)
Directed by Henry King
Gregory Peck excel as the infamous aging “ debauched gun in the West”Jimmy Ringo inThe Gunfighter , a classic black - and - white Western that featured themes of legacy , dearest , and violence . Peck toy the hired gun who come into town looking for his reliable love who wanted nothing to do with him , and , while he could n’t get the girl , one matter he had no takings finding was trouble . With a repute as a skilled criminal , Ringo ca n’t assist but become the mark of every unseasoned cowman seek to make a name for themselves .
There was never a obtuse mo inThe Gunfighter , asPeck potently portrayed a doomed man with no choice but to continuously kill or be toss off . Much like its unfortunate lead fibre , the repute ofThe Gunfighterhas only continued to originate over the year as it stood as a clever and insightful financial statement on the nature of violence that feel incredibly modernistic for a moving picture from 1950 . Reportedly , the studio hated Peck ’s moustache , and afterThe Gunfighterunderperformed at the box office , manufacturer Spyros P. Skouras tell him , “ That mustache cost us jillion ” ( viaGolden Globes . )
Gregory Peck ’s role inThe Gunfighterinspired Bob Dylan ’s song “ Brownsville Girl , ” a highlight from Dyaln ’s divisive 1986 albumKnocked Out Loaded .
2Stagecoach (1939)
Stagecoachwas one of the greatest moving-picture show by director John Ford that bear witness even a sinister - and - white Western can still be full of thematic color and intrigue . With Claire Trevor and John Wayne in the star roles , Stagecoachwas the moving picture that cemented Wayne ’s leading man position and contributed greatly to his legacy as a westerly icon . While the story ofStagecoach , which involved a grouping of travelers endanger by Apache tribesman , acquaint an outdated depiction of Native Americans as simplistic wildcat , it still stood as one of the most influential movies ever made .
Director Orson Welles describedStagecoachas the perfect textbook for filmmaking and claimed to have watched the film 40 times in preparation forCitizen Kane(viaExpress . ) With a mythic theatrical of America , interesting characters , and allegorical storytelling , Stagecoachtranscended the Western musical style to produce a extremely thinking film . While criticism ofStagecoachcan be attributed to it being a product of its time , in other ways , it also felt implausibly innovative for a movie from the 1930s .
1High Noon (1952)
Directed by Fred Zinnemann
At the time of its sacking , High Noonwas mired in controversy due to its perceived political composition surrounding McCarthyism and blacklist in Hollywood . However , in the years since its release , this black - and - white Western has earned a reputation as one of the greatest westerly motion picture ever made . High Noonhad a story that hap in real - timethat concerned a town marshal whose duty was tested after he had to adjudicate whether to look a gang of killers alone or part town with his wife .
These moralistic themes conduct to several U.S. presidents citingHigh Noonas among their favorite movies of all clip .
With Gary Cooper as Marsal Will Kane and Grace Kelly as his married woman Amy Fowler , the characters inHigh Noonmaintained a strong commitment to duty and the order of the law . These moralistic themes led to several U.S. presidents citingHigh Noonas among their favorite movies of all fourth dimension ( viaIndependent . ) Although , not everybody was a fan , filmdom legendJohn Wayne rejected this classicWesternand derided it as “ the most un - American thing I ’ve ever fancy ” due to its perceived communist paragon .
Custom image by Yeider Chacon.
reservoir : Life in the 1800s , The Age , Golden Globes , Express , Independent
