SAGA or HISTORICITY

[williamlayton]

Well, we been beatin up these here western flicks fer a while now and I been seein some interesting traits amongst tha boys.
I am wonderin what it is in a western movie that makes it special too ya. Is it one that is cold, hard history or is it one that has a bunch of made up saga which surrounds tha history, ya know, catchy sayins and lots of action.. Some may call these historical fiction.
Now that doan make ya a bad peson either way, I'm jest wonderin.
Blessings

[Shorty]

In a western movie, the "good" guy is good (or at least good at heart) and that is us.  The bad guy is BAD, and that is any bad guy in our life.  In the movies, "good" guy gets to shoot down " bad" guy, dead as ... , while getting off scot free (even winning fair maiden).  In real life, when good guy shoots down bad guy, he goes broke paying lawyers to keep him out of the calaboose!   Westerns keep life in simple terms and basic values. :wink:

[williamlayton]

Well since this thread has drawn SO much interest I will end it with my own thoughts.
I enjoy movies that follow history pretty closely. The words and phrases are, most of the time, a real turn off for me. Seems they are added for drama and without any consideration to any history of langauge.
Those boys were pretty short on words and conversations were more simple and direct than our language today, and, without all the foul language heard in the movies.
Earlier, 30's and 40's era westerns were, I think, more descriptive of the times than the language of today. I have read diaries kept by some of these boys and they are a great deal more simple-and I assume they wrote as they talked.
When asked why he had shot someone a Texas Ranger made the statement, "I don't give orders but once" and that turns out to be a creed to this day.
Why all the fuss, by me, about this, well I guess I am getting fed up with all the hype talk.
Blessings

[Capt Hamp Cox]

Well said, oldwilliamlayton.

Think some of us have the advantage of having known and talked with folks who lived during the tail end of the era we are discussing. We realize that there have been the good, the bad, and the ugly throughout the ages, but today's trend to concentrate primarily on the bad and the ugly provides a distorted picture (I think) of how it really was.

That and a buck might get you a cup of coffee (if you ain't real particular).

Hamp

PS Hittin' the road in the old RV for a month or so (gonna be real fun with a pair of Jack Russells along).  Gonna swing through OK, KS, MO, NE, CO, NM, and back to God's country.  Especially lookin' forward to seein' the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in OK City.

[williamlayton]

Thanx fer tha tip on bein absent--have fun and doan let tha sights leer ya into stayin out too long. Keep us posted on tha interesting stuff, like a diary or sumthin.
Yea, you could write too us from tha road--might just get to be a popular thing.
Blessings, an well, ya know, be careful out there.

[IndianaDean]

I saw the last part of The Shootist last night. Haven't seen it in years. I know from history the term 'shootist' was used in the west as opposed to gunfighter. I also did not remember one of my favorites, Richard Boone was in the movie, along with Jimmy Stewart. I want to get that one and watch it again from the top.

[williamlayton]

His character was an extension of HONDO, WELL-IN MY OWN OPENION.
Blessings

[MOGorilla]

I think Hondo is one of the least watched John Wayne Westerns.  I don't know why it is so hard to find.   Good film.

[williamlayton]

I enjoy it when shown-and yes, it does not get the play that many of John's more commercial work does, and it is a better film.
Blessings

[Win 73]

Hondo was Louis L'Amour's favorite movie because of the 30 or 40 of his books that were made into movies, it followed the book the closest.