The Rise and Fall of the Western genre

The Rise and Fall of the Western Genre

 

 



Over time, different genres take over the film industry due to popularity. An example of this is the original western genre in the 1920s and 30s. They were vastly popular however over time, audiences began to expect the same plotline for every film. For westerns the main plotline was that that there was a lone man that fights against the evil in a classic western setting isolated from orthodox society. The lone man is usually a romantic figure as well a strong figure but it was almost known from the beginning that the good would beat the evil and everything would end well.
<- Clint Eastwood in 'The Good, the bad and the ugly'

 

Consequently to the plot being very similar in most westerns, the popularity of then dropped by the 1940s and audiences turned to other genres which were new and different. However in the 1960s, a new form of the western was invented. Started by Italian film producers, the new 'Spaghetti Western' genre was created which differed from the original western genre. The setting of the new spaghetti westerns were similar to the original westerns, usually set in an isolated western town in the American desert separated from orthodox society. The main character was still the untamed lone cowboy that fights against evil however the difference in the character is that the romance side is lost and is more aggressive.


Notable producers of the spaghetti westerns are Sergio Leone producing 'A Fistful of Dollars' in 1964 starring Clint Eastwood and Quentin Tarrantino. Overall, the sub genre of the Spaghetti Western was a success especially in the USA and Italy where they were widely produced until the late 1970s. After then, the genre of western died down again and other genres have once again taken over. The occasional westerns since that have been well received include Unforgiven produced in 1992 directed by Clint Eastwood himself.
<- 'Unforgiven' from 1992