The American Western in Comparison

Prior to the Italian westerns, the American westerns were much different. Better or worse is a matter of opinion, but they were very different. The American western has a long and lavish history and can be traced back to silent films such as "The Great Train Robbery" in 1903. The American western also spans almost every major genre from musical and comedy to sci-fi, but the best were the action and drama westerns. In 1946, John Ford's "My Darling Clementine" was released, and it is generally considered the first truly great American western. While not historically very accurate, and not violent, this good-natured and tender romance story wraps itself into the legend of Wyatt Earp. Over the next twenty years a plethora of westerns would emerge from Hollywood, and mixed among the good and the bad were some greats.

Like all movies, the early American westerns reflected the society and culture of the times; clean and wholesome, they had strong recognizable heroes. While this is certainly not a bad thing, it did not make for very realistic films. The early West was a rough, harsh and crude place, and one would never get a good sense of that lifestyle by watching Howard Hawks' film "Rio Bravo." While Hawks did a brilliant job of telling a story all contained over a few nights and all in the town, the thought of Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson as gunslingers with great singing voices makes it unbelievable: entertaining, yes, but believable, no.

Many of the early American westerns featured incredible scenery and magnificent cinematography, but the people and towns generally just looked too good. People of those times were not very hygienic, but this did not come across in the films. Dialogue was also a problem for the early westerns, because it read more like a book and not how people actually spoke. The grammar was just too perfect. There are, of course, always exceptions, and one of those exceptions was director George Stevens' "Shane" released in 1953: Shane was a gunslinger and he was an anti-hero. The film itself was beautifully shot and the director strived for realism with the gunplay, dialogue, and sets. There was no comedic sidekick and there was no singing; it was ahead of its time.

After the Italian western came on the scene, the American western started to change, and a refreshing change it was. Some label these as revisionist westerns and that may be accurate, but whatever you want to call them, the Italian influence is there. One of first films to showcase this new attitude in American westerns was director Ted Post's "Hang Em High." Released in 1968, it featured the spaghetti western star himself, Clint Eastwood. This was a much more violent film with more realistic use of guns, dirtier and grittier looking people and better attention to details, such as the hero's foot twitching while he was being hung in the opening scene. The film also contains a very disturbing hanging scene toward the end that holds up well even by today's standards. "Hang Em High" also has a very obvious tribute to Corbucci's "The Great Silence" where the main character extinguishes his cigar in a villain's drink.

Two noteworthy directors that would take lead in changing the America western forever were Sam Peckinpah and Clint Eastwood. In 1969 Sam Peckinpah released "The Wild Bunch." The film was very violent for its day and featured shoot-outs in slow motion, which accentuated the graphic nature of the violence. This would be a trademark of Peckinpah in succeeding films. The no-name gunslinger himself, Clint Eastwood, would also leave his mark on the American western, but his roots were easy to see. In all his films the respect and admiration of Sergio Leone is glaringly obvious.

Modern westerns such as "Silverado," "Tombstone," and the very recent "Open Range" would combine the best of the American westerns of old and the brutality of the Italian, and the results were high adventure, spectacular scenery, and a good dose of realism.  Actor Kevin Costner would also contribute with his truly epic film, "Dances With Wolves." It is one of the most beautiful westerns ever put on film.

The impact the Italian western had on the American western is hard to deny; however, if not for the popularity of the American western, we likely would have never seen the Italian western. In reality, they are both part of a whole; and one can't be watched without comparing it to the other. It should also come as no surprise that some of the greatest films of all time just happen to be westerns. All of this tribute and respect to one style or another is summed up brilliantly in Jackson Browne's song, "Sergio Leone." It goes as follows: "He worked for Walsh and Wyler with the chariot and sword. When he rode out in the desert he was quoting Hawks and Ford. He came to see the masters and he left with what he saw. What he stole from Kurosawa he bequeathed to Peckinpah." America started the western movie genre with heart and grandeur, and Italy gave it toughness and grit. The two styles meshed together and combined they would be soul of the greatest movies ever made.