21L011 The Film Experience
Professor David Thorburn

Lecture 13 - The Western Movie

1. Movies as Consensus Narrative
   • The Western genre as a space of discourse
     
     
2. Historical/Cultural Background
   • The “real” west: 1860-1890
   • Popular culture before film
   • Intellectual culture: The Turner Thesis
     
     
3. The Western as Cultural Myth
   • Founding story
   • Dichotomies
   • The divided hero: savior and savage