Classic Gangster and Western Films: A Recap

CLASS #5

Recap:

• The gangster film
• A Warner Bros. specialty
• Gangsters had to die
• Cagney, Robinson, Raft and Bogart
• “White Heat” last of the great Warner gangster films

THE WESTERN

The Western glamorized and glorified the American spirit of independence and expansion.

• Guys in the white hat, good, guys in the black hat, bad.
• Native American almost always bad
• Native American, stereotypes and rarely depicted by actual Native Americans
• Westerns began in silent era: “Squaw Man” directed by Cecil B. DeMille
• Early Stars: William S. Hart, Tom Mix, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry
• Republic Pictures – Herbert Yates
• Western serials – shorts
• Lone Ranger
• “Shane”
• “Unforgiven” – Clint Eastwood
• Spaghetti Westerns – Sergio Leone
• TV westerns – Bonanza, Gunsmoke
• “Stage Coach” 1939 – changed the genre forever
• Director John Ford (1894-1973): “Stage Coach,” “Drums Along the Mohawk,” “My Darling Clementine,” “Fort Apache,” “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon,” “Rio Grande,” “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence.”
• Ford best director Oscars – most ever: “The Informer,” “Grapes of Wrath,” “How Green was My Valley” and “The Quiet Man.”
• Ford and Monument Valley
• Four best director Oscars: “The Grapes of Wrath,” “How Green Was My Valley,” “The Quiet Man” and “The Informer”

John Wayne

• John Wayne (Marion Morrison, Summerset Iowa): war movies and king of the westerns
• Wayne owed his career to Ford – “Stage Coach”
• “True Grit,” Oscar
• “Stage Coach,” Red River,” Fort Apache,” “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon,” The Alamo,” “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon,” Rio Grande,” “Rio Bravo,” “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” “The Cowboys,” “The Shootist”
• “The Searchers” 1956.
• “The Quiet Man” (1952)
• Republic Pictures (Herbert Yates)
• B-Westerns, low budget quickies in black and white
• True Grit:Adaptation of a novel written in 1968
• Wayne as Rooster Cogburn, the “one-eyed fat man”
• Wayne nervous about the patch and going outside his comfort zone – he could see through the patch!
• Kim Darby
• Glen Campbell – sings the title song
• Robert Duvall as Ned Pepper
• 1975 sequel – “Rooster Cogburn”
• Much of the film shot in Colorado
• Remade by the Coen Bros in 2010
• Henry Hathaway, 1898-1985
• Directed Gary Cooper in seven films
• Reliable director of Westerns, Randolph Scott and John Wayne
• “Son’s of Katie Elder”

CLASS #6DOUBLE INDEMNITY

Produced by Billy Walder.Classic period 1941-1958 (film noir).This type of movie started in the 40s: 1. During the war and post war, all of society changed, women took over jobs as men were overseas in war, society was corrupt. 2)Another influence – film started going into realistic places, actual locations not just in a studio.3) Many directors were German and came to the U.S at this time. 4. Cultural differences as there are lots of men detectives and not women. “hey baby” said a lot during the movie. The style of the movie is different from Hollywood, in film noir the scene was deep focus so both the person in the front and back are focused. Contrast lighting all mixed in together brought by German directors.Ceilings and angles are shown in this movie. ‘Why did he act that way or why did she act that way’ protagonist – antagonist questions to ask. The psychological conflict is very big in these kinds of movies. James Krane –wrote a play in 1934 about lust, greed, and became very popular. Fritz Lang – wrote women in the window. Nino Frank – Frenchmen who discovered film noir in 1945.The book was written by James Kane. Phyllis Dietrichson – the girl - was as phony inside as she was outside. Walter Neff – the guy