The revisionist Western (also called the anti-Western, sometimes revisionist antiwestern) is a sub-genre of the Western film. Designated a post-classical variation of the traditional Western, the revisionist subverts the myth and romance of the traditional by means of character development and realism to present a less simplistic view of life in the " Old West". While the traditional Western always embodies a clear boundary between good and evil, the revisionist Western does not. Revisionist themes have existed since the early 20th century but it was not until 1968, when the Hays Code restrictions were relaxed, that revisionism finally supplanted the traditional. Although many earlier Westerns are labelled revisionist, the distinction between them is often blurred by variable themes and plot devices. Some are labelled psychological Westerns which is closely related to and sometimes overlaps with the psychological drama and

psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting. In terms of context and c ...

genres because of their focus on character at the expense of the action and thrills that predominate in the traditional. Other revisionist films, in which action and adventure remain prominent, are labelled Indian Westerns or Outlaw/Gunfighter Westerns because, instead of the traditional hero, the protagonist is a Native American, an

outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill th ...

or a

gunfighter Gunfighters, also called gunslingers (), or in the 19th and early 20th centuries gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in gunfights and shootouts. Today, the t ...

. The

Spaghetti Western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

s of the 1960s, not bound by the Hays Code, were strongly revisionist by presenting morally ambiguous storylines featuring an

anti-hero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actio ...

or a

sympathetic villain A villain (also known as a " black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character ...

. From 1969 onwards, revisionism has prevailed in Western film production.

Concept

The traditional Western typically features a strong male lead character, often a lawman or cavalry officer, who takes direct action on behalf of supposedly civilised people against those deemed to be uncivilised. The former are portrayed as honest townsfolk or travellers, the latter as outlaws or hostile Native Americans. In the revisionist Western, the traditional format and themes are subverted by such devices as the Native American protagonist; strong female characters; the outlaw protagonist; plots that are pre-eminently concerned with survival in a wild environment; or the presentation of a morally ambiguous storyline without definite heroes, these often featuring the so-called

or a

. The object is to blur the traditionally clear boundaries between "right" and "wrong" (the "good guy" against the "bad guy") by emphasising the need for survival amidst ambiguity. The traditional Western treats characters in simplistic terms as good or bad with minimal character development. The psychological Western, which began in the 1940s and was hugely popular through the 1950s and 1960s, prioritises character development ahead of action whilst retaining most of the traditional aspects. For the most part, the psychological Western morphed into the revisionist Western as censorship restrictions were relaxed and removed in the 1960s. ''

Shane Shane may refer to: People * Shane (actress) (born 1969), American pornographic actress * Shane (New Zealand singer) (born 1946) * iamnotshane (born 1995), formerly known as Shane, American singer * Shane (name), a masculine given name and a su ...

'' (1953), directed by

George Stevens George Cooper Stevens (December 18, 1904 – March 8, 1975) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer.Obituary '' Variety'', March 12, 1975, page 79. Films he produced were nominated for the Academy Award for ...

, is a psychological Western. The title character (

Alan Ladd Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and film producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in films noir and Westerns. He was often paired with Veronica Lake ...

) seems at first to be a traditional Western drifter riding across a traditional Western landscape but it is soon apparent that he has entered a complex setting which is populated by, as Kim Newman puts it, "believable characters with mixed motives". Even though rancher Riker ( Emile Meyer) is ostensibly the villain of the piece, he makes the point that he has striven for thirty years to develop the cattle range which is now being taken over by fence-building " sodbusters", many of whom have the mixed motives noted by Newman. Despite the complexity of its characters, ''Shane'' is nevertheless filmed in a conventional setting and ends with the hero outshooting and killing the three main villains. There is, however, an element of revisionism in the ending when the disillusioned Shane admits to Riker that he knows his day as a gunfighter is over. Shane rides away to an uncertain future, possibly to die as he is wounded, and it is farmer Starrett (

Van Heflin Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin Jr. (December 13, 1908 – July 23, 1971) was an American theatre, radio and film actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man. H ...

) and his family who endure. ''Shane'' is a psychological Western with many of the trappings of a traditional one. Fifteen years later,

Sergio Leone Sergio Leone (; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter credited as the pioneer of the Spaghetti Western genre and widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cin ...

directed '' Once Upon a Time in the West'', a revisionist Western which completely subverts the traditional with complex characters and multiple plot devices, the key one being revenge – the motive of enigmatic gunfighter Harmonica (

Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his "granite features and brawny physique," he gained international fame for his starring roles in action, Western, and wa ...

). As in ''Shane'', it is not the gunfighters who "inherit the West" but in this case the compassionate town-building ex-prostitute Jill (

Claudia Cardinale Claude Joséphine Rose "Claudia" Cardinale (; born 15 April 1938) is an Italian actress. She has starred in some of the most iconic European films of the 1960s and 1970s, acting in Italian, French, and English. Born and raised in La Goulette, a ...

). By the end of the film, all of the antagonists except Harmonica are dead and, like Shane, he rides away to an uncertain future.

Development

Opinion is divided on the origin of the revisionist or psychological Western but it is generally agreed that there were hints of a darker perspective in some films of the 1930s such as '' Westward Ho'' (1935), directed by

Robert N. Bradbury Robert North Bradbury (March 23, 1886 – November 24, 1949) (born Ronald E. Bradbury) was an American film actor, director, and screenwriter. He directed 125 movies between 1918 and 1941, and is best known for directing early "Poverty Row"-produc ...

and starring

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Go ...

, in which the hero leads a band of

vigilantes Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a person who ...

on a quest for revenge. ''Westward Ho'' is the earliest film in

AllMovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cul ...

's list of revisionist Westerns. The earliest films classified by AllMovie as psychological Westerns are ''

The Ox-Bow Incident ''The Ox-Bow Incident'' is a 1943 American Western film directed by William A. Wellman, starring Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews and Mary Beth Hughes, with Anthony Quinn, William Eythe, Harry Morgan and Jane Darwell. Two cowboys arrive in a ...

'' and '' The Outlaw'' (both 1943). The Outlaw/Gunfighter sub-genre focused on outlaws and gunfighters as human beings rather than using them as stock characters, often dressed in black, as in traditional Westerns. The aim was to examine the impact of gunfights on the participants by revealing their neuroses and redeeming characteristics. AllMovie's earliest films of this type are two silents: ''

The Road Agent ''The Road Agent'' is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by J.P. McGowan and starring Al Hoxie, Ione Reed and Lew Meehan.Pitts p.286 Cast * Al Hoxie as Roger Worth / The Kansas Kid * Ione Reed as Mary Ryan * Lew Meehan as Attorney ...

'' (1926), directed by

J. P. McGowan John Paterson McGowan (February 24, 1880 – March 26, 1952) was a pioneering Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood actor and director and occasionally a screenwriter and Film producer, producer. McGowan remains the only Australian to have been ma ...

and starring

Al Hoxie Al Hoxie (1901–1982) was an American film actor. The younger brother of Jack Hoxie, he starred in a number of silent westerns.Katchmer p.170 Selected filmography * ''Ruth of the Rockies (1920) * '' Thunderbolt Jack'' (1920) * ''The Queen of S ...

; and ''

Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the " Little Dixie" area of Western Missouri, James and his family maintained st ...

'' (1927), directed by Lloyd Ingraham and starring Fred Thomson. In a similar vein, the Indian Western seeks to reverse negative stereotypes by sympathetic portrayal of Native Americans who, in the traditional Western, are nearly always the enemy of the "heroic" white settlers and cavalry. In the Indian Western, roles can be reversed with peaceful Native Americans driven to fight against white aggression. Usually, however, the Native American hero or heroine is played by brownface whites such as

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor and producer. Initially known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-yea ...

and Jean Peters in '' Apache (film)'' (1954). In '' Dances with Wolves'', the female lead was Mary McDonnell playing a white who had been raised by the Lakota. There had been earlier films which portrayed Native Americans sympathetically, but the breakthrough for this sub-genre was '' Broken Arrow'' (1950), directed by

Delmer Daves Delmer Lawrence Daves (July 24, 1904 – August 17, 1977) was an American screenwriter, film director and film producer. He worked in many genres, including film noir and warfare, but he is best known for his Western movies, especially '' Broke ...

and starring

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality ...

, with Jeff Chandler as Cochise. Kim Newman wrote that Chandler's performance established Cochise as "the 1950s model of an Indian hero" and the film inspired goodwill to other Native American chiefs such as

Sitting Bull Sitting Bull ( lkt, Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake ; December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota leader who led his people during years of resistance against United States government policies. He was killed by Indian agency police on the Standing Rock ...

Crazy Horse Crazy Horse ( lkt, Tȟašúŋke Witkó, italic=no, , ; 1840 – September 5, 1877) was a Lakota war leader of the Oglala band in the 19th century. He took up arms against the United States federal government to fight against encroachment by w ...

and

Geronimo Geronimo ( apm, Goyaałé, , ; June 16, 1829 – February 17, 1909) was a prominent leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Ndendahe Apache people. From 1850 to 1886, Geronimo joined with members of three other Central Apache b ...

– as a result, "it became fashionable for Westerns to be pro-Indian". Many of the films were produced in the 1950s during the milieu of

McCarthyism McCarthyism is the practice of making false or unfounded accusations of subversion and treason, especially when related to anarchism, communism and socialism, and especially when done in a public and attention-grabbing manner. The term origin ...

and attempted to strike back against

blacklisting Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, t ...

of the film industry at that time, notably ''

High Noon ''High Noon'' is a 1952 American Western film produced by Stanley Kramer from a screenplay by Carl Foreman, directed by Fred Zinnemann, and starring Gary Cooper. The plot, which occurs in real time, centers on a town marshal whose sense ...

'' (1952) starring

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, a ...

. By the time of the loosening, and later abandonment, of the restrictive Hays Code in the 1960s, many directors of the New Hollywood generation such as

Sam Peckinpah David Samuel Peckinpah (; February 21, 1925 – December 28, 1984) was an American film director and screenwriter. His 1969 Western epic ''The Wild Bunch'' received an Academy Award nomination and was ranked No. 80 on the American Film Institut ...

, George Roy Hill, and

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New ...

focused on the Western and each produced their own classics in the genre, including Peckinpah's ''

The Wild Bunch ''The Wild Bunch'' is a 1969 American epic Revisionist Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Edmond O'Brien, Ben Johnson and Warren Oates. The plot concerns an aging outlaw ga ...

'' (1969), Hill's ''

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' is a 1969 American Western buddy film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman. Based loosely on fact, the film tells the story of Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, known as Butch C ...

'' (1969), and Altman's '' McCabe & Mrs. Miller'' (1971). Meanwhile, European directors such as

and Sergio Corbucci had been making Western films unencumbered by American expectations nor Hays Code inspired censorship, and these "

s" also provided a new perspective on the Western genre. Early examples of this sub-genre are Leone's ''

A Fistful of Dollars ''A Fistful of Dollars'' ( it, Per un pugno di dollari, lit=For a Fistful of Dollars titled on-screen as ''Fistful of Dollars'') is a 1964 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood in his first leading role, a ...

'', starring

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the " Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "'' Do ...

, and Corbucci's ''

Minnesota Clay ''Minnesota Clay'' is a 1964 Spaghetti Western directed by Sergio Corbucci. Plot The year is 1883. Clay, a gunfighter with health problems, is interned in Drunner Labor Camp. He's determined to prove his innocence since he was framed by Fox, the ...

'', starring Cameron Mitchell, both made in 1964. The revisionist and psychological Westerns have been carried forward from their own standard settings into the

Neo-western The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referre ...

, a notable of which is the

Coen brothers Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957),State of Minnesota. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002''. Minnesota Department of Health. collectively known as the Coen brothers (), are American film ...

' '' No Country for Old Men'' (2007), based on the work of

Cormac McCarthy Cormac McCarthy (born Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr., July 20, 1933) is an American writer who has written twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays and three short stories, spanning the Western and post-apocalyptic genres. He is known for his g ...

, an author known for writing revisionist Western literature, such as the novel ''

Blood Meridian ''Blood Meridian or the Evening Redness in the West'' is a 1985 in literature, 1985 Epic (genre), epic novel by American author Cormac McCarthy, classified under the Western (genre), Western, or sometimes the Revisionist Western, anti-Western, g ...

''.

Hollywood revisionist Westerns

In the US film industry, the controversial

Motion Picture Production Code The Motion Picture Production Code was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the United States from 1934 to 1968. It is also popularly known as the ...

was introduced in 1930 to provide film producers with moral and ethical guidelines that, if followed, would impose censorship. The code, widely known as the Hays Code after its creator

Will H. Hays William Harrison Hays Sr. (; November 5, 1879 – March 7, 1954) was an American Republican politician. As chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1918–1921, Hays managed the successful 1920 presidential campaign of Warren G. H ...

, was based on the twin concepts of improving moral standards and upholding respect for the law with the aim of directing audience sympathy towards those who fought against crime and/or presented "correct standards of life" in terms of integrity. The restrictions were relaxed somewhat by the 1952

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

holding in '' Joseph Burstyn, Inc. v. Wilson'' and then, in 1968, the Hays Code was terminated to end restrictions on film content in the US. This broadened potential scope and made the revisionist Western a more viable genre.

Spaghetti Westerns

European countries, which had imported Western productions since their

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

inception, began creating their own versions and, in the 1964, Sergio Leone's ''

'' became an international hit initiating the "

" filone. Although they were mostly shot in Spanish locations, featured U.S. actors, and were co-produced by European and U.S. producers, many of the most successful directors were Italian, resulting in these films being known by the misnomer "Spaghetti Western." Leone is often credited with initiating the growth of these co-produced European westerns as he played a seminal role due the financial success of ''A Fistful of Dollars.'' Scholars such as Austin Fisher have begun to pay attention to how in this popular genre Italian directors such Damiano Damiani, Sergio Sollima and Sergio Corbucci, in responding to international and national events, chose the Western as way to represent Leftist doctrine in the second half of the 1960s, interpreting the conflict between Mexico and the U.S. through the lens of Italian politics. Leone popularized the morally ambivalent gunfighter through his representation of "The Man with No Name," Clint Eastwood's gritty anti-hero who was copied again and again in Spaghetti Westerns in characters such as Django and

Ringo Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

and which came to be one of its universal attributes.

Counterculture

Beginning in the late 1960s, independent filmmakers produced revisionist and hallucinogenic films, later retroactively identified as the separate but related subgenre of "

Acid Western Acid Western is a subgenre of the Western film that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s that combines the metaphorical ambitions of critically acclaimed Westerns, such as '' Shane'' and '' The Searchers'', with the excesses of the Spaghetti Westerns ...

s,” that radically turn the usual trappings of the Western genre inside out to critique both

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, private ...

and the

counterculture A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. H ...

. Monte Hellman's '' The Shooting'' and ''

Ride in the Whirlwind ''Ride in the Whirlwind'' is a 1966 American Western film starring Cameron Mitchell, Millie Perkins, Jack Nicholson, and Harry Dean Stanton, and directed by Monte Hellman. Nicholson also wrote and co-produced the film. A trio of cowboys are fo ...

'' (1966), Alejandro Jodorowsky's ''

El Topo ''El Topo'' (, "The Mole") is a 1970 Mexican acid Western art film written, scored, directed by and starring Alejandro Jodorowsky. Characterized by its bizarre characters and occurrences, use of maimed and dwarf performers, and heavy doses of Ju ...

'' ( 1970), Robert Downey Sr.'s '' Greaser's Palace'' ( 1972),

Alex Cox Alexander B. H. Cox (born 15 December 1954) is an English film director, screenwriter, actor, non-fiction author and broadcaster. Cox experienced success early in his career with '' Repo Man'' and '' Sid and Nancy'', but since the release and c ...

's ''Walker'' ( 1987), and

Jim Jarmusch James Robert Jarmusch (; born January 22, 1953) is an American film director and screenwriter. He has been a major proponent of independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films including ''Stranger Than Paradise'' (1984), '' Down by Law'' (19 ...

's ''

Dead Man ''Dead Man'' is a 1995 American acid western film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. It stars Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer, Billy Bob Thornton, Iggy Pop, Crispin Glover, John Hurt, Michael Wincott, Lance Henriksen, Gabriel Byrne, Mili Avital, ...

'' (

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

) fall into this category. Films made during the early 1970s are particularly noted for their hyper-realistic photography and production design. Other films, such as those directed by

, were made by professionals familiar with the Western as a criticism and expansion against and beyond the genre. Eastwood's '' The Outlaw Josey Wales'' ( 1976) and '' Unforgiven'' (

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engin ...

) made use of strong supporting roles for women and Native Americans.

List of revisionist Western films

This list is not exhaustive. It includes major films labelled revisionist Western, anti-Western, psychological Western, Indian Western, Outlaw Western, Gunfighter Western, or Spaghetti Western. By 1970, revisionism had supplanted the traditional as the predominant Western sub-genre and so the list highlights the films released until then to illustrate the development of the concept.

1901–1950

* '' The Great Train Robbery'' (1903) * ''

'' (1926) * ''

'' (1927) * '' Law and Order'' (1932) * '' The Outlaw Tamer'' (1935) * ''

Outlaw Rule ''Outlaw Rule'' is a 1935 American Western film directed by S. Roy Luby and starring Reb Russell, Betty Mack and Al Bridge.Pitts p.213 Cast * Reb Russell as Reb Russell * Betty Mack as Kay Lathrop * Al Bridge as Deputy Bat Lindstrom * Yakima C ...

'' (1935) * ''

Outlawed Guns ''Outlawed Guns'' is a 1935 American Western film directed by Ray Taylor and written by John T. Neville. The film stars Buck Jones, Ruth Channing, Frank McGlynn, Sr., Roy D'Arcy, Pat J. O'Brien and Joseph W. Girard. The film was released on ...

'' (1935) * '' Westward Ho'' (1935) * '' Outlaws of Sonora'' (1938) * '' Heritage of the Desert'' (1939) * ''

'' (1939) * '' Outlaws' Paradise'' (1939) * '' The Desperadoes'' (1943) * '' The Outlaw'' (1943) * ''

Outlaws of Stampede Pass ''Outlaws of Stampede Pass'' is a 1943 American Western film directed by Wallace Fox and written by Adele Buffington. This is the fourth film in the "Marshal Nevada Jack McKenzie" series, and stars Johnny Mack Brown as Jack McKenzie and Raymond ...

'' (1943) * ''

'' (1943) * '' Outlaw Roundup'' (1944) * '' The Daltons Ride Again'' (1945) * '' Badman's Territory'' (1946) * '' Gran Casino'' (1947) * ''

Gunfighters Gunfighters, also called gunslingers (), or in the 19th and early 20th centuries gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in gunfights and shootouts. Today, the te ...

'' (1947) * ''

Jesse James Rides Again ''Jesse James Rides Again'' is a 1947 American Republic Western film serial. Plot Gunfighter Jesse James is framed for a Missouri bank job and murder by a black-cowled outlaw gang, known as "The Black Raiders". Unable to clear his name, him a ...

'' (1947) * '' Pursued'' (1947) * ''

Adventures in Silverado ''Adventures in Silverado'' is a 1948 American Western film directed by Phil Karlson and written by Kenneth Gamet, Tom Kilpatrick and Jo Pagano. The film stars William Bishop, Gloria Henry, Edgar Buchanan, Forrest Tucker, Edgar Barrier and I ...

'' (1948) * ''

Blood on the Moon ''Blood on the Moon'' is a 1948 RKO black-and-white "psychological" Western film noir starring Robert Mitchum, Barbara Bel Geddes, Robert Preston and Walter Brennan. Directed by Robert Wise, the cinematography is by Nicholas Musuraca. The mov ...

'' (1948) * '' The Man from Colorado'' (1948) * ''

Rachel and the Stranger ''Rachel and the Stranger'' is a 1948 American Western film starring Loretta Young, William Holden, and Robert Mitchum. The Norman Foster-directed film was one of the few to address the role of women in the pioneer west, as well as portray ea ...

'' (1948) * '' Yellow Sky'' (1948) * ''

Bad Men of Tombstone ''Bad Men of Tombstone'' is a 1949 American Western film from King Brothers Productions. It was co-written by Philip Yordan and stars Barry Sullivan and Broderick Crawford. King Brothers announced plans for a sequel, ''The Marshall of Tombsto ...

'' (1949) * ''

Colorado Territory The Territory of Colorado was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Colorado. The territory was organized in the ...

'' (1949) * ''

I Shot Jesse James ''I Shot Jesse James'' is a 1949 American Western film directed by Samuel Fuller about the murder of Jesse James by Robert Ford and Robert Ford's life afterwards. The story is built around a fictional rivalry between Ford and his eventual kill ...

'' (1949) * '' Branded'' (1950) * '' Broken Arrow'' (1950) * '' Devil's Doorway'' (1950) * '' The Furies'' (1950) * ''

The Gunfighter ''The Gunfighter'' is a 1950 American Western film directed by Henry King and starring Gregory Peck, Helen Westcott, Millard Mitchell and Karl Malden. It was written by screenwriters William Bowers and William Sellers, with an uncredited rewri ...

'' (1950) * '' I Shot Billy the Kid'' (1950) * ''

Winchester '73 ''Winchester '73'' is a 1950 American Western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart, Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea and Stephen McNally. Written by Borden Chase and Robert L. Richards, the film is about the journey of a pr ...

'' (1950)

1951–1955

* ''

The Great Missouri Raid ''The Great Missouri Raid'' is a 1951 American Western film directed by Gordon Douglas and written by Frank Gruber. The film stars Wendell Corey, Macdonald Carey, Ellen Drew, Ward Bond, Bruce Bennett, Bill Williams and Anne Revere. The film ...

'' (1951) * ''

Three Desperate Men ''Three Desperate Men'' is a 1951 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and starring Preston Foster, Jim Davis and Virginia Grey. It co-stars Kim Spalding, William Haade, Monte Blue and Sid Melton. Plot Cast * Preston Foster as ...

'' (1951) * ''

The Battle at Apache Pass ''The Battle at Apache Pass'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by George Sherman. The stars are John Lund as United States Army Maj. Colton and Jeff Chandler (in brownface) repeating the role of Apache chief Cochise, whom he had played ...

'' (1952) * '' Bend of the River'' (1952) * ''

The Duel at Silver Creek ''The Duel at Silver Creek'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by Don Siegel; his first film in the Western genre. It starred Stephen McNally, Audie Murphy and Faith Domergue. It was the first time Murphy had appeared in a film where he p ...

'' (1952) * '' Hangman's Knot'' (1952) * ''

'' (1952) * ''

Hondo Hondo may refer to: Places * Rio Hondo (disambiguation), the name of several locations, derived from the Spanish word for "deep" Canada * Hondo, Alberta, an unincorporated community United States * Hondo, New Mexico, an unincorporated com ...

'' (1953) * '' The Lawless Breed'' (1953) * ''

The Naked Spur ''The Naked Spur'' is a 1953 American Western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart, Janet Leigh, Robert Ryan, Ralph Meeker, and Millard Mitchell. Written by Sam Rolfe and Harold Jack Bloom, the film is about a bounty hunter ...

'' (1953) * '' Hannah Lee'' (1953) * ''

'' (1953) * '' War Arrow'' (1953) * ''

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño a ...

'' (1954) * '' Broken Lance'' (1954) * '' The Far Country'' (1954) * '' Johnny Guitar'' (1954) * '' Silver Lode'' (1954) * '' Vera Cruz'' (1954) * '' The Kentuckian'' (1955) * ''

The Man From Laramie ''The Man from Laramie'' is a 1955 American Western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Donald Crisp, and Cathy O'Donnell. Written by Philip Yordan and Frank Burt, the film is about a stranger who defies ...

'' (1955) * '' Man with the Gun'' (1955) * '' Run for Cover'' (1955) * ''

Tribute to a Bad Man ''Tribute to a Bad Man'' is a 1956 American Western film directed by Robert Wise and starring James Cagney about a rancher whose harsh enforcement of frontier justice alienates the woman he loves. It was based on the short story "Hanging's for ...

'' (1955)

1956–1960

* ''

Gunslinger Gunfighters, also called gunslingers (), or in the 19th and early 20th centuries gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in gunfights and shootouts. Today, the t ...

'' (1956) * '' Jubal'' (1956) * '' The Last Hunt'' (1956) * ''

The Searchers ''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American Technicolor VistaVision epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas-Native American wars, and stars John W ...

'' (1956) * '' Star in the Dust'' (1956) * '' 3:10 to Yuma'' (1957) * '' Decision at Sundown'' (1957) * ''

Forty Guns ''Forty Guns'' is a 1957 American Western film written and directed by Samuel Fuller, filmed in black-and-white CinemaScope and released by the 20th Century Fox studio. The film stars Barbara Stanwyck, Barry Sullivan and Gene Barry. Plot In ...

'' (1957) * '' Gun Glory'' (1957) * '' The Lonely Man'' (1957) * '' Night Passage'' (1957) * ''

Oregon Passage ''Oregon Passage'' is a 1957 American CinemaScope Western film directed by Paul Landres and starring John Ericson, Lola Albright, Toni Gerry and Edward Platt. Its plot follows a clash between an army lieutenant and Shoshoni natives in the ...

'' (1957) * '' Run of the Arrow'' (1957) * ''

The True Story of Jesse James ''The True Story of Jesse James'' is a 1957 American Western drama film adapted from Henry King's 1939 film ''Jesse James'', which was only loosely based on James' life. It was directed by Nicholas Ray, with Robert Wagner portraying Jesse James ...

'' (1957) * '' The Bravados'' (1958) * '' Buchanan Rides Alone'' (1958) * '' Gun Fever'' (1958) * '' The Left Handed Gun'' (1958) * ''

Man of the West ''Man of the West'' is a 1958 American Western film noir film starring Gary Cooper and directed by Anthony Mann, produced by Walter Mirisch and distributed by United Artists. The screenplay, written by Reginald Rose, is based on the 1955 nov ...

'' (1958) * '' Showdown at Boot Hill'' (1958) * ''

Terror in a Texas Town ''Terror in a Texas Town'' is a 1958 American Western film directed by Joseph H. Lewis (billed only as "Joseph Lewis") and starring Sterling Hayden, Nedrick Young, and Sebastian Cabot. The script of ''Terror in a Texas Town'' was written by ...

'' (1958) * '' Day of the Outlaw'' (1959) * '' Face of a Fugitive'' (1959) * '' The Hanging Tree'' (1959) * ''

Last Train from Gun Hill ''Last Train from Gun Hill'' is a 1959 Western in VistaVision and Technicolor, directed by John Sturges. It stars Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn and Earl Holliman. Douglas and Holliman had previously appeared together in Sturges' '' Gunfight ...

'' (1959) * '' No Name on the Bullet'' (1959) * '' Warlock'' (1959) * '' 13 Fighting Men'' (1960) * '' Comanche Station'' (1960) * '' The Magnificent Seven'' (1960) * '' One Foot in Hell'' (1960) * ''

Sergeant Rutledge ''Sergeant Rutledge'' is a 1960 American Technicolor Western film directed by John Ford and starring Jeffrey Hunter, Constance Towers, Woody Strode and Billie Burke. Six decades later, the film continues to attract attention because it was one o ...

'' (1960) * '' The Unforgiven'' (1960)

1961–1970

* ''

The Deadly Companions ''The Deadly Companions'' is a 1961 American Western and war film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Maureen O'Hara, Brian Keith, Steve Cochran, and Chill Wills. Based on the novel of the same name by A. S. Fleischman, the film is abou ...

'' (1961) * '' One-Eyed Jacks'' (1961) * '' Two Rode Together'' (1961) * '' Lonely Are the Brave'' (1962) * '' The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance'' (1962) * '' Ride the High Country'' (1962) * ''

'' (1964) * ''

Cheyenne Autumn ''Cheyenne Autumn'' is a 1964 American epic Western film starring Richard Widmark, Carroll Baker, James Stewart, and Edward G. Robinson. It tells the story of a factual event, the Northern Cheyenne Exodus of 1878–79, told in "Hollywood style" ...

'' (1964) * ''

Arizona Colt Arizona Colt ( it, Il pistolero di Arizona), also known as The Man from Nowhere ( it, L'uomo venuto dal nulla), is a 1966 technicolor Spaghetti Western directed by Michele Lupo and starring Giuliano Gemma, Fernando Sancho, Corinne Marchand. Syno ...

'' (1965) * '' Arizona Raiders'' (1965) * ''

For a Few Dollars More ''For a Few Dollars More'' ( it, Per qualche dollaro in più) is a 1965 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone. It stars Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef as bounty hunters and Gian Maria Volonté as the primary villain. German actor ...

'' (1965) * ''

The Glory Guys ''The Glory Guys'' is a 1965 American Western film directed by Arnold Laven and written by Sam Peckinpah, based on the 1956 novel ''The Dice of God'' by Hoffman Birney. Filmed by Levy-Gardner-Laven and released by United Artists, it stars Tom T ...

'' (1965) * ''

Apache Rifles ''Apache Rifles'' is a 1964 American Western film directed by William Witney and starring Audie Murphy. The film was shot at Bronson Canyon and Red Rock Canyon State Park, California. It was the first of four Audie Murphy films for producer Gr ...

'' (1966) * '' Django'' (1966) * ''

El Dorado El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or king ...

'' (1966) * '' An Eye for an Eye'' (1966) * ''

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' ( it, Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo, literally "The good, the ugly, the bad") is a 1966 Italian epic spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood as "the Good", Lee Van Clee ...

'' (1966) * '' Nevada Smith'' (1966) * '' The Plainsman'' (1966) * '' The Professionals'' (1966) * ''

'' (1966) * '' The Shooting'' (1966) * ''

Any Gun Can Play ''Any Gun Can Play'' ( it, Vado... l'ammazzo e torno) is a 1967 spaghetti Western starring Gilbert Roland, Edd Byrnes Edward Byrne Breitenberger (July 30, 1932 – January 8, 2020), known professionally as Edd Byrnes, was an American actor, be ...

'' (1967) * '' Bandidos'' (1967) * '' Chuka'' (1967) * '' Hombre'' (1967) * '' Hour of the Gun'' (1967) * '' Rough Night in Jericho'' (1967) * ''

The Way West ''The Way West'' is a 1949 western novel by A. B. Guthrie, Jr. The book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1950 and became the basis for a film starring Kirk Douglas, Robert Mitchum, and Richard Widmark. The novel is one in the sequence of ...

'' (1967) * '' Welcome to Hard Times'' (1967) * '' Bandolero!'' (1968) * ''

Day of the Evil Gun ''Day of the Evil Gun'' is a 1968 American traditional Western starring Glenn Ford, Arthur Kennedy, and Dean Jagger. It was directed by Jerry Thorpe. Plot Angie Warfield and her two children are kidnapped by Apaches. Lorn Warfield (Glenn Ford ...

'' (1968) * '' The Desperados'' (1968) * ''

Firecreek ''Firecreek'' is a 1968 American Western film directed by Vincent McEveety and starring James Stewart and Henry Fonda in his second role as an antagonist that year alongside Sergio Leone's ''Once Upon a Time in the West''. The film is similar ...

'' (1968) * '' The Great Silence'' (1968) * ''

Hang 'em High ''Hang 'Em High'' is a 1968 American DeLuxe Color revisionist Western film directed by Ted Post and written by Leonard Freeman and Mel Goldberg. It stars Clint Eastwood as Jed Cooper, an innocent man who survives a lynching; Inger Stevens as ...

'' (1968) * '' Once Upon a Time in the West'' (1968) * '' Will Penny'' (1968) * ''

'' (1969) * '' Death of a Gunfighter'' (1969) * '' Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here'' (1969) * ''

A Time for Dying ''A Time for Dying'' is a 1969 American Western film written directed by Budd Boetticher with a cameo role by Audie Murphy, who also produced the film, as Jesse James. It was Murphy's last film, as well as the final dramatic feature for Boettich ...

'' (1969) * ''

Young Billy Young ''Young Billy Young'' is a 1969 Western film in Deluxe Color starring Robert Mitchum and featuring Angie Dickinson, Robert Walker Jr. (in the titular role), David Carradine, Jack Kelly (who plays a villain dressed like his character in the te ...

'' (1969) * ''

Barquero ''Barquero'' is a 1970 American Western film starring Lee Van Cleef and Warren Oates directed by Gordon Douglas. Plot After stealing a shipment of silver and weapons, the brutal and unstable Remy and his band of mercenaries must cross a riv ...

'' (1970) * '' Little Big Man'' (1970) * '' Monte Walsh'' (1970) * '' Soldier Blue'' (1970)

Later films

Subsequently, revisionist themes have prevailed in Western film production. Major releases from 1971 to the present include: * '' Lawman'' (1971) * '' McCabe & Mrs. Miller'' (1971) * '' Chato's Land'' (1972) * '' The Culpepper Cattle Co.'' (1972) * ''

The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid ''The Great Northfield, Minnesota Raid'' is a 1972 American Western film about the James-Younger Gang distributed by Universal Pictures. It was written and directed by Philip Kaufman in a cinéma vérité style and starring Cliff Robertson. The ...

'' (1972) * '' Joe Kidd'' (1972) * '' The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean'' (1972) * '' Ulzana's Raid'' (1972) * '' High Plains Drifter'' (1973) * '' Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid'' (1973) * '' The Outlaw Josey Wales'' (1976) * '' The Long Riders'' (1980) * '' Pale Rider'' (1985) * '' Dances with Wolves'' (1990) * '' Unforgiven'' (1992) * '' Geronimo: An American Legend'' (1993) * '' Tombstone'' (1993) * '' 3:10 to Yuma (2007) * '' The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'' (2007) * '' Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee'' (2007) * ''

Django Unchained ''Django Unchained'' () is a 2012 American revisionist Western film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, and Samuel L. Jackson, with Walton Goggins, Dennis C ...

'' (2012) * '' The Lone Ranger'' (2013) * '' The Hateful Eight'' (2015) * '' Brimstone'' (2016) * '' The Power of the Dog'' (2021)

References

Bibliography

External links

* Articles in ''Western American Literature'' on the
Postwestern
* Articles in ''Western American Literature'' on
Western film and TV
{{Film genres Historical revisionism Western (genre) films by genre

Concept

Development

Hollywood revisionist Westerns

Spaghetti Westerns

Counterculture

List of revisionist Western films

1901–1950

1951–1955

1956–1960

1961–1970

Later films

See also

References

Bibliography

External links