Just curious; I don’t watch Westerns much but the last couple I’ve seen started out that way. I was surprised that True Grit started out like that, it wasn’t what I was expecting. It is the first movie I ever saw with um, what’s his name -ah whatever; I don’t fell like looking it up right now. But the point is, I didn’t like the character in that movie; in fact all the characters seemed annoying. Maybe I should watch the Jeff Bridges version, but I would have to pay for that.
No, they don’t. But it’s a well-used convention to show the development of the character.
I prefer the original. Jeff Bridges sounds like he has a mouthful of mashed potatoes when he talks.
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No, all western do not start out with the protagonist in the drunk.
The name you’re looking for is John Wayne, pardner.
You should watch the Jeff Bridges version. It is far superior.
If they are not in the drunk tank, they are at the homestead with the attractive, loving family about to be brutally slaughtered.
or out on the trail with their horse, away from people and the resulting complicated relationships.
Nonsense. The drunk tank isn’t even all that common.
Stagecoach – John Wayne stops the stagecoach.
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon – Wayne is a cavalryman just back from patrol.
Fort Apache – Wayne greets the new commander
Red River – Wayne is traveling with a wagon train.
The Man Who Killed Liberty Valance – Wayne is dead, to begin with. He is later shown in flashback, but he’s never drunk.
Well, it’s not always Wayne. RIO BRAVO starts with John Wayne as Sherriff, but Dean Martin is the drunk. And STAGECOACH has an incredible performance by Thomas Mitchell as the drunk doctor.
Westerns have a lot of thematic situations, such as a character who transcends his drunken behavior, or such as the Indians as elements of chaos and destruction, and the prostitute with the heart of gold, and so on. Such thematic conventions made the story-telling easier, and also made for some dramatic reversals within (or against) the conventions. It’s not different from other genres: sinister butlers and outrageously wealthy clients in detective movies, evil galactic emperors in space-operas (has there ever been a GOOD, generous, protective, fatherly galactic emperor?) and so forth.
I personally think they also gave birth to the ideology espoused by NRA president Wayne LaPierre, when he said, “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” In the western movie portrayal of that very limited, short period of U.S. history, everyone is armed, but the good guys always win in the end, by using their guns. (The actual history isn’t that simple.) This has been handed down with variations (Dirty Harry, etc.), so that now it’s ingrained in our collective consciousness. Problem is, everybody thinks that he’s the good guy, and we end up with events like what happened in Santa Barbara.
Hang 'em High starts out with Clint Eastwood getting strung up by a posse. It gets weirder from there.
I like almost everything about the “True Grit” remake better than the original, EXCEPT Bridges mumbling. He just about ruins the movie for me. Then, late in the movie, the Texas Ranger character played by Matt Damon nearly bites his tongue off in a fall. At this point, I did a facepalm and realized that I was going to be listening to TWO nearly incomprehensible characters for the rest of the movie. Loved the remake in so many ways, but I really didn’t care for the over-the-top mumbling.
[Game of Thrones] You don’t get to the top by being good.[/Game of Thrones]
(Cavalry sergeant, sitting near campfire in late 1800s at night): Sure is quiet out there, Captain.
(Captain): Yes Sergeant. Too quiet.
You know who they were talkin’ about, don’cha?
Can’t forget* Blazing Saddles* with Gene Wilder drunk in jail.
Them’s fightin’ words, sir. We’ll settle this outside like… :falls off barstool: