Is it though? I have no idea, but for some reason we tend to think “dirty/dusty/gritty” = “realism”. Sort of like how we picture the medieval period. I get that working a farm is dirty work and they didn’t have running water like we have it. But did people really wallow in filth when they weren’t actively working and wear nothing but black, white, or Earth tones?
I would also assume every day didn’t involve a shootout or an Indian raid or a stagecoach robbery.
I feel like that Brad Pitt Jesse James movie might be a pretty accurate portrayal of life in the Old West. Although like most period pieces, it probably suffers from the same “realism” problem that IRL there isn’t massive props and costume departments to make sure every shot looks like something out of a postcard.
I think its fairly accurate but it certainly ramps up the violence for dramatic purposes. As I said in another thread, multiple hour long episodes of people shitting themselves to death would not be as popular as seeing gunfights. Death by disease was much more prevalent than death by violence.
William S. Hart – one of silent films first cowboy stars – was noted for his absolute accuracy in his films. Costumes, locations, and sets were made as accurate as possible. It didn’t hurt that Hart was friends with Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson.
Its been a long time since I’ve seen the movie. I don’t remember any superhuman shooting ability. The opposite in fact. There were lots of misses and misfires. A main point of the movie was the fact that superhuman shooting abilities were not what makes an effective gunman. It doesn’t matter if you are the fastest or most accurate if you panic under fire. Will Munny is dead inside so he doesn’t panic. And he admits he hasn’t been killed yet mostly because of dumb luck. I personally know someone who was in a gunfight less than 10 feet apart from the other person. No one was hit. It just happens that way sometimes. Just like how Will should have died but Little Bill’s gun misfires. Not superhuman just dumb luck.
W.W. Beauchamp:
Who’d you kill first? Was it Little Bill?
Will Munny:
What?
W.W. Beauchamp:
When confronted by superior numbers, an experienced gunfighter will always fire on the best shot first.
Will Munny:
Is that a fact?
W.W. Beauchamp:
Yeah, Little Bill told me that.
Will Munny:
I was lucky in the order, but I’ve always been lucky when it comes to killin’ folks.
These are some of the questions I had about Deadwood. Often when I watch period shows, I think, “Man, everyone must have STUNK!?” But sometimes the dirt and grime seem overdone - or at least unaccompanied by the superhuman efforts it must’ve taken to clean things afterwards.
And I’m sure a lot of people died - including violently. But I doubt as often as shown.
Re: Deadwood, my wife and I often wonder about the seemingly endless supply of clothes the widow Alma seems to have.
And folk get off the stagecoaches with a lot of really fresh looking luggage.
All in all - people seem to have a great deal of “stuff” - which they seem to act somewhat carelessly towards. Maybe that was the attitude in a mining boomtown, as opposed to a struggling homesteader… But the character Bullock (storeowner/sheriff) builds quite a large house, and they later show it with extensive floor length curtains, wallpaper, etc. Just seemed a tad excessive.
And the huge amount of plate glass seems anachronistic.
Along with being the greatest Western ever made, The Valley of Gwangi is without question the most accurate when it comes to depicting cowboys in the American West wrangling an Allosaurus.
I meant in the mass murdering in Shorty’s. After establishing that Munny was old and slow, he goes into a small room and takes out everyone without getting a scratch. It’s a satisfying scene, but somewhat overboard. And I think it goes against the “point” of the movie.
That line is in there as a callback/rebuff to Josie Wales. Munny isn’t Wales - until the plot wants him to be.
The scene at Shorty’s shows a lot of panicked un-aimed shooting and scared people trying not to die. It didn’t require any superhuman shooting for the only unpanicked person to come out on top. Just some luck.
I’ve always wondered about what they used in the winter too. Even today, winter on the plains can be brutal. It ain’t like Minnie’s place, where everything inside was toasty-warm and brightly lit while a blizzard raged outside, even though the one and only door had been smashed. Chinks in the walls would have been enough to equalize the temperatures.
I once spent the month of December sitting in a Little House-type home in Minnesota. I had a pot-bellied stove to keep warm with, and I still damn near froze me arse off!
In physical terms, Heaven’s Gate is probably the most accurate Western I’ve ever seen. It may be a crappy picture, but Cimino drove United Artists broke ensuring period authenticity.
I always found it a bit amusing that William S. Hart, the early star of westerns who insisted on authenticity, was born (and grew up) in New York and spent his life in the theater and films. But Tom Mix, a rival western star who rode a white horse and had the cleanest, fanciest chaps and the biggest white cowboy hat in his films, fought in the Spanish-American War, lived and worked in the west (including time as a working cowboy).
I have to agree that with the insane amount of money spent on authenticity in Heaven’s Gate (the actors underwear had to be period correct), that film is probably the most authentic.
Remember the scene at the beginning? His practice with a pistol was shabby at best and he resorted to a shotgun to hit the target.
When Davey was shot in the leg? Munny misses two out of three with the rifle when trying to finish him off.
The shoot-out in the saloon was close range and only required the calm of a killer and no real skill. Now that was something Munny was born to do.
And his initial choice of weapon? shotgun. When he swaps to a pistol he isn’t reguired to pull off any amazing feats, just keep calm, take careful aim and fire. He takes his time, the others panic and blaze away.
A central theme of the movie is to dispell the mythology of the skilled, heroic gunfighter. He was a poor shot and dreadful human being at heart, but highly skilled at killing.
A similar point was made in The Shootist. Ron Howard and John Wayne are shooting targets and Howard notes, “You’re not really any faster or a better shot than most other people.” Wayne acknowledges this but says something like, “When faced with killing another human being most men will blink. I won’t.”
Well I’ll be damned. You’re right. I’ve seen Unforgiven a few times, really like it, but I too was irritated by Muny’s sudden superpowers in that scene. But I just carefully watched the scene and there are no cliched shoot-from-the-hip feats. Just as you said- takes his time (but quickly), takes careful aim. So for me it’s an even better film than before.
