The Western Genre

Running head: THE WESTERN GENRE
THE WESTERN GENRE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1
THE WESTERN GENRE
When films follow a certain pattern that is recognized by the viewers as falling into a
specific category, it is defined as the ‘genre’. Genre, in other words is a category or type of film
like the western, horror films, slasher and splatter movies, musical, comedy and so on (Garda,
2013). It is the familiar convention and kinds of character that these films follow. Filmmakers
utilize genre to communicate with their audiences, certain ideas and ideologies.
Although some argue that, a work of art like a film must have its originality and genre
belies that idea of originality and sort of repeats a specific style. However, this repetition comes
with variations and hence it manages to keep the interests of the audiences intact. A filmmaker
uses genre but with the variation where he or he introduces a character central to the plot,
behaving in an unconventional manner, an unforeseen element or turning an apparent predictable
plot into a completely different ending. In the movie, The Man who Shot Liberty Valence,
filmmaker John Ford uses this variation to make one of the central characters behave differently
from the rest. This shall be discussed elaborately in the following sections. Further, the essay will
discuss two characteristics of the Western genre that the film has followed – repetition and
variation.
Prior to explaining the genre or subgenre the chosen film follows, it is important to
explain the Western genre and subgenre. Films that follow the Western genre happen in the 19th
century American West (Raimondo, 2014). These films often center on the life of a wandering
cowboy or a gunfighter possessing a rifle or a revolver and riding a horse. The Western genre has
many subgenres as well including the cowboys and Indians movies, Vengeance western and
Spaghetti western (Walker, 2013).