The Western Genre: Examining Repetition and Variation in Films

This essay delves into the Western genre, exploring its defining characteristics of repetition and variation, using the film 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' as a central example. The essay begins by defining genre and its importance in filmmaking, highlighting how filmmakers use familiar conventions while introducing variations to maintain audience interest. It identifies 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' as fitting within the Cowboys-and-Indians subgenre, noting how characters like Liberty Valence and Tom Doniphon embody typical Western archetypes, while Ransom Stoddard introduces variation as an outsider to the Western norms. The analysis extends to specific scenes, such as the steak scene, to illustrate how camera angles and character portrayals emphasize both the repetition and variation aspects of the genre, with Stoddard serving as a dividing line between the traditional Western figures. Ultimately, the essay argues that the film effectively utilizes these characteristics to both adhere to and deviate from the established conventions of the Western genre.

Running head: THE WESTERN GENRE
THE WESTERN GENRE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
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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).

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Released in 1962, this John Ford classic follows the West genre in every possible way it
can. It could be categorized in the Cowboys-and-Indians subgenre (Imdb.com, 2018). The
characters represented the recurring vibe of the era with almost everyone wearing a cowboy hat,
riding horses and flaunting their masculine prowess. The characters of Liberty Valence (played
by Lee Marvin) and Tom Doniphon (played by John Wayne) represented two different shades of
the Western genre. While Valence represented the outlandish villain of the West, Doniphon
represented the ultimate hero that the old American West revered. This was achieved through the
director’s mastery with the shots and the cast’s outstanding performance. Both Marvin and
Wayne were exceptional in portraying the typical Westerner as seen in numerous other films of
that era. The variation in this film was thus brought by Ransom Stoddard (played by James
Stewart), who was an outcast in the West. He had no characteristics of the typical Western hero
as he did not wear any Stetson hat neither rode a horse and nor was he proud of flaunting his
masculinity by killing people for no reason.
The use of camera angles further enhanced the Western genre in the film. In what can be
regarded as one of the best scenes of the film – the steak scene – the various range of shots
highlighted the Western genre feature (Youtube.com, 2018). The scene involves the three main
characters of the film – Liberty Valence, Ransom Stoddard and Tom Doniphon. The wide-angle
shots of the restaurant at the beginning of the scene successfully convey to the audience the
essence of the 19th century American West. Further, the mid shots of Valence, Stoddard and
Doniphon successfully bring forth the repetition and variation characteristics of the Western
genre. While the medium shots of Valence and Doniphon represent the masculine pride upheld
in the West, Stoddard’s medium shot is used as the variation to that repetition. He stands in
between the two representatives of the Western genre and lives by the rules that are different

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from what the other two characters uphold. In the wide-angle shot, Stoddard literally stands as
the dividing line between Valence and Doniphon. He is the epitome of the more civilized East
with his degree in law and sophisticated way of behaving and living. In the very beginning of the
scene, Stoddard is seen wearing the apron and assisting other servers without worrying about the
West perception of masculinity.
It is thus clear from the discussion above that the film The Man who Shot Liberty Valence
follows the Western genre and the subgenre of Cowboys-and-Indians. In addition, a detailed
discussion on genre, subgenre and the Western genre has also been conducted. Further, the
discussion also highlighted the presence of two chief characteristics of genre in the film, which is
repetition and variation. The camera angles and acting skills of the actors were discussed to
highlight the repetition and variation feature in this classic Western genre film.

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References:
Garda, M. B. (2013). Neo-rogue and the essence of roguelikeness. Homo Ludens, 1(5), 59-72.
Imdb.com. (2018). The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). Retrieved from
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056217/
Raimondo, M. J. (2014). Frenetic aesthetics: Observational horror and spectatorship. Horror
Studies, 5(1), 65-84.
Walker, J. (2013). Westerns: Films through history. Routledge.
Youtube.com. (2018). A Steak, a Standoff, and the Death of the West. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmWgRiGyd_4