I wonder if you would be interested in tracing back in the other direction
as well, to find some roots of western themes in ancient sagas, lays and
balads. Arthurian, knightly stories; Greek and Roman epic stories; mediaeval
balads of Robin Hood and the like. Star Wars has always, for me anyway, been
more reminiscent of the 1938 The Adventures of Robin Hood, than of any other
film or story. And there was a modern knightly tale with Richard Gere (sorry
it was so unmemorable that I have forgotten the title) that seemed to take
its genre from the Japanese originals of the spaghetti westerns rather than
from Malory.
And then, of course, there is the wonderful Monty Python and the Holy Grail,
that makes such great fun of the whole bunch of vigilante justice stories:
Samurai, ancient Greek or Roman, mediaeval derring-do, or American western.
Cheers
Chris
>>This was posted to SCREEN-L. I thought you folks might be able to help.
>> Private email would probably do.
>>
>>ubj: Scifi film using Western genre characteristics
>>Date: 11/12/97 2:57:26 PM Eastern Standard Time
>>From: [log in to unmask] (Andrew Thompson)
>>Sender: [log in to unmask] (Film and TV Studies Discussion List)
>>Reply-to: [log in to unmask] (Film and TV Studies Discussion List)
>>To: [log in to unmask]
>>
>>I am a student in an introductory level film course at Fitchburg State
>>College in Mass. I am researching science fiction films that are made with
>>the typical Western genre characteristics. These would include a hero with
>>a strong code of ethics who stands alone and faces the problem (man against
>>nature, lawlessness, greedy industrialist/ranchers) and then resolves the
>>situation by being the "fastest draw." "Star Wars" would be an example.
>>I'd love to hear from anyone with an opinion or reference.
>>Kerry Thompson
>>_________________
>>
>>Leann
>>http://www.freeyellow.com/members2/buzzreview/index.html
>Apart from STAR WARS (with its homage to THE SEARCHERS), ones I could name
>include MOON ZERO TWO, OBLIVION, BACKLASH: OBLIVION 2, OUTLAND, WELCOME TO
>BLOOD CITY, WESTWORLD, BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS, and THE LOVE WAR (1970) to
>name just a few.
>
>----
>Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the
>University of Alabama.
>
>
Chris M. Worsnop
Consultant, speaker, workshop leader, writer
media education, assessment, writing
Homepage: <http://www.screen.com/mnet/eng/speakers/cw/worsnop.htm>
2400 Dundas Street West Email: <[log in to unmask]>
Unit 6, Suite 107 Phone: (905) 823-0875
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Ontario, Canada
L5K 2R8
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----
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