The Hero in American Film

Paper Summary:

This film study reflects the central American identity of the conscientious loner that must explore the new frontiers of the Old West. The films analyzed here depict a post-Vietnam point of view of the western hero, which define an American identity that becomes increasingly Leftist in a political and social context. However, the violent and oftentimes white hero of the Old West is still preserved, since the World War II Era heroics of John Wayne.

From the Paper:

"This film study will analyze the evolution of the western film genre through a heroic perspective. The centrality of the American western was a major part of historical and social of western heroes, such as John Wayne, after WWII. The evolution of Eastwood's hero in the 60s makes no less a reflection American life, as does Costner does in the Post-Vietnam Era. In essence, although the social context of the various western hero changes in how filmmakers approach this issue, the lone frontier explorer is an important mythos that is central to American cultural identity. The western hero after WWII was an independent, but loyal solider or frontiersman that was not truly concerned with a conscientious view other races or cultures in American society."

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