No Country for Any Men: The Tragic Westerns of the 20th century

The Ringo Kid (1939)

Ethan Edwards (1956)

William Munny (1992)

Walt Kowalski (2008)

No Country For Old Men (2007): Llewelyn, Bell, and Anton

Stagecoach, The Searchers, Unforgiven, Gran Torino, and No Country for Old Men all depict lone, "cowboy" heroes forging ahead in an inhospitable land: the United States, a land undergoing an ever-changing sense of identity. Some of the aforementioned films are literally westerns; some are westerns in only a thematic and symbolic manner.

Before beginning our college level writing task, we will begin by reading and discussing an essay on the last film we watched, No Country For Old Men, a philosophical, neo-western-noir flick. The essay, entitled "No Country for Old Men: The Coens' Tragic Western," approaches the film as both a western and a tragedy. 

We will use this same lens to analyze all of the "westerns" we have watched thus far: they are all tragic; they all convey a sense that this country--this land--is hard on its people.

Your Task: Select 1 character from No Country for Old Men and any 2 characters from the other films listed above. Compose an essay in which you explore the following:

• How does each character and film portray the lone hero/cowboy figure?
• How does each convey a sense of tragedy and the "west?"
• Compare and contrast each character, noting how the characters/films represent a shifting national identity.

Your essay must include multiple specific references to the Richard Gilmore essay, "No Country for Old Men: The Coens' Tragic Western." These references must be cited using MLA formatting.

Your completed essay must be at least 3 pages in length: double-spaced, size 12 Times New Roman.

We will review formatting in class in the weeks to come.

Due Wednesday, May 20th.

March 20th, 2014

Here is the agenda for tomorrow:

Christl: The posters need to be designed and saved as .pdf files tomorrow. You will have access to the computers. You may choose some students to assist you if you wish.

Guzman ("Mom-Jeans"), Alejandra, Chloe, and Rebecca: You need to take head shots of the principal actors. Post them to the blog along with pictures of wardrobe ideas. Also, keep blogging.

Tyler: You will be meeting with the following people in Weisback's room: Weisback, Erin, Alex, Allie, Liepe, Kelsey, Blake, Erica, Nicole-Riane, Jon, Dindak, and Ish to discuss the scenes to be filled on Tuesday, March 25th. Work on adding some more student dialogue.

Gabe, Luke, and Cam: Start compiling ideas for the music. You could assemble a YouTube playlist of inspirations (using my computer in 229) or you could work on some original stuff in the Media Studio. Your call. I'd like to hear some demos by Monday.

Hugo, Charlotte, and Devon: Head to Weisback's. Take photos and beginning planning your shots.

Editors (Ryan, Cassie, Kerwin, and Christina): Head to the media studio and begin working on the credits. Please spell everyone's name correctly.

Kenny, Vince, Stefen, and Brandon: Start getting some b-roll/stock footage I would really like some footage of the Scantron machine. You may select some students to assist you if you wish.

Aforementioned people: You will be graded on effort and participation. This will count in all three film classes!

If you do not have a job for tomorrow, you will view the following video and compose a brief reflection (250 words). This will count in all three film classes!



Peace, yo.

This Week's Assignment

This week we are finishing Hamlet and watching the 1990 film adaptation starring Mel Gibson.

Not pictured: Hamlet, sanity.

Despite any misgivings I may have concerning the star, the Zeffirelli version is by far my favorite cinematic interpretation of Hamlet.

Onto your assignment for this week (10/7-10/11):

Part 1: Morricone

Zeffirelli's Hamlet features an Ennio Morricone score. He is an Italian composer most famous for his contributions to Sergio Leone's Dollars trilogy. He is the man responsible for creating the signature sound of "Spaghetti Westerns."

Clint Eastwood's portrayal of the "Man With No Name"  revolutionized westerns in the 1960's.

My favorite Morricone theme comes from the comedy/western, Two Mules For Sister Sara, starring Clint Eastwood and Shiley Maclaine. You may recognize this theme as it was used again by Quentin Tarantino in Django Unchained.

• Your task: listen to some of Morricone's work on YouTube and select your favorite composition.
• Post a link to the video in the comment section of this post and explain why the song is appealing to you.

Part 2: Shakespearean Pronounciation 

A father-son team of linguists have determined what actors performing Shakespearean dialogue actually sounded like when the plays were originally performed. Check out the video below.

• In your comment, leave your thoughts regarding the video and what Shakespeare "actually" sounded like. You may wish to compare it to the more modern pronounciation, such as that used by Mel Gibson.

Your comment must be at least two paragraphs in length.

Comments are due by midnight, Friday the 11th.

Hereafter - Official Trailer [HD]

They're Here!

Two words- OSCARS NOMINATIONS!

With a somewhat shocking turn of events, Clint Eastwood didn't get a single nomination. I will say, this looks like it's the Golden Globes all over again but with The Dark Knight actually having a chance of getting an award other then Heath Ledger's Best Supporting Actor. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button received 13 nominations followed by Slumdog Millionaire with 10 and The Dark Knight and Milk with 8 nominations. All I have to say is the Slumdog Millionaire and The Dark Knight better tag team Button and win all the awards. How does everyone else feel about these nominations?