The Western Genre

The Western Genre

 The Western genre is traditionally set in 1800s Americas. The setting is very basic with a desert-like backdrop. The landscape often plays a huge part in the narrative of their films. Due to the time period in which they are set, there will often be common tropes of that time such as cowboys, sheriffs and Indians. 

There are also many characters that are stereotypically associated with the Western genre. The most obvious is the cowboy. He will usually be a law-abiding citizen who may also be considered an outcast among others. There will awesome be a main law-enforcer i.e. a Sheriff bringing order and justice to their town. The third main character usually associated with the Western genre is the damsel in distress. The last main character always seen are the villains. The film will often end in a huge duel between good and evil. 'No Country for Old Men' deals with these as Llewellen Moss is the cowboy-like figure, Bell is the Sheriff and Chigurh is the villain. However, they do not accomplish the goals that their characters traditionally do such as having a big duel or Chigurh being put to justice.
Other characters in the Western genre include Native Americans, bandits, lawmen, bounty hunters, outlaws, soldiers (especially mounted cavalry), settlers and townsfolk. 

 The mise-en-scene for Westerns are very traditional not relying on heavy machinery due to the time period in which they are set. The props seen will be connotations to the time such as old revolver guns and horses. They are seen in costumes that have become stereotypical to the genre-these include cowboy boots and stetsons. One setting that is usually seen in a Western is an old-fashioned saloon. These usually contain alcohol and other things that are commonly found in a modern day bar or pub. 'No Country for Old Men' moves around a lot so does not have one definitive setting that contains all these factors. Even the guns that are used are not traditional of the classic Western time period especially Anton's new and mysterious gun that almost seems futuristic.

 The themes that they deal with are: law, order and justice. They deal with someone (the villain) doing the opposite of what they should be and so they have to be brought to justice by either the sheriff or the cowboy. In 'No Country for Old Men' this does not happen as Moss dies at the hands of someone else offscreen. As a result of this he is unable to have the big shoot-out with Anton that the audience will expect. Usually the villain will either die as a result of their actions or will be arrested due to their crimes. This could be a form of propaganda about what is right and wrong in the US.

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