The revisionist Western (also called the anti-Western, sometimes revisionist antiwestern) is a

sub-genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

of the Western film. Designated a post-classical variation of the traditional Western, the revisionist subverts the myth and romance of the traditional by means of character development and realism to present a less simplistic view of life in the " Old West". While the traditional Western always embodies a clear boundary between good and evil, the revisionist Western does not. Revisionist themes have existed since the early 20th century but it was not until 1968, when the Hays Code restrictions were relaxed, that revisionism finally supplanted the traditional. Although many earlier Westerns are labelled revisionist, the distinction between them is often blurred by variable themes and plot devices. Some are labelled psychological Westerns which is closely related to and sometimes overlaps with the psychological drama and psychological thriller genres because of their focus on character at the expense of the action and thrills that predominate in the traditional. Other revisionist films, in which action and adventure remain prominent, are labelled Indian Westerns or Outlaw/Gunfighter Westerns because, instead of the traditional hero, the protagonist is a Native American, an

outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them ...

or a gunfighter. The

Spaghetti Western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

s of the 1960s, not bound by the Hays Code, were strongly revisionist by presenting morally ambiguous storylines featuring an anti-hero or a

sympathetic villain A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character as ...

. From 1969 onwards, revisionism has prevailed in Western film production.

Concept

The traditional Western typically features a strong male lead character, often a lawman or cavalry officer, who takes direct action on behalf of supposedly civilised people against those deemed to be uncivilised. The former are portrayed as honest townsfolk or travellers, the latter as outlaws or hostile Native Americans. In the revisionist Western, the traditional format and themes are subverted by such devices as the Native American protagonist; strong female characters; the outlaw protagonist; plots that are pre-eminently concerned with survival in a wild environment; or the presentation of a morally ambiguous storyline without definite heroes, these often featuring the so-called anti-hero or a

. The object is to blur the traditionally clear boundaries between "right" and "wrong" (the "good guy" against the "bad guy") by emphasising the need for survival amidst ambiguity. The traditional Western treats characters in simplistic terms as good or bad with minimal character development. The psychological Western, which began in the 1940s and was hugely popular through the 1950s and 1960s, prioritises character development ahead of action whilst retaining most of the traditional aspects. For the most part, the psychological Western morphed into the revisionist Western as censorship restrictions were relaxed and removed in the 1960s. '' Shane'' (1953), directed by George Stevens, is a psychological Western. The title character (

Alan Ladd Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and film producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in films noir and Westerns. He was often paired with Veronica Lake ...

) seems at first to be a traditional Western drifter riding across a traditional Western landscape but it is soon apparent that he has entered a complex setting which is populated by, as Kim Newman puts it, "believable characters with mixed motives". Even though rancher Riker ( Emile Meyer) is ostensibly the villain of the piece, he makes the point that he has striven for thirty years to develop the cattle range which is now being taken over by fence-building " sodbusters", many of whom have the mixed motives noted by Newman. Despite the complexity of its characters, ''Shane'' is nevertheless filmed in a conventional setting and ends with the hero outshooting and killing the three main villains. There is, however, an element of revisionism in the ending when the disillusioned Shane admits to Riker that he knows his day as a gunfighter is over. Shane rides away to an uncertain future, possibly to die as he is wounded, and it is farmer Starrett ( Van Heflin) and his family who endure. ''Shane'' is a psychological Western with many of the trappings of a traditional one. Fifteen years later,

Sergio Leone Sergio Leone (; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter credited as the pioneer of the Spaghetti Western genre and widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cin ...

directed '' Once Upon a Time in the West'', a revisionist Western which completely subverts the traditional with complex characters and multiple plot devices, the key one being revenge – the motive of enigmatic gunfighter Harmonica (

Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his "granite features and brawny physique," he gained international fame for his starring roles in action, Western, and war ...

). As in ''Shane'', it is not the gunfighters who "inherit the West" but in this case the compassionate town-building ex-prostitute Jill ( Claudia Cardinale). By the end of the film, all of the antagonists except Harmonica are dead and, like Shane, he rides away to an uncertain future.

Development

Opinion is divided on the origin of the revisionist or psychological Western but it is generally agreed that there were hints of a darker perspective in some films of the 1930s such as '' Westward Ho'' (1935), directed by

Robert N. Bradbury Robert North Bradbury (March 23, 1886 – November 24, 1949) (born Ronald E. Bradbury) was an American film actor, director, and screenwriter. He directed 125 movies between 1918 and 1941, and is best known for directing early "Poverty Row"-produc ...

and starring

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...

, in which the hero leads a band of vigilantes on a quest for revenge. ''Westward Ho'' is the earliest film in

AllMovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...

's list of revisionist Westerns. The earliest films classified by AllMovie as psychological Westerns are '' The Ox-Bow Incident'' and '' The Outlaw'' (both 1943). The Outlaw/Gunfighter sub-genre focused on outlaws and gunfighters as human beings rather than using them as stock characters, often dressed in black, as in traditional Westerns. The aim was to examine the impact of gunfights on the participants by revealing their neuroses and redeeming characteristics. AllMovie's earliest films of this type are two silents: ''

The Road Agent ''The Road Agent'' is a 1926 American silent film, silent Western (genre), Western film directed by J.P. McGowan and starring Al Hoxie, Ione Reed and Lew Meehan.Pitts p.286 Cast * Al Hoxie as Roger Worth / The Kansas Kid * Ione Reed as Mary Rya ...

'' (1926), directed by

J. P. McGowan John Paterson McGowan (February 24, 1880 – March 26, 1952) was a pioneering Hollywood actor and director and occasionally a screenwriter and producer. McGowan remains the only Australian to have been made a life member of the Screen Directors G ...

and starring

Al Hoxie Al Hoxie (1901–1982) was an American film actor. The younger brother of Jack Hoxie, he starred in a number of silent westerns.Katchmer p.170 Selected filmography * '' Ruth of the Rockies (1920) * '' Thunderbolt Jack'' (1920) * '' The Queen ...

; and ''

Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the " Little Dixie" area of Western Missouri, James and his family maintained stro ...

'' (1927), directed by Lloyd Ingraham and starring Fred Thomson. In a similar vein, the Indian Western seeks to reverse negative stereotypes by sympathetic portrayal of Native Americans who, in the traditional Western, are nearly always the enemy of the "heroic" white settlers and cavalry. In the Indian Western, roles can be reversed with peaceful Native Americans driven to fight against white aggression. Usually, however, the Native American hero or heroine is played by brownface whites such as

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor and producer. Initially known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-yea ...

and Jean Peters in '' Apache (film)'' (1954). In '' Dances with Wolves'', the female lead was Mary McDonnell playing a white who had been raised by the Lakota. There had been earlier films which portrayed Native Americans sympathetically, but the breakthrough for this sub-genre was '' Broken Arrow'' (1950), directed by Delmer Daves and starring

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality h ...

, with Jeff Chandler as Cochise. Kim Newman wrote that Chandler's performance established Cochise as "the 1950s model of an Indian hero" and the film inspired goodwill to other Native American chiefs such as

Sitting Bull Sitting Bull ( lkt, Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake ; December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota leader who led his people during years of resistance against United States government policies. He was killed by Indian agency police on the Standing Rock I ...

Crazy Horse Crazy Horse ( lkt, Tȟašúŋke Witkó, italic=no, , ; 1840 – September 5, 1877) was a Lakota war leader of the Oglala band in the 19th century. He took up arms against the United States federal government to fight against encroachment by wh ...

and

Geronimo Geronimo ( apm, Goyaałé, , ; June 16, 1829 – February 17, 1909) was a prominent leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Ndendahe Apache people. From 1850 to 1886, Geronimo joined with members of three other Central Apache ba ...

– as a result, "it became fashionable for Westerns to be pro-Indian". Many of the films were produced in the 1950s during the milieu of

McCarthyism McCarthyism is the practice of making false or unfounded accusations of subversion and treason, especially when related to anarchism, communism and socialism, and especially when done in a public and attention-grabbing manner. The term origin ...

and attempted to strike back against

blacklisting Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, t ...

of the film industry at that time, notably ''

High Noon ''High Noon'' is a 1952 American Western film produced by Stanley Kramer from a screenplay by Carl Foreman, directed by Fred Zinnemann, and starring Gary Cooper. The plot, which occurs in real time, centers on a town marshal whose sense of ...

'' (1952) starring Gary Cooper. By the time of the loosening, and later abandonment, of the restrictive Hays Code in the 1960s, many directors of the New Hollywood generation such as Sam Peckinpah, George Roy Hill, and

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New H ...

focused on the Western and each produced their own classics in the genre, including Peckinpah's '' The Wild Bunch'' (1969), Hill's ''

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' is a 1969 American Western buddy film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman. Based loosely on fact, the film tells the story of Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, known as Butch C ...

'' (1969), and Altman's '' McCabe & Mrs. Miller'' (1971). Meanwhile, European directors such as

and Sergio Corbucci had been making Western films unencumbered by American expectations nor Hays Code inspired censorship, and these "

s" also provided a new perspective on the Western genre. Early examples of this sub-genre are Leone's '' A Fistful of Dollars'', starring

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "''Doll ...

, and Corbucci's ''

Minnesota Clay ''Minnesota Clay'' is a 1964 Spaghetti Western directed by Sergio Corbucci. Plot The year is 1883. Clay, a gunfighter with health problems, is interned in Drunner Labor Camp. He's determined to prove his innocence since he was framed by Fox, the ...

'', starring Cameron Mitchell, both made in 1964. The revisionist and psychological Westerns have been carried forward from their own standard settings into the Neo-western, a notable of which is the Coen brothers' '' No Country for Old Men'' (2007), based on the work of Cormac McCarthy, an author known for writing revisionist Western literature, such as the novel '' Blood Meridian''.

Hollywood revisionist Westerns

In the US film industry, the controversial Motion Picture Production Code was introduced in 1930 to provide film producers with moral and ethical guidelines that, if followed, would impose censorship. The code, widely known as the Hays Code after its creator Will H. Hays, was based on the twin concepts of improving moral standards and upholding respect for the law with the aim of directing audience sympathy towards those who fought against crime and/or presented "correct standards of life" in terms of integrity. The restrictions were relaxed somewhat by the 1952

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

holding in '' Joseph Burstyn, Inc. v. Wilson'' and then, in 1968, the Hays Code was terminated to end restrictions on film content in the US. This broadened potential scope and made the revisionist Western a more viable genre.

Spaghetti Westerns

European countries, which had imported Western productions since their silent film inception, began creating their own versions and, in the 1964, Sergio Leone's '' A Fistful of Dollars'' became an international hit initiating the "

" filone. Although they were mostly shot in Spanish locations, featured U.S. actors, and were co-produced by European and U.S. producers, many of the most successful directors were Italian, resulting in these films being known by the misnomer "Spaghetti Western." Leone is often credited with initiating the growth of these co-produced European westerns as he played a seminal role due the financial success of ''A Fistful of Dollars.'' Scholars such as Austin Fisher have begun to pay attention to how in this popular genre Italian directors such Damiano Damiani, Sergio Sollima and Sergio Corbucci, in responding to international and national events, chose the Western as way to represent Leftist doctrine in the second half of the 1960s, interpreting the conflict between Mexico and the U.S. through the lens of Italian politics. Leone popularized the morally ambivalent gunfighter through his representation of "The Man with No Name," Clint Eastwood's gritty anti-hero who was copied again and again in Spaghetti Westerns in characters such as Django and

Ringo Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

and which came to be one of its universal attributes.

Counterculture

Beginning in the late 1960s, independent filmmakers produced revisionist and hallucinogenic films, later retroactively identified as the separate but related subgenre of " Acid Westerns,” that radically turn the usual trappings of the Western genre inside out to critique both capitalism and the counterculture. Monte Hellman's '' The Shooting'' and '' Ride in the Whirlwind'' (1966), Alejandro Jodorowsky's ''

El Topo ''El Topo'' (, "The Mole") is a 1970 Mexican acid Western art film written, scored, directed by and starring Alejandro Jodorowsky. Characterized by its bizarre characters and occurrences, use of maimed and dwarf performers, and heavy doses of Ju ...

'' (

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

Robert Downey Sr. Robert John Downey ( Elias Jr.; June 24, 1936 – July 7, 2021) was an American filmmaker and actor. He was known for writing and directing the underground film ''Putney Swope'', a satire on the New York Madison Avenue advertising world. Accordi ...

's '' Greaser's Palace'' (

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

), Alex Cox's ''Walker'' (

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

), and

Jim Jarmusch James Robert Jarmusch (; born January 22, 1953) is an American film director and screenwriter. He has been a major proponent of independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films including '' Stranger Than Paradise'' (1984), '' Down by Law'' ( ...

's '' Dead Man'' (

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

) fall into this category. Films made during the early 1970s are particularly noted for their hyper-realistic photography and production design. Other films, such as those directed by

, were made by professionals familiar with the Western as a criticism and expansion against and beyond the genre. Eastwood's '' The Outlaw Josey Wales'' (

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

) and '' Unforgiven'' (

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

) made use of strong supporting roles for women and Native Americans.

List of revisionist Western films

This list is not exhaustive. It includes major films labelled revisionist Western, anti-Western, psychological Western, Indian Western, Outlaw Western, Gunfighter Western, or Spaghetti Western. By 1970, revisionism had supplanted the traditional as the predominant Western sub-genre and so the list highlights the films released until then to illustrate the development of the concept.

1901–1950

* '' The Great Train Robbery'' (1903) * ''

'' (1926) * ''

'' (1927) * '' Law and Order'' (1932) * '' The Outlaw Tamer'' (1935) * '' Outlaw Rule'' (1935) * ''

Outlawed Guns ''Outlawed Guns'' is a 1935 American Western film directed by Ray Taylor and written by John T. Neville. The film stars Buck Jones, Ruth Channing, Frank McGlynn, Sr., Roy D'Arcy, Pat J. O'Brien and Joseph W. Girard. The film was released on ...

'' (1935) * '' Westward Ho'' (1935) * '' Outlaws of Sonora'' (1938) * '' Heritage of the Desert'' (1939) * ''

'' (1939) * '' Outlaws' Paradise'' (1939) * '' The Desperadoes'' (1943) * '' The Outlaw'' (1943) * '' Outlaws of Stampede Pass'' (1943) * '' The Ox-Bow Incident'' (1943) * '' Outlaw Roundup'' (1944) * ''

The Daltons Ride Again ''The Daltons Ride Again'' is a 1945 American Western film directed by Ray Taylor starring Alan Curtis, Lon Chaney Jr., Kent Taylor and Noah Beery Jr. The movie was made by Universal Pictures and the supporting cast features Milburn Stone (" ...

'' (1945) * '' Badman's Territory'' (1946) * '' Gran Casino'' (1947) * ''

Gunfighters Gunfighters, also called gunslingers (), or in the 19th and early 20th centuries gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in gunfights and shootouts. Today, the te ...

'' (1947) * '' Jesse James Rides Again'' (1947) * '' Pursued'' (1947) * '' Adventures in Silverado'' (1948) * '' Blood on the Moon'' (1948) * '' The Man from Colorado'' (1948) * '' Rachel and the Stranger'' (1948) * '' Yellow Sky'' (1948) * ''

Bad Men of Tombstone ''Bad Men of Tombstone'' is a 1949 American Western film from King Brothers Productions. It was co-written by Philip Yordan and stars Barry Sullivan and Broderick Crawford. King Brothers announced plans for a sequel, ''The Marshall of Tombstone' ...

'' (1949) * '' Colorado Territory'' (1949) * '' I Shot Jesse James'' (1949) * '' Branded'' (1950) * '' Broken Arrow'' (1950) * '' Devil's Doorway'' (1950) * '' The Furies'' (1950) * '' The Gunfighter'' (1950) * '' I Shot Billy the Kid'' (1950) * '' Winchester '73'' (1950)

1951–1955

* '' The Great Missouri Raid'' (1951) * '' Three Desperate Men'' (1951) * '' The Battle at Apache Pass'' (1952) * '' Bend of the River'' (1952) * '' The Duel at Silver Creek'' (1952) * '' Hangman's Knot'' (1952) * ''

'' (1952) * '' Hondo'' (1953) * '' The Lawless Breed'' (1953) * ''

The Naked Spur ''The Naked Spur'' is a 1953 American Western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart, Janet Leigh, Robert Ryan, Ralph Meeker, and Millard Mitchell. Written by Sam Rolfe and Harold Jack Bloom, the film is about a bounty hunter ...

'' (1953) * '' Hannah Lee'' (1953) * '' Shane'' (1953) * ''

War Arrow ''War Arrow'' is a 1954 American Technicolor Western film directed by George Sherman and starring Maureen O'Hara, Jeff Chandler and John McIntire. Filmed by Universal Pictures and based on the Seminole Scouts, the film was shot in Agoura, Calif ...

'' (1953) * ''

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

'' (1954) * '' Broken Lance'' (1954) * '' The Far Country'' (1954) * '' Johnny Guitar'' (1954) * '' Silver Lode'' (1954) * ''

Vera Cruz Veracruz is a state in Mexico. Veracruz or Vera Cruz (literally "True Cross") may also refer to: People * María González Veracruz (born 1979), Spanish politician * Philip Vera Cruz (1904–1994), Filipino American labor leader * Tomé Vera Cruz ...

'' (1954) * '' The Kentuckian'' (1955) * ''

The Man From Laramie ''The Man from Laramie'' is a 1955 American Western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Donald Crisp, and Cathy O'Donnell. Written by Philip Yordan and Frank Burt, the film is about a stranger who defies ...

'' (1955) * '' Man with the Gun'' (1955) * ''

Run for Cover Run for Cover Records is an American independent record label based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 2004 by Jeff Casazza at the age of 17 with a $1,000 loan, the label functioned as a small one-person bedroom operation in Brighton, until Casa ...

'' (1955) * ''

Tribute to a Bad Man ''Tribute to a Bad Man'' is a 1956 American Western film directed by Robert Wise and starring James Cagney about a rancher whose harsh enforcement of frontier justice alienates the woman he loves. It was based on the short story "Hanging's for t ...

'' (1955)

1956–1960

* '' Gunslinger'' (1956) * '' Jubal'' (1956) * ''

The Last Hunt ''The Last Hunt'' is a 1956 American Western film directed by Richard Brooks and produced by Dore Schary. The screenplay was by Richard Brooks from the novel '' The Last Hunt'', by Milton Lott. The music score was by Daniele Amfitheatrof and ...

'' (1956) * '' The Searchers'' (1956) * '' Star in the Dust'' (1956) * '' 3:10 to Yuma'' (1957) * '' Decision at Sundown'' (1957) * '' Forty Guns'' (1957) * '' Gun Glory'' (1957) * '' The Lonely Man'' (1957) * '' Night Passage'' (1957) * ''

Oregon Passage ''Oregon Passage'' is a 1957 American CinemaScope Western film directed by Paul Landres and starring John Ericson, Lola Albright, Toni Gerry and Edward Platt. Its plot follows a clash between an army lieutenant and Shoshoni natives in the Casca ...

'' (1957) * '' Run of the Arrow'' (1957) * '' The True Story of Jesse James'' (1957) * '' The Bravados'' (1958) * ''

Buchanan Rides Alone ''Buchanan Rides Alone'' is a 1958 American Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott, Craig Stevens, and Barry Kelley. Based on the 1956 novel ''The Name's Buchanan'' by Jonas Ward, the film is about a Texan return ...

'' (1958) * '' Gun Fever'' (1958) * '' The Left Handed Gun'' (1958) * ''

Man of the West ''Man of the West'' is a 1958 American Western film noir film starring Gary Cooper and directed by Anthony Mann, produced by Walter Mirisch and distributed by United Artists. The screenplay, written by Reginald Rose, is based on the 1955 novel ...

'' (1958) * '' Showdown at Boot Hill'' (1958) * ''

Terror in a Texas Town ''Terror in a Texas Town'' is a 1958 American Western film directed by Joseph H. Lewis (billed only as "Joseph Lewis") and starring Sterling Hayden, Nedrick Young, and Sebastian Cabot. The script of ''Terror in a Texas Town'' was written by Da ...

'' (1958) * '' Day of the Outlaw'' (1959) * ''

Face of a Fugitive ''Face of a Fugitive'' is a 1959 American Western film directed by Paul Wendkos. It stars Fred MacMurray, Lin McCarthy, Myrna Fahey, James Coburn and Dorothy Green and was based on the short story "Long Gone" by Peter Dawson, the pen name of Jo ...

'' (1959) * '' The Hanging Tree'' (1959) * ''

Last Train from Gun Hill ''Last Train from Gun Hill'' is a 1959 Western in VistaVision and Technicolor, directed by John Sturges. It stars Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn and Earl Holliman. Douglas and Holliman had previously appeared together in Sturges' ''Gunfight at the ...

'' (1959) * '' No Name on the Bullet'' (1959) * '' Warlock'' (1959) * ''

13 Fighting Men ''13 Fighting Men'' is a 1960 American drama film directed by Harry W. Gerstad and written by Robert Hamner and Jack W. Thomas. The film stars Grant Williams (actor), Grant Williams, Brad Dexter, Carole Mathews, Robert Dix, Richard Garland and Ri ...

'' (1960) * '' Comanche Station'' (1960) * '' The Magnificent Seven'' (1960) * '' One Foot in Hell'' (1960) * '' Sergeant Rutledge'' (1960) * '' The Unforgiven'' (1960)

1961–1970

* '' The Deadly Companions'' (1961) * '' One-Eyed Jacks'' (1961) * '' Two Rode Together'' (1961) * '' Lonely Are the Brave'' (1962) * '' The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance'' (1962) * '' Ride the High Country'' (1962) * '' A Fistful of Dollars'' (1964) * ''

Cheyenne Autumn ''Cheyenne Autumn'' is a 1964 American epic Western film starring Richard Widmark, Carroll Baker, James Stewart, and Edward G. Robinson. It tells the story of a factual event, the Northern Cheyenne Exodus of 1878–79, told in "Hollywood style ...

'' (1964) * ''

Arizona Colt Arizona Colt ( it, Il pistolero di Arizona), also known as The Man from Nowhere ( it, L'uomo venuto dal nulla), is a 1966 technicolor Spaghetti Western directed by Michele Lupo and starring Giuliano Gemma, Fernando Sancho, Corinne Marchand. Syn ...

'' (1965) * '' Arizona Raiders'' (1965) * ''

For a Few Dollars More ''For a Few Dollars More'' ( it, Per qualche dollaro in più) is a 1965 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone. It stars Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef as bounty hunters and Gian Maria Volonté as the primary villain. German actor K ...

'' (1965) * '' The Glory Guys'' (1965) * '' Apache Rifles'' (1966) * '' Django'' (1966) * ''

El Dorado El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or king o ...

'' (1966) * '' An Eye for an Eye'' (1966) * '' The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' (1966) * '' Nevada Smith'' (1966) * '' The Plainsman'' (1966) * ''

The Professionals A professional is someone who is skilled in a profession. Professional or professionals may also refer to: * Professional sports Music *The Professionals (band), a British punk rock band formed in 1979 * ''The Professionals'' (The Professionals ...

'' (1966) * '' Ride in the Whirlwind'' (1966) * '' The Shooting'' (1966) * '' Any Gun Can Play'' (1967) * '' Bandidos'' (1967) * '' Chuka'' (1967) * ''

Hombre Hombre, the Spanish word for " man" and sometimes used informally in English, may refer to: * ''Hombre'' (novel), a 1961 novel by Elmore Leonard * ''Hombre'' (film), a 1967 motion picture based on the novel starring Paul Newman, directed by Mart ...

'' (1967) * '' Hour of the Gun'' (1967) * '' Rough Night in Jericho'' (1967) * ''

The Way West ''The Way West'' is a 1949 western novel by A. B. Guthrie, Jr. The book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1950 and became the basis for a film starring Kirk Douglas, Robert Mitchum, and Richard Widmark. The novel is one in the sequence of s ...

'' (1967) * '' Welcome to Hard Times'' (1967) * '' Bandolero!'' (1968) * ''

Day of the Evil Gun ''Day of the Evil Gun'' is a 1968 American traditional Western (genre), Western starring Glenn Ford, Arthur Kennedy (actor), Arthur Kennedy, and Dean Jagger. It was directed by Jerry Thorpe. Plot Angie Warfield and her two children are kidnapp ...

'' (1968) * '' The Desperados'' (1968) * '' Firecreek'' (1968) * ''

The Great Silence ''The Great Silence'' ( it, Il grande silenzio) is a 1968 revisionist Spaghetti Western film directed and co-written by Sergio Corbucci. An Italian-French co-production, the film stars Jean-Louis Trintignant, Klaus Kinski, Vonetta McGee (in h ...

'' (1968) * '' Hang 'em High'' (1968) * '' Once Upon a Time in the West'' (1968) * '' Will Penny'' (1968) * ''

'' (1969) * '' Death of a Gunfighter'' (1969) * '' Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here'' (1969) * '' A Time for Dying'' (1969) * '' The Wild Bunch'' (1969) * '' Young Billy Young'' (1969) * ''

Barquero ''Barquero'' is a 1970 American Western film starring Lee Van Cleef and Warren Oates directed by Gordon Douglas. Plot After stealing a shipment of silver and weapons, the brutal and unstable Remy and his band of mercenaries must cross a riv ...

'' (1970) * '' Little Big Man'' (1970) * '' Monte Walsh'' (1970) * '' Soldier Blue'' (1970)

Later films

Subsequently, revisionist themes have prevailed in Western film production. Major releases from 1971 to the present include: * '' Lawman'' (1971) * '' McCabe & Mrs. Miller'' (1971) * '' Chato's Land'' (1972) * '' The Culpepper Cattle Co.'' (1972) * ''

The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid ''The Great Northfield, Minnesota Raid'' is a 1972 American Western film about the James-Younger Gang distributed by Universal Pictures. It was written and directed by Philip Kaufman in a cinéma vérité style and starring Cliff Robertson. The ...

'' (1972) * '' Joe Kidd'' (1972) * '' The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean'' (1972) * '' Ulzana's Raid'' (1972) * '' High Plains Drifter'' (1973) * '' Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid'' (1973) * '' The Outlaw Josey Wales'' (1976) * '' The Long Riders'' (1980) * '' Pale Rider'' (1985) * '' Dances with Wolves'' (1990) * '' Unforgiven'' (1992) * '' Geronimo: An American Legend'' (1993) * '' Tombstone'' (1993) * '' 3:10 to Yuma (2007) * '' The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'' (2007) * '' Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee'' (2007) * '' Django Unchained'' (2012) * '' The Lone Ranger'' (2013) * '' The Hateful Eight'' (2015) * '' Brimstone'' (2016) * '' The Power of the Dog'' (2021)

References

Bibliography

External links

* Articles in ''Western American Literature'' on the
Postwestern
* Articles in ''Western American Literature'' on
Western film and TV
{{Film genres Historical revisionism Western (genre) films by genre