Cattle being driven through a lush, green valley, a cowboy sitting on his horse with his back to the audience looking out into the open range of America’s Midwest, only limited by the horizon, dark clouds gathering on the far left side of the picture; these are the first images the viewer gets from Kevin Costner’s 2003 Western movie, Open Range . And, in fact, this is all the audience needs, to know what this movie is going to be about. Open Range is made in the tradition of a classic Western. The cinematography of the opening sequence already establishes that. During these long shots the camera literally dwells in the scenery, showing America’s open range, at its best – one could add. The symbolic meaning is conveyed immediately, since the audience recognizes the movie’s frontier setting.
Since the Western genre has undergone a freefall since the late 1970s not only in public interest, which is shown in box office rates, but also in its critical reception, it is interesting, that director Costner refers back to the Western’s grand age in Open Range, even more so if one considers the public, as well as, the critical success of the two most prominent Westerns of the 1990s. Both Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven and Dances With Wolves also by and with Kevin Costner offered a new interpretation of the classic Western, to be honored with an Oscar for best picture in the process. So why does Costner then in Open Range take on the classic model of the Western again?
The purpose of this paper is to try to give an answer to this question. To do so it is first necessary to investigate in how far Open Range can be considered a classic Western movie and how deviations can be interpreted. Having done so, we will have to read our findings against the political and cultural context of the time of production of Open Range, since movies are cultural products and especially in the case of the Western trigger certain expectations, which in our case address the central idea of American self-understanding, the frontier myth. The story told in the Western hence becomes a “cultural story” .
Table of Contents
Open Range – negotiating a traditional Western Movie in the 21st Century
1. Open Range a Classic Western Movie
1.1 Open Range and its Classic Plotline
1.2 Cinematography
1.3 Wilderness and Civilization
1.3.1 Nature and Naturalism
1.3.2 The Threat of Civilization
1.4 The Heroes of Open Range
1.4.1 Boss Spearman: the Last of his Kind
1.4.2 Charley Waite: the Traumatized Professional
2. Shooting a Classical Western in the 21st Century
3. Sources
3.1 Bibliography:
3.2. Filmography( in order of appearance in the paper)
3.3 World Wide Web Resources:
Research Objectives and Themes
The primary objective of this paper is to examine Kevin Costner’s 2003 film Open Range to determine how it functions as a traditional Western while simultaneously navigating and reflecting the genre's historical evolution. The study explores how the film reconciles classic Western tropes with post-1955 psychological and professional archetypes, ultimately arguing that it serves as a cultural negotiation of American identity and myths in the 21st century.
- The role of classic vs. modern Western narrative structures and the "American Monomyth."
- Cinematographic techniques and their function in establishing thematic dichotomies between wilderness and civilization.
- Character analysis of the traditional hero (Boss Spearman) versus the traumatized professional hero (Charley Waite).
- The symbolic representation of the frontier myth in contemporary cinema.
- The tension between tradition, vigilante justice, and the restoration of order within the frontier town.
Excerpt from the Book
1.4.2 Charley Waite: the Traumatized Professional
Characteristic to the second period of the Western production is a different take on the hero, which we can witness in the persona of Charley Waite in Open Range. In contrast to Spearman’s character Costner within Waite puts less effort in picturing a hero in the traditional mythology of the West. Costner rather has its focus on his psychology and individuality, a trend which has set in in the Western genre with the “postwar/Cold War transition”. Constitutive for the heroes or even anti-heroes – if we credit Slotkin’s interpretation of these specific characters as noir characters – are “pathological elements in the hero’s character” and his “professionalism in the arts of violence”. Charley Waite carries both of these features. We, for instance, learn about Charley’s past in a scene between the ambush and the return to Harmonville. Regarding the plot the scene is important, because violence for Boss and Charley has become inevitable. Hence Charley is forced by his traumata or by his respect to Boss to unravel his past. This even has more emphasis for we have also learned in the movie beforehand that Boss and Charley have been riding together for “a decade”, without any word of Charley’s past.
Summary of Chapters
1. Open Range a Classic Western Movie: This chapter establishes the theoretical framework of the "American Monomyth" and analyzes how the film adheres to established genre patterns and narrative modes.
1.1 Open Range and its Classic Plotline: This section details the narrative structure of the film, identifying it as a "Ranch Story" framed by the "vengeance variation" theme.
1.2 Cinematography: This chapter analyzes how visual techniques, specifically long shots and the interplay of light and shadow, connect the film to the stylistic traditions of directors like John Ford.
1.3 Wilderness and Civilization: This chapter explores the central Western dichotomy, discussing how the wilderness represents freedom and integrity while civilization represents potential corruption and economic greed.
1.3.1 Nature and Naturalism: This section investigates the film's realistic portrayal of cowboy life and how the characters' relationship with the environment underscores their identity as frontiersmen.
1.3.2 The Threat of Civilization: This section examines the symbolic danger posed by the town of Harmonville and how it challenges the heroes' existence as free-grazers.
1.4 The Heroes of Open Range: This chapter introduces the dual-hero dynamic, explaining how the two main characters mirror the evolution of the Western hero across the 20th century.
1.4.1 Boss Spearman: the Last of his Kind: This section characterizes Boss as an archetype of the pre-1955 traditional Western hero who embodies an unwavering moral code.
1.4.2 Charley Waite: the Traumatized Professional: This section highlights Charley's psychological complexity and his role as a "branded" hero shaped by war and violent experience.
2. Shooting a Classical Western in the 21st Century: The final analysis chapter concludes that the film successfully reconciles classic and modern Western elements to preserve the genre's relevance.
3. Sources: A comprehensive bibliography, filmography, and list of web resources used in the research.
3.1 Bibliography: A list of academic texts and critical studies referenced in the paper.
3.2. Filmography( in order of appearance in the paper): A chronologically organized list of relevant films cited in the analysis.
3.3 World Wide Web Resources: References to digital sources used for the study.
Keywords
Open Range, Kevin Costner, Western genre, American Monomyth, Frontier myth, Boss Spearman, Charley Waite, Cinematography, Wilderness, Civilization, Traumatized professional, Vigilante justice, Genre evolution, American cultural story, Traditional Western.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper examines how Kevin Costner's 2003 film Open Range utilizes the conventions of the traditional Western genre while simultaneously engaging with its evolution and post-1955 psychological themes.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The primary themes include the myth of the frontier, the dichotomy between wilderness and civilization, character archetypes (the traditional hero vs. the traumatized professional), and the function of violence in the Western.
What is the primary research question?
The central question is: Is Open Range a traditional Western, and why does Costner choose to utilize the classic model despite the genre's decline after the 1970s?
Which scientific methods are employed in the analysis?
The paper utilizes film studies methodology, drawing on structuralist approaches—specifically the classifications of Will Wright and John G. Cawelti—as well as cultural and historical analysis of American myths.
What does the main body of the paper focus on?
The main body focuses on the film's cinematography, the narrative structure of the "Ranch Story," the symbolic opposition between the open range and the town of Harmonville, and a comparative character study of the two protagonists.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include the American Monomyth, frontier myth, traditional Western, genre evolution, and the dichotomy between civilization and wilderness.
How does the author distinguish between Boss Spearman and Charley Waite?
Boss Spearman is analyzed as a traditional, morally superior "super-hero" representing the pre-1955 era, while Charley Waite represents a post-1955 "traumatized professional" defined by his psychological depth and history of violence.
What role does the setting of Harmonville play in the narrative?
Harmonville functions as a representation of civilization, which the film initially portrays as a potentially corrupt, dark place that stands in direct opposition to the freedom and integrity of the wilderness.
Why is the "vengeance variation" significant to this film?
The "vengeance variation" is crucial because it aligns the characters' actions with a specific structural pattern of the Western, where a hero must re-establish law and order after being personally threatened.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Johannes Steinl (Autor:in), 2010, Open Range - Negotiating a Traditional Western in the 21st Century, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/165063
