Revisionist Western - Compte rendu d'un corpus de Documents

What we have here is a set of multiple documents dealing with the topic of the Western genre and the case of the revisionist western. This dossier leads us to reconsider and questionning the representation of society in classic westerns. Indeed, we have the opportunity to look after three different ‘category’ which are the ‘western revisited’ with rewriting then the representation within the western genre of minorities such as black people and women. (presentation of the documents)

[def of the genre]. There’s also two extract from the movie 'Posse', one from the 1969 then the remake from 2010.

We can ask ourselves to what extent the diversification and the revolution of the western genre is an impactful tool in American’s society. First, we will focus on the emergence of a new way to consider the western genre then we will underline its importance to finish of the impact, either positive and negative of such revolution.

The revisionist western emerged in the mid-20th century as a response to the dominance of traditional, idealized Western narratives. Classic Westerns often portrayed a simplistic dichotomy of good versus evil, with heroic cowboys triumphing over lawlessness and restoring order. To that, we could say that the mid 20th century has faced the ‘coming-of-age’ of a neo-western genre, namely the evolution and maturation of the classic western, particularly in the context of American popular culture. It signifies a shift in the way Western narratives are crafted and how themes are explored, considered.

The classical western exists as an ideal sandbox for stories of heroism, in which white hats can immediately separate our protagonists from the black-hatted antagonists (manichean vision). But one of the curious and impressive hallmarks of revisionist westerns is the ability to portray morally ambiguous and psychologically complex characters. They move away from the clear-cut hero-villain dichotomy and delve into the gray areas of human nature.

Revisionist western then questions and defies the well-trodden patriarchal confines of the genre, as if looking at an old image from a tilted perspective and finding something new.

Ex:Meek’s Cutoff, where women seem to have an important if not crucial place in the movie. The gril holden a shotgun (Emily Tetherow) illustrates this powerful, strong female character, which is surprising in a western at first.

This new way of perceiving the western allows it to last in time.Hence why some western raises the question of the necessity of doing a ‘remake’ (Rosse, for example) Because if westerns never dies, it is because this genre is utterly and endlessly flexible. People don’t get used of it,as the genre grows in reflection of society’s evolution and needs.

Beyond its adaptable function that makes it immortal, the revisionist western have played a crucial role in the evolution and development of the Western genre.

They have had a significant impact on popular culture, storytelling, and the way audiences perceive and understand the American West by challenging conventions. Indeed some question the black-and-white morality for example with the named black-western (Posse), and simplistic portrayals of Native Americans and other marginalized groups that were prevalent in classic Westerns (Dance with Wolves). By

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