History
A genre in which description and dialogue are lean， and the landscape spectacular， is well suited to a visual medium. Early Westerns were mostly filmed in the studio like other early Hollywood movies， but when location shooting became more common， producers of Westerns used desolate① corners of California， Arizona， Utah， Nevada， Colorado or Wyoming， often making the landscape not just a vivid backdrop， but a character in the movie. The western film traces its roots back to The Great Train Robbery， a silent film directed by Edwin S. Porter and starring Bronco Billy Anderson. Released in 1903， the film’s popularity opened the door for Anderson to become the screen’s first cowboy star.
Classical② Westerns
The golden age of the western film is epitomized③ by the work of two directors： John Ford (who often used John Wayne for lead roles) and Howard Hawks. Ford’s 1939 epic， Stagecoach is considered one of the best westerns ever made. In the classical Western， a very simplistic moral framework is used： heroes are strong and brave， while villains are irredeemably evil.
During the 1960s and 1970s， a revival of the Western emerged in Italy with the “Spaghetti Westerns” or “Italo-Westerns”. Many of these films were low-budget affairs， shot in locations chosen for their cheapness and for the similarity of their landscapes to those of the southwestern United States (southern Spain was the most popular choice). Spaghetti Westerns were characterized by the presence of more action and violence than the Hollywood westerns.
Revisionist Westerns
Beginning in the 1960s， in part due to the impact of the Spaghetti Westerns， many filmmakers began to question traditional themes of westerns. Aside from the portrayal④ of the Native American as a “savage”， audiences also began to question the simple hero versus villain dualism， and the use of violence to test one’s character or to prove oneself right. Examples of “revisionist westerns” include Little Big Man， Dances With Wolves and Unforgiven.
Future of Westerns
As America moves away from the period in which they are set， Westerns do not have the massive popularity they once did， and people are nowadays able to watch them on DVD， reducing the need for new ones. However， a handful of Western movies continue to be made each year. The appeal of these frontier⑤ stories of action， adventure and honor， seems unlikely to disappear any time soon.
① desolatev. 使荒芜，使孤寂
② classicaladj. 经典的，传统的，正统的
③ epitomizev. 象征，作为……的缩影
④ portrayaln. 描绘，描写，饰演
⑤ frontiern. (探索活动的)新领域，未完全开拓的领域
西部片概述
渊源
在刻画和对话方面单薄而景色雄壮的类型非常适合以视频作为载体。早期的西部片和其它早期好莱坞电影一样大都是在摄影棚中拍摄的，但是当外景拍摄变得更为普及之时，西部片的制片人们就利用了加里福尼亚州、亚利桑那州、犹他州、内华达州、科罗拉多州或怀俄明州的荒凉之地，经常是将此类地貌既当作生动的背景又用作电影中的一个“角色”。西部片的源头可以追溯到由埃德温·波特执导、布朗克·比利·安德森主演的无声电影《火车大劫案》。于1903年上映的这部电影大受欢迎，为安德森开启了成为银幕上首位牛仔明星的大门。
传统的西部片
西部电影的黄金时期集中体现在两名导演的作品之中：约翰·福特（总是启用约翰·韦恩来担当主角）和霍华德·霍克斯。福特1939年的史诗巨作《关山飞渡》被认为是有史以来制作得最出色的西部片之一。在传统的西部片中，运用到了一个再简单不过的道义框架：主角强悍而英勇，而反角则是不可救药的魔鬼。
在20世纪60年代和70年代期间，“通心粉西部片”，即“意大利式西部片”，在意大利掀起了西部片的复兴。这类影片中有很多都是低预算作品，选取了那些价格低廉、地貌与美国西南部相似的地方作为拍摄地（西班牙南部是最热门的选择）。与好莱坞西部片相比，“通心粉西部片”的特色在于呈现了更多的打斗与暴力场景。
反传统西部片
由于部分上受到了“通心粉西部片”的影响，从20世纪60年代起，很多电影制作人开始对西部片的传统主题提出质疑。而观众们不光对将美国土著人刻画成“野人”提出质疑，还开始对简单地以英雄和恶棍进行划分的二元论以及将暴力作为检验某人品质或证明某人正确性的方式提出了质疑。“反传统西部片”的例作包括《小巨人》、《与狼共舞》和《不可饶恕》。
西部片的发展
随着美国的发展，西部片所设定的背景时期渐渐远去，它们不再像从前那样倍受欢迎了，而且如今人们能够在DVD上观看到这些影片，从而降低了对新片的需求。然而，每年仍会制作几部西部电影。来自于这些充斥着打斗、冒险和荣誉的边镇故事的吸引力，看起来未必会很快消失殆尽。