On Truth, Change and American Cowboys
From John Wayne to Jimmy Cliff
Hi, Ari here, and as we continue to cover war abroad, today I want to share something totally different with you in this culture piece. For my full newsletter, subscribe here:
Wild West
One of the most enduring genres of American film is The Western. It’s a style so “old school,” that it’s actually over 100 years old.
Americans seem permanently fascinated by Westerns, the simple tales of right and wrong; the thrill of the outlaws, and the idea that the Wild West—like any tough place—tests people. There are few rules, no guarantees, and you can get killed at any time. That presses people’s grit. It tends to reveal more of their true values (and the ones they will die for).
We know adversity sharpens and reveals. Isn’t that why so many interesting people, and artists, come out of tough circumstances?
So Westerns have plenty to offer. But most have been extremely limited.
Think about the “classics,” from Paul Newman and Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; or Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven; or countless John Wayne films (say Stagecoach or The Searchers).
Those films present and presume a world of white American cowboys. That’s Hollywood’s idea of the West, which shapes perceptions of both the fantasy and the real history.
Yet the reality was different. About one in four U.S. “cowboys” were Black. According to The Smithsonian, “African-American cowboys faced discrimination in the towns they passed through… but within their crews, they found respect and a level of equality unknown to other African-Americans of the era.” And women, often reduced to “damsels in distress” or love interests, were actually integral to life on the range.
The old films still have value; they are enjoyable, and are a product of their time. (A 1970s Western about the 1800s, for example, may inadvertently tell us more about the racial and gender assumptions of the 1970s than the era it depicts.)
As sure as the sun, is gonna shine…
New Westerns also have value. Which brings us to a new Western, just released on Netflix:
The Harder They Fall.
The film is written and directed by Jaymes Samuel, produced by Jay-Z, and features a cast including Idris Elba, LaKeith Stanfield, Zazie Beetz and Daniele Deadwyler. It’s a brash, hyper, revenge fantasy that takes plenty of creative liberties in the film, but draws on portraits of real people. (It’s also very violent, a warning before viewing.)
Telling the truth
Some commentators have hailed this project for “reimagining the Western.” And while it may look and feel different, that gets it pretty backwards.
This film restores these stories to their original position and truth, after a century of disappearing people and characters who were there.
And when telling the truth feels like some “radical act,” that usually means there’s something wrong—with the industry, or with our perception, or with society at large.
The Harder They Fall offers a version of a truth long buried, in one of Hollywood’s most enduring genres, and it’s a welcome restoration.
Like movie directors!
I first saw this film when it came out, and thought about it more this week at a film awards ceremony, The National Board of Review Awards.
It’s a night to honor directors, actors and distinguished films, and after more sought after speakers—Will Smith, Spike Lee, Bradley Cooper, Chris Rock, Trevor Noah and more—they asked me to present an award to the cast for The Harder They Fall, for best ensemble.
In presenting the award, I shared some of the thoughts above… and a few more thoughts about how integral musicians were in getting this movie made—from Jay-Z throwing his power and money behind the type of project that “traditional Hollywood” was not making; to the director, Jaymes Samuel, who spent most of his career making music, not movies. Sometimes different is good.
To bring out the actors, I reached to quote one of Jay’s classic double entendre lines that now has another layer of meaning—because he’s literally shooting movies!—reminding the crowd how Jay once said:
“Let me tell you dudes / what I do to protect this
Shoot at you actors / like movie directors!
And it’s a Western, so these actors shoot back.
P.S. What’s your favorite old school Western? Why do you think the genre remains so popular? Tell me in the comments and I’ll respond to some of you…
This is an important topic with far reaching political implications. The African American and Native American erasure from the Western was purposeful and designed to please a conservative American audience. In his study on John Wayne, the historian Garry Wills wrote about how almost alone among American actors, John Wayne embodied a political philosophy - one that Ronald Reagan (who often played a knock off version of Wayne) would take to the White House.
However, I am great admirer of many of John Wayne's movies and his performances for John Ford resulted in some of the greatest movies ever made. My top 5 Westerns:
1) The Searchers
2) Once Upon a Time in the West
3) Unforgiven
4) The Dollars Trilogy
5) The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
What a wonderful memory of watching television westerns with my dad . We loved. Wagon Train, Bonanza, The Rifleman, Gunsmoke., Roy Rogers, The Virginian and The Big Valley. We saw a few movies, but I honestly don't remember them. He definitely was "Old School,"and admired the simplicity of life in the "Old Days" as he would always say.
Thanks Ari for a great piece!!!