It’s interesting to note that one of the first post-apocalyptic Westerns was Hermann’s Jeremiah, a Belgian comic book series first published in 1978 in Zack magazine, a German comics anthology. Among Hermann’s influences were most probably films like Robert Clouse’s The Ultimate Warrior (1975) and clearly Spaghetti Westerns, concerning the two protagonists’ (a)morality and worldview.
The first two pages of La Nuit des rapaces (literally: “The Night of the Raptors”), Jeremiah’s first adventure:
Yeah I think my thing is longing for that specific sub-genre ya know? Like being a martial arts fan that yearns for Kurosawa’s Samurais but could care less about the Shaw’s kung-fu masters (not that that’s possible of course) – or – being the first in line for SAW VIII but turning your nose up at FRIDAY THE 13TH XXVI – Clamoring for all the Hammer Horror films but finding the Universal stuff lukewarm (actual personal example there). It’s a pit in my stomach along these lines.
The fact that one loves, but never gets, the signature tropes of the Spaghetti Western with all its glorious weird west vibe and pulpy comic book aesthetic, and is instead relegated to being placated with a rash of traditional Fordesque Westerns, of varying production values, kind of sucks. I like four-wheel drive vehicles but I want a jeep. I like steak, but I love filet. Zombie flicks are awesome but ONLY if they walk!
It’s just a huge gaping hole in the cult genre midnight movie underground, and I don’t know why. Is it really still that obscure in a world where pop culture thrives on the slightly off, familiarly foreign and coveted cool? Argh. I guess I am just not satisfied with saying “Westerns are back, or alive, or never left” - I want more than that… more specific that is.
Also, to the point about the “western” being packaged as other genres, including post-apocalyptic, it’s an interesting phenomenon considering that’s exactly what so many of the westerns, including the Spaghetti’s, did to the other genres to get their foothold. I guess I’m OK with robbing Peter to pay Paul as long as Peter robs me back.
More than half of these 15 are not westerns in traditional sense, but neo-westerns, meta-westerns, crossover/fusion, animated etc.
I completely understand what make those kind of movies ‘a western’, but I rather make distiction between movies which are ‘true’ western in every sense and these neo types. If we start commonly call these kind of movies a western, then, historically, we should include a lot of movies in western genre and in every discussion of the greatest movies of the genre. Every road movie for start.
Sorry but I’ve seen these so called resurgences before. Few make it to the big screen and are released on DVD. You’ll always find a few fanatics who will continue to make small budget westerns for DVD release or You Tube and a few will pop up at Film Festivals. We’ll also hear about projected TV series for TV movies with big names attached to them but even the ones who do reach theater distribution will show up at one or two theaters in a big city and then quickly fade away. If The Magnificent 7 couldn’t stir up some attention we won’t see anymore than one or two a year. Sorry to be so pessimistic but the studios and producers with clout aren’t and haven’t been interested in decades and that feeling just won’t change.
But only because the audiences don’t care for westerns (unless they are from QT). If westerns would make more money, the producers wouldn’t hesitate to make them by the dozen.
Actually I can understand by most modern westerns that the audience stayed away. I have no clue why mediocre films like the 3:10 to Yuma Remake or the new Mag 7 version made any money at all.
True I think. Also, the Western has long come back, just not the “classic” western. The western as a set of conventions, stylistic devices and motifs has long entered the mainstream, you can spot it in post-apocalyptic movies, in superhero flicks, in comic book adaptations, sci-fi even, and in TV shows (Westworld). And there’s always a good set of decent classic Westerns to satisfy the niche appetites (Forsaken, Janes got a Gun, The Keeping Room, True Grit, etc…). I think filmmakers just gotta keep trying at compelling stories and characters and just like very other idea out there trying to make a buck, it’s a competition for attention. The Western is not the only genre to be constantly struggling though.
