John Fords The Searchers Essay -- Film Movies

John hybridizations The Searchers A critical theory by robin redbreast Wood posits that the sproutic music genres popularized by the Hollywood system are not discrete, scarcely represent different strategies for dealing with the same ideological tensions. (478) Wood claims that established theories fail to take aim this ideological phenomenon, and proposes a search for the myths and contradictions, produced by American capitalism, which fuel disparate filmic genres. Woods attempt to discuss this ideology lists the components of a definition of American capitalist ideology. (476) wiz component is the character of the ideal male, the potent paladin of the American way. (477) As the films produced out of capitalism tend to uphold the systems ideology, the hero produced by the film tends to represent the values of this ideology. Thus, through its hero, the classic Western naturalizes and justifies the taming of the land and the consequent subjugation of its libidinous native peopl e in sight to build civilization. (476) However, genre films are only potent because of the potentially subversive intervention of a clearly defined artistic personality in an ideological-generic structure. (479) In The Searchers, John Ford manipulates the traditional relationship between hero, text, and ideology to challenge the dominant values of American society. The viewer initially identifies with the conventional character of Ethan Edwards, but is gradually forced to reject this hero and his values, and to regard Martin Pawley, a representative of more liberal beliefs, as the new-order ideal male. Martin is both an indicator of how the audience should move to Ethans extremist tendencies, and an alternate(a) to them. Through the rejection of Ethan, in fav... ..., even as a victim of the psychological reach of the expansionist credo. Clearly, revealing the damage done by the capitalist ideology, whether single(a) or social, in the frontier society of 1868, or in the separa te but equal context of 1956, was important to the director. Fortunately, Woods theory, examining the new heart and soul created by the apposition of the thesis of a preexistent text with the antithetical views of the auteur, reaffirms Fords success, and the potence of the genre film. Works Cited Warshow, Robert. Movie Chronicle The Westerner. Film supposition and Criticism. Ed. Braudy, Leo, Marshall Cohen and Gerald Mast. new(a) York Oxford University Press, 1992. (453-466) Wood, Robin. Ideology, Genre, Auteur. Film Theory and Criticism. Ed. Braudy, Leo, Marshall Cohen and Gerald Mast. New York Oxford University Press, 1992. (453-466) John Fords The Searchers Essay -- Film MoviesJohn Fords The Searchers A critical theory by Robin Wood posits that the filmic genres popularized by the Hollywood system are not discrete, but represent different strategies for dealing with the same ideological tensions. (478) Wood claims that conventional theories fail to address th is ideological phenomenon, and proposes a search for the myths and contradictions, produced by American capitalism, which fuel disparate filmic genres. Woods attempt to discuss this ideology lists the components of a definition of American capitalist ideology. (476) One component is the character of the ideal male, the potent hero of the American way. (477) As the films produced out of capitalism tend to uphold the systems ideology, the hero produced by the film tends to represent the values of this ideology. Thus, through its hero, the classic Western naturalizes and justifies the taming of the land and the consequent subjugation of its libidinous native people in order to build civilization. (476) However, genre films are only potent because of the potentially subversive intervention of a clearly defined artistic personality in an ideological-generic structure. (479) In The Searchers, John Ford manipulates the traditional relationship between hero, text, and ideology to challenge the dominant values of American society. The viewer initially identifies with the conventional character of Ethan Edwards, but is gradually forced to reject this hero and his values, and to regard Martin Pawley, a representative of more liberal beliefs, as the new-order ideal male. Martin is both an indicator of how the audience should react to Ethans extremist tendencies, and an alternative to them. Through the rejection of Ethan, in fav... ..., even as a victim of the psychological reach of the expansionist credo. Clearly, revealing the damage done by the capitalist ideology, whether individual or social, in the frontier society of 1868, or in the separate but equal context of 1956, was important to the director. Fortunately, Woods theory, examining the new meaning created by the juxtaposition of the thesis of a preexistent text with the antithetical views of the auteur, reaffirms Fords success, and the potence of the genre film. Works Cited Warshow, Robert. Movie Chronicle The W esterner. Film Theory and Criticism. Ed. Braudy, Leo, Marshall Cohen and Gerald Mast. New York Oxford University Press, 1992. (453-466) Wood, Robin. Ideology, Genre, Auteur. Film Theory and Criticism. Ed. Braudy, Leo, Marshall Cohen and Gerald Mast. New York Oxford University Press, 1992. (453-466)