Lucchese Boots

This is one design of the Lucchese cowboy boots brought up time and time again in No Country for Old Men. They go for about $600-$1300 a pair. They look like regular cowboy boots to me, but something must make the desired luxury of cowboys everywhere.

How the West Was Fun

You may have learned about how the west was won but have you ever wondered how the west was fun? If so let Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen tell you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_GlZ5yFbT4

Urban Cowboy

I happened to have stumbled upon the worst Western of all time. I was flipping around channels late on Friday night, and Urban Cowboy was just starting. I wish that I would've done the right thing and changed the channel, but I sat through and watched the entire film. John Travolta, at his ehh.., well at least he looks good, plays a troubled "cowboy" who has difficulty in the real world, because he wants to be a free bird. He marries his first love; they have an extremely abusive relationship. They fight about his life, their pastimes, a scandalous ex-con bull rider that Sissy starts seeing, and anything else imaginable. Everything about the movie screams forced "Western": stereotypical trailer homes, square dance night club equipped with a mechanical bull, bad fake accents, and the good guy vs. the bad guy relationship. For the majority of the film Sissy and Bud were hooking up with other people to get one another jealous. And of course, the movie resolves with Bud getting Sissy back when he beats the ex-con in a mechanical bull riding contest.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

I really liked this movie. I liked how they mixed in a lot of humor to a type of movie that normally would not have any. I also saw a lot of similarities to The Wild Bunch. The whole theme of outlaws sticking together, robbing trains, and fighting for each other was in both movies. There were also themes like justice in both, but if I was writing an essay on this movie I would mainly talk about theme of honor. This theme has really been in every Western movie I have seen. Butch and the Sundance Kid stuck together and cared more about each other and not just themselves. Overall though I enjoyed the movie.

David Allen Coe

If anyone knows David Allen Coe, they know he can do some questionable stuff, but this song is fantastic.

"The perfect country and western song", images of a modern west:

Well I was drunk the day my momma got out of prison
And I went to pick her up in the rain
But before I could get to the station in the pick-up truck
She got runned over by a damned old train.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEo8poVlQrM

Waylon, Willie and Bingham

National Day of the American Cowboy

After discussing the significance and symbolism of cowboys in our culture, I found out that there is a national holiday to honor the American cowboy celebrated on the fourth Saturday of every July!

"National Day of the American Cowboy"

This is a day we set out to give praise

To those who honor the Cowboy ways.

The American Cowboy is a true hero,

Who helped our nation to thrive and grow.

The cowboy was a true pioneer,

Who braved the wild western frontier.

Not only did he tame the American West,

He stood for the values which we think of as best:

He believes in hard work, and playing hard too,

And in honoring women in all that they do.

To be independent and stand up for what's right,

To be courageous and honest and not run from a fight.

To be brave and loyal, to ride for the brand,

And be a good steward of his livestock and land.

Those are timeless values that still hold true,

Still used every day in what modern cowboys do.

Now the U.S. Senate has voted to have a day

To honor the American Cowboy in this way.

We give thanks for all that cowboys and cowgirls do,

To keep the Cowboy way alive and true.

So we honor this legacy for the values it will employ,

As we celebrate the National Day of the American Cowboy.

by Ron Wilson, Poet Lariat

Final

The American West and the Historical Imagination Final
Spring 2010
Dennis Kuhnel

Instructions: Answer all four questions below in essay-format. Be sure not to exceed the page limit denoted for each question. This is an open book exam. You may consult all books assigned this semester and your notes, but you may NOT use the internet for reference. Your response to each individual question should be no longer than 1 typed page, Times New Roman font, double-spaced. Do not spend more than 3 hours completing this exam. The exam is due Friday May 14th at noon via email. Late exams will not be accepted.

1) The American Film Institute recently ranked Shane as one of the Top 100 films in the last 100 years of American cinema (in total six westerns made the list: The Searchers, High Noon, Shane, Unforgiven, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and The Wild Bunch). Analyze the major themes of Shane in the historical context of the Johnson County War and other events in the history of the American West. Do you think the film Shane was intended to speak to political realities in 1950s America? If so, why? Finally, how does Shane thematically compare with other creative imaginings of the American West, pre-1950s and afterwards?

2) Willa Cather’s novel, The Professor’s House (1925), presents the United States as a dangerously morally corrupt and money-fixated society. A complicated novel, Cather’s novel interweaves tales of modern suburban life in Chicago with the lives of cowboys and railroaders in New Mexico and the existence of a lost Indian civilization. How is the American West imagined and represented in the novel in contrast to these other settings? What are Cather’s views on indigenous America and why does she believe that their history is crucial to American cultural identity? Some critics have said that Cather’s novel lays out a vision of “Americanness.” Do you agree? If so, explain and comment on how history and the actual historical American West plays a role in this idea.

3) Sam Peckinpah’s film The Wild Bunch (1969) is often described as one of the most important westerns ever made. Cormac McCathy’s No Country for Old Men (2005), was widely acclaimed as a novel when it came out and quickly transformed by the Coen Brothers into an a film that was nominated for eight Academy Awards in 2008, winning four, including the most prestigious award of Best Picture. Book and movie critics of No Country for Old Men often noted the similarity between it and westerns made by Peckinpah. Do you agree with this comparison? Is the book, No Country for Old Men and the film, The Wild Bunch thematically and historically similar? Do they imagine the American West in similar ways, especially in how they differ in their view with earlier westerns? In your answer be sure to include historical analyses of the plot and specific discussions of the themes in each work.

4) Think back to the beginning of this semester in frigid January. Identify what, in your opinion, are the three most important and interesting ways, in which, the history of the American West has been imagined. Be sure to include in your answer books and films from the first and second half of the semester.

America the History of Us

http://www.history.com/shows/america-the-story-of-us/videos/gold-rush#gold-rush

I was watching an episode of America the History of Us last night and I thought a lot of the things that we talked about earlier in the semester related to what they are saying in this clip...this doesn't really have to do with current themes we are talking about but I still found a connection to our class.

Migrating to the West

After discussion on Tuesday, I realized that what I wrote about in my paper sort of goes with it. In the movie True Grit, there was an obvious problem for Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne) when lawyers moved into the area. In the late 1800s, there was a huge increase in the number of lawyers in the U.S. Most of these lawyers moved to work in the West, where the standards were lower and there was a "need" for them (if you want to say that.) Obviously there weren't many lawyers in the West, so the job market was open. Judges and federal marshals, who were presently in charge, were now having to explain their decisions and listen to both sides of the story. This bothered many people, as they would now have to answer to the things they had done.

Book Characters vs. Movie Characters

I feel as though every time I read a book then watch the movie, I am always partially disappointed with how the characters are portrayed in the movie (with the exception of a few). I envisioned the Sheriff to be more personable and compassionate. In the novel, he seemed like a sweet, old man who has gained so much knowledge throughout his life and seen it all. Tommy Lee Jones was neither personable nor interesting. He was just sort of there. While he did deliver some vital, moving dialogues, he really didn't do much for me.

On the other hand, Javier Bardem, the man who played Anton Chigurh in my opinion did an excellent job. Not only did his appearance (and the horrible hair-do) creep me out, but his overall persona gave me chills. The way he showed no emotion before and after murdering people gave me insight into the depth of his evil. I was more afraid of the representation of Chigurh in the movie than in the novel, because it put an image to the face of a physco.

Another character that I surprisingly really liked in the movie was Llewelyn's wife Carla Jean Moss, played by Kelly MacDonald. She had the largest female role in the movie and held her own amidst the men. She was so loyal to Llewelyn; in class some thought she was submissive, however, I saw it more as pure trust in her husband. I especially liked the scene in which she faced Chigurh. She maintained her composure and till the end, maintained that faith in Llewelyn. I wish that the Sheriff's wife would've had a bigger role, because I enjoyed their relationship in the novel.

With the exception of those two characters, I preferred McCarthy's written characters to the Coen brother's movie characters.

The Assassination of Jesse James by Coward Robert Ford

A few weeks ago I watched the Assassination of Jesse James. I enjoyed this movie. It is exciting to watch the train robbing scenes- and it was especially cool that it was done at night. I kept relating this movie to social banditry- as we had discussed in class. Jesse James was definitely a glorified outlaw. Ford kept pictures and newspaper articles about him in a tin under his bed. At one point, the man on the train Jesse is robbing claims that all of the robberies were done for purely selfish reasons and did not have anything to do with social oppression. I couldn't tell what their motivations were in the movie. From what I have read it seems that Jesse was unhappy with declining social status after the civil war and continued to rob trains.

http://www.jessejamesoutlaw.com/jesse-james-history.html

Effigy Mounds

I went Effigy last weekend. It was nice- hiked up to Hanging Rock. I thought it was interesting that the mounds were shaped like animals. I was able to see the bear- but I couldn't make out a bird anywhere. Well, it was a good trip and I would recommend it!

Truth and Community

A week ago in discussion we were talking about the gatherings at cemeteries. We were discussing the idea of a deep respect for our past and we need to know where we come from to really understand ourselves. I think truth does exist in the world but it is cluttered. I think the image of holding gatherings at cemeteries is a powerful one. It seems that no matter how little we might we know is true in the world, the only truth you can't escape from is family. It is the simplest form of truth we have. Bell commands respect because he respects his elders, the people who have gone before him. People respect him not because he is old but because he is wise for learning from the past, and not just knowing where he has come from but understanding the past. I think he also understands that he wants to go back to that time, when violence wasn't done just for the fun of it, and he didn't have to carry a gun around, because he was a Sheriff.

No Country for Old Men

"Still there are men- rough, timeworn men- who uphold decency, who hang on to sturdy values of honor."

This is one of a few statements I actually agree with in those reviews. I think before this class I would have a hard time disagreeing with what these reviewers say about made-up western themes. They both seem to agree that "No Country" was based on a nostalgia for a phony romantic version of the old west. That there really wasn't such a thing as a simpler time, and people do adapt to the changing world. I do now however disagree. I think it was a great movie showing a troubled young man who may have done things in war that he regrets, being chased by a lunatic and by a war vet of a different era who has a hard time dealing with the quickly changing present, who only wanted to help. I think the reviewers were so caught up on a lack of inner monologue by the Sheriff that they ignored what Bell was actually saying. To me everything the Sheriff said was only himself thinking aloud and he even admitted at one point "I don't know, my mind wanders". I felt that the Sheriff did show depth as a character it just wasn't as easy to pick out, becuase it wasn't in italics.

Grading Self-Assessment Exercise

Grandpa in Cody, Nebraska in 1930s
Originally uploaded by Castleton Road

Screenwriting Grade (15):


Midterm (20):


Paper No. 2 (will be handed out Thursday) [20]:


Participation (20):


Note: When you self-assess yourself for participation, please include a 1-2 paragraph rationale for the grade you have chosen. Also, please include a list with the date of every blog post you made and any extra participation efforts you made.

Here is what it said in the syllabus about participation:

Participation (20%): Many of the intended educational benefits of this class are contingent upon the participation of everyone. I expect you to be an active, contributing member in class discussions, exercises and projects. At the end of the semester I will give each student a “participation” grade based upon my assessment of that student’s overall performance and contribution to our class. Attendance alone will not earn you participation marks, even if you come to every class. Positive participation involves completing assigned reading assignments, being prepared for class, asking and answering questions, sharing relevant ideas and opinions, staying on track in small group activities, and making a genuine effort to support your classmates. Another way to contribute to our class discussion will be for you to post comments or questions about the assigned reading to our class blog: http://americanwestimagination.blogspot.com. You will lose marks for negative participation, including but not limited to: showing up late, chatting during class, answering cell phones, doing other homework, reading the newspaper and etc. At the end of the semester, you will complete a self-assessment of your participation performance throughout the semester. I will take into consideration your self-assessment when I evaluate your performance at the end of the semester.


Finally, if you completed any extra credit assignments you completed.

Grading Self-Assessment Exercise

Grandpa in Cody, Nebraska in 1930s
Originally uploaded by Castleton Road

No Country For Old Men

I had seen this movie before, but it had been a while ago. However, the one part I do remember is how creepy Chigurh is. I thought that the movie was pretty good. It really followed the book a lot except for the whole thing about how Lewellyn died. Other than that, I thought a lot of the scenes were word for word with the book.

Picture from Family Album (Taken in Cody, Nebraska)

Picture from Family Album (Taken in Cody, Nebraska)
Originally uploaded by Castleton Road

Negative Reviews of Film Adaptation: Do You Agree?

Two negative reviews . . . please read and comment:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/reviews/article-508983/Coen-brothers-fine-mess-No-Country-For-Old-Men.html

http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/review/2007/10/05/no_country/

Another negative Salon review about book:

http://dir.salon.com/story/books/review/2005/08/24/mccarthy/

No Country For Old Men

Being a senior with two jobs its hard for me to find time at night to watch movies, so I won't make it to the movie tonight, I did, however, watch No Country For Old Men today before work. I saw some of this movie when it came out but never saw the whole movie. From what I remembered before, it didnt make too much sense to me, but after reading the book it was much more enjoyable. I thought Tommy Lee Jones did a really good job of playing Sheriff Bell, and I thought Javier Bardem stole the show as Chigurh.
I found a couple things interesting. First, I find it interesting that the movies skips over a lot of the sherriff's commentary. When making the movie, the Coen's must have decided to only pick the most important passages. I think they were correct in begining the film and ending the film with the Sheriff's commentaries that started and ended the book, but more throughout the movie could have given a little more depth to the Sheriff character that was there in the book, but lacking in the movie.
In relation to the sheriff, I thought the movie did do a good job of showing his nostalgia for the old West. As I said, I thought the Coen's picked good passages to use, which included the begining where he talks about the guy he put away who was on Death Row, and how a lot of law men didnt even carry a gun. The Sheriff's nostalgia for the Old West was apparent in the movie, as well as the book.

Motorcycles

1979 Honda CB 125S

1975 Honda XL 350

2005 HD Road King Classic

1997 Suzuki Bandit 600S

1977 BMW R100 S/RT/RS/Mystery Bike

-This has nothing to do with the class

-Vinnie

Tonight @ 8 P.M. No Country for Old Men in SH

Meet tonight before 8 in the hallway outside SH 115 if you would like to see No Country for Old Men. To earn an extra credit point you will have to stay and participate in a discussion about the film after it is over.

See you later.

Dennis

Sopranos

I have been watching The Sopranos series and it reminded me of some topics that we discussed in class. This show is about a Mafia family and it shows the lifestyle of the families. Throughout the show, there were many references from the leaders of the group of how they wish it were like the old days. In class we had many discussions about wanting to go back to the past to live the Old Western lifestyle, for example, the Professor's House and even from Jeremiah Johnson and how he wants to live in the mountains alone because he is not meant for all the changes and advancements that are happening. He wants to continue living his life in an old fashioned manner. When the show references the past life, they always talk about how simple it was back in the day and how smoothly everything ran. Another topic that i thought about during this show was on banditry. The mafia crew all are above the law because they bribe the police and they have their way of getting whatever they want. They all have their own reasons of being in the Mafia, for example one man wants to support his wife and kids, while another needs the money to support his mother in a retirement home. The mafia resembled many of the social groups discussed in class, because they are involved in violence and also greed. These were some major topics of the Old West that were referenced in The Sopranos.

3:10 to Yuma

Over the weekend, I watched 3:10 to Yuma for some participation points. Overall i thought that this movie was filled with action and it showed a perspective of the Old West. To start off, this movie was about a Rancher that was in need of money and in order to make extra money to keep his farm and support his family, the rancher needs to escort a criminal to the train station to send him to prison. This is a dangerous job, because the criminal that got captured is the leader and his crew are constantly trying to help him escape. This movie was filled with all kinds of themes and topics that we discussed in class. The first thing that came to my mind during this movie was the topic on social banditry. The criminal that is being sent to prison was a cold blooded murderer and a train robber. The crew of bandits stole for their own needs and they all thought that they were above the law. Another theme i noticed in the movie was the relationship between the Chinese and the whites. According to White, one of the main railroad workers were Chinese and this movie portrayed it perfectly. One scene took place in an area where a new road for trains was being built and it showed the Chinese building it, and it also showed that the Chinese were of lower status than the white man, since they worked for the wealthy Americans. Finally another topic that i came upon was the idea of the Code of the West. I do not want to ruin the ending, but the idea of the Code of the West was exemplified in the ending. The criminal being transferred showed his beliefs of the Code by doing what he did in the end. Overall this movie was exciting to watch and it connected to many themes we discussed in class.