Eastwood Westerns, Essay Example

Clint Eastwood: Selected Western Roles (1958-1992)

Clint Eastwood, who turns 80 this month, is a celebrated American movie star and filmmaker. He has distinguished himself in various types of films, but his stardom was established early in his career as a character in a Western television series. Audiences have identified him as a frequent character in the Western genre (Wills). This paper sustains a brief discussion of some of his more important Western roles as an actor over a 34-year period. Each role is unique, yet studied together, they reveal how Eastwood’s numerous Western appearances have strong commonality and power.

In Ambush at Cimarron Pass (1958), Eastwood played an angry young Confederate soldier. Eastwood appeared as a Southern cowboy who reluctantly joined a group of Union soldiers to ward off Indian attack. In Ambush, Eastwood, youthful and in his twenties, offered glimpses of the box office sensation that he would eventually become, giving a performance that was far superior to the forgettable B movie that he was stuck in as a supporting actor. He even showed romantic chemistry with Margia Dean. Even in the 1950s, Eastwood was giving off star power.

The television series, Rawhide (1959-1965), launched Eastwood’s upward career mobility as the character, Rowdy Yates, made him a favorite of viewers. The catch phrase, Head ‘em up, move ‘em out became popular all across the country. Eastwood’s role matured during the show’s six year run, from his being a hotheaded young man in the inaugural season to his becoming a more thoughtful cattle drive leader by the last year the show was on in prime time. Anyone who has ever heard the show’s theme song, “Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’” remembers its power to summon people to their black and white televisions, securing a nationwide following.

Fistful of Dollars (1964) featured Eastwood and the iconic film music of Ennio Morricone. The director, Sergio Leone, made Eastwood an international star. Critics hated it. Audiences loved it. Eastwood’s character had no name in this film. He rode into a sleepy little Mexican village and straight in to a feudal war between rival families there. He played both sides against each other. He engaged in a dramatic gun duel toward the conclusion of the movie. This turned out to be the first of a trilogy of movies called Eastwood’s “Spaghetti Westerns,” because they were Italian produced and directed.

The movie, For a Few Dollars More (1965), ran as a sequel to Fistful from the previous year. Eastwood gave a confident performance. There are many layers of emotion in this film. It revealed a partnership between two men who, for bounty, searched for the sinister leader of a regional gang. Eastwood’s character is archetypical, displaying toughness in the saddle, proficiency with a gun, independence against all odds, and moral ambiguity. His laconic demeanor and economy with words made him a vivid character. He commanded every scene with his unshaven face and unforgettable poncho This was his spaghetti film number two.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966) pitted Eastwood (the Good) against Lee Van Cleef (the Bad) and Eli Wallach (the Ugly). The plot is replete with interesting twists and turns which all have something to do with gaining wealth. As in other films, Eastwood’s character is shrouded in mystery. Partnerships were formed between men because each had a piece of information that the other needed in order to discover the

location of gold. A magnificent, five-minute Mexican standoff is featured in this third and final, Eastwood-featured Spaghetti movie.

Hang ‘em High (1968) represented Eastwood’s return to the United States from Italy. He played a man who survived hanging, only to wreak vengeance on the nine men who had tried to kill him. With the assistance of a posse, Jed Cooper, Eastwood’s character, rounded up his would-be executioners and made the perilous journey back to town for them to stand trial. Ingor Stevens was his love interest in this film. The story gets very dramatic as, in the final sequence, Eastwood’s character has an ironic showdown with Captain Wilson, the man who tried to hang him earlier as they confront one another.

Eastwood teamed up with Lee Marvin to make a film version of the musical, Paint Your Wagon, in 1969. He and Marvin sang, danced, and fought. The movie stars the lovely Jean Seberg. The story is a film adaptation of Lerner and Loewe’s popular Broadway musical that deals with the California Gold Rush in the aftermath of the discovery of gold there in 1849. Eastwood’s and Marvin’s characters are partners in a mining venture. Through twists in the plot, both of these men wound up having a common wife. Her reasoning was that if a Mormon man could have two wives, then she could have two husbands. This film is not critically acclaimed.

Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970) featured Eastwood in a Bogart-like role, playing opposite Shirley MacLaine, a nun. Eastwood respects the work of Don Siegel, who directed this film. Eastwood rescues MacLaine’s character, Sara, from a trio of rapists at the start of the film. He agrees to take MacLaine, a nun, to a fort of anti-French revolutionaries. Neither of them are who they say they are. Eastwood is really a scout for the French insurgents into Mexico. MacLaine is really a prostitute posing as a nun. They teamed up to fight against the French.

Eastwood directed himself in High Plains Drifter (1973). Here, Eastwood rapes, pillages, and paints the town red as citizens run for cover. “Who are you?” is his big line. We know from the outset of the film that Eastwood’s character is on a journey and that we are along for the ride. As he slowly moves through town, we know that he is mysterious and we are unsure of his intentions. Eastwood is less likeable than usual in this movie. Here we experience broad generalizations between good and evil and vigilante justice.

Adapted from novels, The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) gave Eastwood’s character a name and portrays him as a sympathetic hero.  Joey Wales moves West after the Civil War when his home is burned and his family is murdered. He hardened into a human bullet. We watch him move through the movie as one who is trying to learn to live again, to love again, and to farm again, just as he had done before all of the terrible things happened to him. Inside of Josey is the living soul of a man. We watch him come alive once more.    

Pale Rider (1985) was a film that Eastwood directed, produced, and played. Its had an excellent supporting cast. There are numerous similarities between the plot of this movie and the classic Western, Shane. This is the only Eastwood story that has a defined religious theme throughout. A predictable show down comes at the end between a corrupt U.S. Marshall, his deputies, and Eastwood’s character, “Preacher.” Eastwood has more of a ghostly presence than a human one. By the end of the film, we realize that Eastwood has mastered the art of portraying anti-heroes.

Eastwood won the Academy Award for Best Film and Best Director for the 1992 movie, Unforgiven. To date, this is his last Western role. Given his age, it may stand as his final Western. The movie has tremendous star power with Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, and Richard Harris in addition to Eastwood himself. Here Eastwood plays a reformed gun fighter. The movie was a box office success upon its release and Eastwood’s first to pass the $100 million mark. Nine Academy Award nominations came to the film, and it won four of them (Best Picture- Eastwood; Best Supporting Actor- Hackman; Best Director- Eastwood; and, Best Film Editing- Joel Cox). This movie is one of only three films to receive the Oscar for Best Picture (Academy).

Of course, the movies discussed here are not the only movies, or even the only Westerns, that Eastwood has made; however, in looking at this single genre that Eastwood has invested so much of his career toward, we find something of the essence of him as a man and as an actor. Do not let his soft voice or his squinty eyes fool you. He knows what he is doing. He is loved for many reasons, but his Westerns alone are reason for the world to applaud him for a lifetime of achievement in the entertainment industry. His style is inimitable. He has done extremely well for himself. He had done pretty good from his bold start as 12 pounds six ounce newborn to the boy who dreamed, through his mother’s influence, of becoming a jazz pianist.

Works Cited

Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. “Nominees and Winners.” 65^th Annual Awards. Retrieved April 30, 2010 from http:www.search.oscars.org

Wills, Dominic. “Clint Eastwood Biography.” Talk Talk. Retrieved April 30, 2010 from http://www.talktalk.co.uk/entertainment/film/biography