Film Essay
Western films are the major defining genre of the American film industry, a nostalgic display of praise to the early days of the expansive, untamed American frontier. Director John Ford was a much-celebrated director who made some of the most famous pictures in Hollywood cinema, if not all of filmmaking. He was the supreme "Western" director. In 1939, Ford directed two classic Westerns, the more celebrated "Stagecoach," and the less renowned "Drums Along the Mohawk." Although both films being described by critics and connoisseurs of film of raising ideological contradictions in juxtaposition with one another, there is a subtle similar view that both films do agree in retrospect to their views of American civilization. There is a similarity in themes each film expresses, although each film expresses its themes in a different degree of intensity within its narrative, but in the end, these similar themes signify that both films do present a related ideology of American civilization. Not in accordance to the mainstream view of critics that these films contradict each other, these two films compliment each other. It is merely the time separation that each film is situated
The characteristics (both positive and negative) of the East are depicted through the characters in both of Ford's films, having such attributes as proper/civilized mannerisms, being of white class (Protestant faith), a polished behaviour, a snobby high class demeanor, susceptible to being prejudice, as well as holding the ideas of an imperialistic and capitalistic nation derived from the British system. Ringo the convict became the hero, Dallas the prostitute showed her caring nature, and Doc Boone the drunk rose to the occasion when needed, all struck down their negative branded titles and proved their virtue. As these people from the East try and compromise with the much different way of life in the West, they transcend over their negative qualities that derive from their Eastern culture and become people of a more "humane" nature. The community must defend their way of life and fight against the threat of their foes, in order to continue their growth as a family, a community, a nation. " John Ford has a similar depiction of this theme in "Stagecoach. " The second major theme expressed in both films is the importance of monogamy/family as the fundamental basis for community/civilization. Their experiences, thoughts and actions are in a smaller-scale representative of the community's. " Gil and Lana - the ideal family, as a newly wedded couple ready to start a family on their own, represent the importance of family as the basic unit of civilization. Eastern laws, government, industry and community originate from the British system. each character is merely a part of the whole being that is the group. In "Drums Along the Mohawk," Lana is depicted as the typical Eastern girl turned frontierswoman. However by the film's end, the disreputable members of society prove to be the most noble, virtuous, and selfless. The second central theme in both of Ford's films is the theme of the importance of family as the basic foundation to community/civilization. It is upon these two central themes evident in both films that compliment their ideologies of American civilization.
Common topics in this essay:
Drums Mohawk,
American Revolution,
Doc Boone,
Lana Gil,
Lucy Hatfield,
Mohawk Stagecoach,
West Eastern,
Indians Ringo,
Lana Gil's,
Apache Indians,
doc boone,
drums mohawk,
american civilization,
ringo dallas,
eastern culture,
life west,
ford's films,
ringo dallas doc,
exposes faults,
lana gil,
lucy mallory,
films drums mohawk,
dallas doc boone,
fundamental basis community/civilization,
drums mohawk stagecoach,
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Acceptance Essays
