In the traditional Western genre, the alpha male cowboy only used his force when necessary. He never sought out violence or fought someone else’s battle. In the film, Unforgiven, the alpha male Billy Munny challenges these characteristics (those that John Wayne represents), therefore, the Unforgiven serves as a revisionist film. Munny is a retired assassin who has “gone good”. He now lives on a farm with his two children and attempts to live the normal life of a hog farmer. His qualities as the alpha male are not shown through this hard, laborious work, rather he looks like an invalid when his children can herd the hogs better than him. Another way Munny forces this film to be categorized as a revisionist is his reliance on others.
Although Munny is seen as the alpha male cowboy, he only possesses the knowledge associated with this role, not the ability with the gun or the good looks. He is also contradicting of the alpha male by his resistance towards alcohol and the touch of a woman, as well as, his deep connection with his partner and his dead wife.
In the beginning of the film, we see Ned Logan, an excellent marksman, unable to murder the outlaws for whom he is assigned to kill. Ned, not only being an African American, classified as the “other”, serves as Munny’s sidekick and partner in crime. His inability to pull the trigger when necessary portrays his defiance against the alpha male, Bill Munny. In several other revisionist films, the sidekick is able to kill those who get in their way, for example Sarah in Two Mules for Sister Sarah.
As the film continues, the viewer sees Bill Munny unravel. This sets the film apart from traditional Westerns, by showing Munny as a common human, losing his sanity caused by the death of his best friend, Ned Logan. He does not act in a rational manner where he has no emotions because he prefers to work in solitude. Instead Munny is seen on a rampage destroying the lives of those around him consumed with revenge for his partner’s death.
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If Unforgiven is a revisionist western. Explain why in terms of the alpha male and the character Morgan Freeman plays. Be sure to look up revisionism.
ReplyDeleteIn the traditional Western genre, the alpha male cowboy only used force when necessary. He never sought out violence or fought someone else’s battle. In the film, The Unforgiven, the alpha male, Bill Munny challenges these characteristics (those that John Wayne represents), therefore, The Unforgiven serves as a revisionist film. Munny is a retired assassin who has “gone good”. He now lives on a farm with his two children and attempts to live the normal life of a hog farmer. His qualities as the alpha male are not shown through this hard, laborious work, rather he looks like an invalid when his children can herd the hogs better than him.
Munny, the alpha male cowboy in The Unforgiven, challenges the traditional alpha male qualities. Although Munny is portrayed as the alpha cowboy, his reliance on others throughout the film forces it to become categorized as a revisionist film. Munny possesses the knowledge associated with this role; however he does not have good looks or the perfected ability with the gun. He also has much resistance towards the touch of a woman and disdain of alcohol, which is all seen through his dedication and deep connection with his dead wife and his partner.
In the beginning of the film, we see Ned Logan, an excellent marksman, unable to murder the outlaws for whom he is assigned to kill. Ned, not only being an African American, classified as the “other”, serves as Munny’s sidekick and partner in crime. His inability to pull the trigger when necessary portrays his defiance against the alpha male, Bill Munny. In several other revisionist films, the sidekick is able to kill those who get in their way, for example Sarah in Two Mules for Sister Sarah.
As the film continues, the viewer sees Bill Munny unravel. This sets the film apart from traditional Westerns, by showing Munny as a common human, losing his sanity caused by the death of his best friend, Ned Logan. He does not act in a rational manner where he has no emotions because he prefers to work in solitude. Instead Munny is seen on a rampage destroying the lives of those around him consumed with revenge for his partner’s death.