Ep 149. WESTERNS 101: John Ford’s Golden Era

When discussing the history of the Western genre, there is no escaping the name or work of John Ford, so today Alex and Jonathan dive in to three of Ford’s landmark films: My Darling Clementine (1946), The Searchers (1956), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). We talk about the ways Western films elevate actual historical events to the level of mythology, the themes and tropes that are presented and deconstructed through Ford’s films, and how Ford uses film to pull back the mythological curtain of his own early films in the genre.

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Skip to: My Darling Clementine (12:47), The Searchers (44:36), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1:04:27), Overall (1:20:38), Coming Attractions (1:30:56)

Resources referenced in this episode:

Coming Attractions – Westerns of the East

Intro/outro music by Mike Braudrick

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