WESTERNS GALLOP BACK FOR OSCARS
‘Revenant,’ ‘Hateful Eight’ revive genre that’s about more than the Old West
Two westerns are nominated this year for multiple Academy Awards in significant categories, the first time that has happened in decades. Their success proves that reports of the death of the western have been exaggerated. It also brings up an interesting question: Why have audiences been flocking to theaters to see western movies ever since The Great Train Robbery back in 1903? The short answer is that westerns have always been about more than just cowboys and Indians. They reflect the values, fears, hopes and dreams of their times.
As director Quentin Tarantino told NPR, “There’s no other genre that reflects the decade that they were made or the morals and the feelings of Americans during that decade (more) than westerns.”
Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s The Revenant are perfect examples. Both speak to contemporary concerns about violence, racism, terrorism and the environment. And both plug into popular beliefs about the mythic West. They offer spectacular panoramic views of the majestic Rockies, showcase man against nature and feature colorful characters, showdowns and shootouts.
DIFFERENT VISIONS
Despite the similarities, the two westerns ultimately gallop off in different directions. The Hateful Eight is a revisionist western that questions traditional American values and the nation’s future. Set several years after the Civil War, as reviewer Peter Debruge wrote in Variety, “it crams hair-trigger racial tensions into an otherwise neutral outpost, where a mixed bag of gunslingers uneasily try to make nice during a blizzard.”
The Revenant is an old-fashioned western that upholds traditional beliefs about morality and the American character. From all indications, Iñárritu’s positive take has resonated better than Tarantino’s brooding approach. The Revenant has outdrawn The Hateful Eight at the box office and has garnered 12 Oscar nominations, including best picture, director and actor. The Hateful Eight has earned three for best supporting actress, cinematography and musical score.
The Revenant is inspired by the frontier tale of Hugh Glass, a mountain man who was mauled by a grizzly and left for dead in 1823. Like the historical figure, Leonardo DiCaprio’s Glass refuses to give up. The protagonist confronts natural obstacles as well as threats posed by Indians and evil mountain men.
But Iñárritu’s film isn’t just a rehash. The allegorical western blazes new trails by exploring contemporary concerns.
Race plays a prominent role as Indians and whites attack each other from across the cultural divide. The Revenant makes it clear, though, that not all whites are racist. Glass marries an Indian woman and later warns their son that a child of an interracial marriage has to be careful: “They don’t hear your voice! They just see the color of your face.”
Gender issues are also spotlighted. The Revenant features strong women such as Glass’ wise and loving wife and Powaqa, an Indian who not only survives capture and rape by French trappers but also fights back.
AMERICA, NOW
The Revenant — like The Hateful Eight — uses the western setting to examine the problem of violence in America. But Iñárritu’s approach is less gratuitous than Tarantino’s bloody vision. He places violence in its proper historical context, showing that Indians and whites were equally violent in achieving their goals.
The Revenant also offers a more sophisticated treatment of terrorism. The movie makes it clear that at times, both Indians and whites acted like terrorists. The French even put up a sign that reads: “We are all savages.”
The film is characterized by an ambiguity that reflects contemporary uncertainties about the future. Yet The Revenant never strays from the main message of old-fashioned westerns. It assures audiences that Americans can overcome problems if they remain determined and true to traditional values — family, morality, liberty and justice for all.
This approach has struck a responsive chord with audiences and critics. That fact offers an important insight into the mood of the country during this presidential election year. The nation longs for hopeful, resolute and tough champions who can take on enemies and problems, whether they’re grizzly bears or bad guys in the Old West, or terrorists and other enemies in the contemporary world.
This year’s electorate — like DiCaprio’s Hugh Glass — realizes that “as long as you can still grab a breath, you fight.”