Re: The Q & A with David Meuel, author of The Noir Western
Posted: July 26th, 2015, 9:41 pm
Hi Mr. Arkadin,
I agree with you -- as the times have become more cynical, so have the westerns. Our art almost always reflects our times and concerns. And, as we changed after World War II and afterwards, so did various aspects of our art. Since the 1960s, I believe that the noir sensibility has virtually taken over in westerns. We're never going back to the singing cowboys of the late 1930s and 1940s. Characters are more fully developed and less idealized now, and that's a good thing. But films today are also much more pessimistic, which -- you must agree -- is sad.
I agree with you -- as the times have become more cynical, so have the westerns. Our art almost always reflects our times and concerns. And, as we changed after World War II and afterwards, so did various aspects of our art. Since the 1960s, I believe that the noir sensibility has virtually taken over in westerns. We're never going back to the singing cowboys of the late 1930s and 1940s. Characters are more fully developed and less idealized now, and that's a good thing. But films today are also much more pessimistic, which -- you must agree -- is sad.