Contemporary Westerns Film and Television since 1990 [Hardcover]

Instead of a conventional chronological approach to tracing the history of American TV and movie westerns produced from 1990 on, this volume consists of 11 monographic essays by media-study academics, nine of which deal with individual titles, one with western themes utilized in science fiction films, and one on the career of country music singer George Straight who is supposedly the prototype of the modem non-traditional cowboy hero. The films analyzed begin (chronologically) with Dances with Wolves (1990) and end with the 2010 remake of True Grit. Some of the other films analyzed include Clint Eastwood's 1992 Unforgiven, No Country for Old Men (2007), There Will Be Blood (2007) and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Cowardly Robert Ford (2007). There are separate chapters for the TV series Deadwood and Justified. Amazingly, there is a chapter on Ang Lee's 1999 Rider with the Devil. . . .[T]he individual essays and an overview introduction by the editor supply much insightful information on the films discussed and are scholarly in nature and well documented. Each essay ends with copious footnotes and a list of works cited. he book ends with a brief name index mainly of film titles. This work will be of . . . value in library circulation departments rather than reference. As such, it is recommended for collections that emphasize media studies.The insights offered by Nelson, Danks, and especially Matheson will be of interest to anyone with a serious interest in film and television Westerns, and scholars with a specific interest in any of the other films covered will want to consult the relevant essay.This collection of original essays investigates film and television westerns of the last 25 years. It offers the first substantial account of the trends and transformations in this under-explored period, arguing for the continued relevance and vibrancy of the western as a narrative form.Though one of the most popular genres for decades, the western started to lol£x