Description
Book Synopsis Western films have often been tributes to place and setting, with the magnificent backdrops mirroring the wildness of the narratives. As the splendid outdoor scenery of Westerns could not be found on a studio back lot or on a Hollywood sound stage, the movies have been filmed in the wide open spaces of the American West and beyond.
This book chronicles the history of filming Westerns on location, from shooting on the East Coast in the early 1900s; through the use of locations in Utah, Arizona, and California in the 1940s and 1950s; and filming Westerns in Mexico, Spain, and other parts of the world in the 1960s. Also studied is the relationship between the filming location timeline and the evolving motion picture industry of the twentieth century, and how these factors shaped audience perceptions of the Real West.
Table of ContentsMilestones in Filming Western Motion Pictures on Location
Preface
One. Pre–1900: Romanticizing the Landscape
Two. The Early 1900s: Shaky Beginnings
Three. The 1910s: Growth of the Silent Film Industry
Four. The 1920s: Consolidation on the Coast
Five. The 1930s: The Rise of the B-Westerns
Six. The 1940s: Solidly in the Outdoors
Seven. The 1950s: Realistic Locations
Eight. The 1950s: Locations That Moved
Nine. The 1960s and Beyond: The Shift in Power
Postscript
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
