Revisionist Western

Rare card · No. 63919

The revisionist Western is a sub-genre of the Western fiction. Called a post-classical variation of the traditional Western or simply 'postwestern', the revisionist subverts the myth and romance of the traditional by means of character development and realism to present a less simplistic view of life in the "Old West". While the traditional Western always embodies a clear boundary between good and evil, the revisionist Western does not. In filmmaking, revisionist themes have existed since the early 20th century but it was not until 1968, when the Hays Code restrictions were relaxed, that revisionism finally supplanted the traditional. Although many earlier Westerns are labelled as revisionist, the distinction between them is often blurred by variable themes and plot devices. Some are labelled psychological Westerns, which is closely related to and sometimes overlaps with the psychological drama and psychological thriller genres because of their focus on character, at the expense of the...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Stanley L. Wood (1866-1928), Public domain