The question is whether No Country for Old Men and Stagecoach provide adequate examples of the decline in American moral values. From my perspective of today’s world and my interpretation of No Country for Old Men and Stagecoach, I can see how the argument could be made that they have declined or haven’t changed at all. I see a difference between the relationship of Ringo and Dallas vs other members of their traveling group compared to Sheriff Bell vs Chigurh. These relationships, in my opinion, explains a lot about the development of moral values, or lack of, in the western United States. In this paper, I will describe the moral values that are represented in each movie and I will also try to describe my understanding of why American moral values may have declined between No Country for Old Men and Stagecoach. Beginning with Ringo, his entire character is based on the a morally gray area. He escapes jail for a crime he hasn’t committed, in order to get revenge for the murder of his father and brother. Is this the right thing to do? Should Ringo get revenge by killing the people that murdered his family? To me this is a attempt to gain equality. To drag the Plummer’s brothers down to his level. From my interpretation, he feels his life or wellbeing is lowered because his removal from society because he’s was in jail and later on the run from the law. And again, from my interpretation, he views his path to redemption as a way to lessen the lives and wellbeing of the Plummer
When a story is used to compare the social and moral standards found in human society, the writer typically adapts either a pessimistic or optimistic stance. Despite the pessimistic outlook, these two short stories, “Roman Fever” by Edith Wharton, and “A New Leaf” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, both successfully accomplish revealing a fact of human moral standards. Of the two stories I believe that “Roman Fever” gives a superior perspective into significant human values however “A New Leaf” deserves to be ranked higher in respect to the thematic message.
In 1939 John Ford masterminded a classical western film by the name of Stagecoach. This film has the integrity of a fine work of art. Being that it could be considered a work of art, the impression left on a viewing audience could differ relying on the audience's demographics. However, it is conceivable to all audiences that Ford delivers a cast of characters that are built on stereotypes and perceptions conjured from 'B' westerns that preceded this film's time. Each character is introduced to the audience in a stereotypical genre, as the film progresses, these stereotypes are broken down and the characters become more humanized. This is apparent with a handful of characters being
John Ford built a standard that many future directors would follow with his classic 1939 film “Stagecoach”. Although there were a plethora of western films made before 1939, the film “Stagecoach” revolutionized the western genre by elevating the genre from a “B” film into a more serious genre. The film challenged not only western stereotypes but also class divisions in society. Utilizing specific aspects of mise-en-scène and cinematography, John Ford displays his views of society.
The Thematic Paradigm, written by Robert Ray, shows that throughout America’s history, people are often attracted to heroes whose traits reflect those of the society at the time. Ray writes about how many American heroes are valued for their strong leadership and sense of community, but there are other heroes who are celebrated for their individuality and their ability to form their own moral laws. In The Thematic Paradigm, Robert Ray shows that the American people are drawn to those who embody traits of both good and bad values. By comparing common values and laws, showing a strong sense of individualism, and contradicting opposite views on America’s historical heroes, Ray is able to give a strong argument as to why Americans are drawn to certain characters in cinema and history.
The world of film has changed dramatically over the last fifty years, both in technology and perceptions on how the industry should work and how it is viewed by the public. The ending of the production code in Hollywood started the cultural change in the industry. With this restrictive institution gone, many directors chose to take advantage of this in many different ways. My favorite of these is Mel Brooks; he chose to break and push boundaries both socially and comedically. Brooks’ style often includes crude humor inlaid with deeper jokes and meaning, many fourth wall breaking moments such as the “We’re in now now” scene of Spaceballs, to stand out in the world of comedy. His masterpiece, Blazing Saddles, is one such film that did just that. Through its new found sense of humor in the post production code era and its twists on common genre tropes of the time, Blazing Saddles was able to find its place into the New Hollywood Cinema.
The western movie I pick is John Ford’s movie Stagecoach (1939). The movie is about a group of people traveling together by stagecoach from the town Tonto to Lordsburg. The people traveling together are a diverse group of people. All of them have the specific motivation for going, but they all share the same goal reaching to Lordsburg. The characters are Dallas who’s a prostitute, Mrs. Lucy Mallory who is the wife of the Army Cavalry officer, Ellsworth Henry Gatewood who is a banker, Hatfield who is a gambler, Samuel Peacock who is whiskey salesman, Doc Josiah Boone who is a alcoholic doctor, Buck Rickabaugh who is a stage driver, Marshal Curley Wilcox who is a marshal riding shotgun, and Ringo Kid who is an escaped outlaw.
Analyse how Nineteen Eighty Four and Pleasantville imaginatively portray individuals who challenge the established values of their time.
The film "Thunder Heart" contained numerous viewpoints identified with society arranging issues in regions, for example, Politics and political defilement, Education, Cultural arousing and Social system. Thunder heart investigates common points, for example, segregation, political activism and homicide. The film collected a few grant designations from the Political Film Society. Thunder heart, Ray Levoi changes his previous social personality of being F.B.I. Specialists to his social personality of being part Sioux Indian. Since this is a film about white government authorities connecting with Native Americans the component of preference turns into a focal subject. This article will examine these society issues arranging issues with connection to the film and in connection to Gary R. Weaver 's article "American Cultural Values".
The following work aims to take a closer look at cultures, leadership and paradigms in Columbia Pictures’ (1992) film; A Few Good Men. This film provides many examples of differing cultures as well as illustrating examples of leadership, management, and followership. Many lessons can be learned; standing up for what is right and standing up for what you believe in are apparent, as well as leaders not always making the best decisions. At the end of the day, one must be at peace with the direction of their own moral compass and actions.
The time in which this story occurs— the 1920s— is vital to the plot. Dubbed “The Roaring ‘20s,” this period is notorious for glamorizing lifestyles centered around materialism, gluttony, and self-absorption. The early 20th century brought about extreme social and political changes that influenced the lifestyles and attitudes of the public.
A lot can happen in sixty years, and America is no exception to that statement. It is arguable that one of the biggest differences regarding America in the 1950s to modern America is culture. The movie “Pleasantville” reflects much of these cultural differences from 1950s to today in a creative and thoughtful way. It also provides much useful insight into the cultural conflicts America faced throughout the 1950s. The many differences between 1950s culture and modern day culture, my own opinion which time period I would personally choose to live in and cultural conflicts of the 1950s will be discussed throughout this essay.
Bitter about the evolution of the corruption of society, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell plays the official hero clinging to old traditions and reminiscing about the old days in No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. Delusions of a peaceful utopia during the time his grandpa Jack was a sheriff has left Bell looking at the world through hopeless eyes; a world on its knees with only one explanation for its demise: Satan. Not necessarily a religious man, Sheriff Bell, when asked if he believes in Satan, remarks: “He explains a lot of things that otherwise don’t have no explanation. Or not to me they don’t” (218). Throughout No County for Old Men, Sheriff Bell is determined to save Llewellyn Moss in order to prove that justice can be served in a world
The southwest is a region of the United States that makes our country unique. Without the southwest, we would undoubtedly lack the spirit, hope, beauty, and truth that this vast region brings to the rest of the United States as a whole. The southwest represents many things, such as journeying, racism, violence, the clashing and cooperation of cultures, and spirituality, as well as primitivism and pastoralism. All of these elements that the Southwest is comprised of is perhaps the reason why the rest of the country feels so captivated by it; why the southwest is considered a place to “find yourself” or to “regenerate”; and why literature and film regarding the Southwest has been and continues to be of the most popular genres. The western film was one of the most popular during the first half of the twentieth century. Audiences far and wide were mesmerized by actors such as John Wayne and Roy Rogers, and their roles as heroes who fought to tame the American frontier. This very concept, ‘taming the frontier’, gives way to a larger theme that was prevalent in many western films and literature of the southwest: ubi sunt, or rather “where are those who came before us?”. Director Sam Peckinpah’s The Ballad of Cable Hogue portrays this idea better than any other western film; the concept of ubi sunt is undeniably the film’s overarching theme, clearly seen through its components.
Throughout the entire movie No Country for Old Men there is a very strong theme of the juxtaposition of fate and free will. There is endless emphasis on the decisions that characters make, and how their decisions will ultimately affect their lives. All the characters are presented with situations where their choice plays a role in their fate. In No Country for Old Men, the fate of characters is determined by their actions and choices.
Alfred Hitchcock in the film Psycho and George R. R. Martin in the novel A Game of Thrones both use different techniques and methods to portray their ideas and values, reflecting on ethical views of today society. Both the authors have controversially impacted today’s society with their work and have embed these different techniques within to ensure the audience gains awareness of the importance of obtaining robust moral values and upholding them throughout life.