For more than half a century, the Western film--the most quintessentially American film genre--has been manipulated and used to change the way we think about good and evil. The best known example of this is the Academy Award-winning film ''High Noon'' (1952). Directed by Fred Zimmerman--a man blacklisted by the House Committee on Un-American Activities for alleged communist activities--''High Noon'' was an allegory on McCarthyism. Since then, Hollywood has churned out film after film in the Western genre that has advanced a ...
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For more than half a century, the Western film--the most quintessentially American film genre--has been manipulated and used to change the way we think about good and evil. The best known example of this is the Academy Award-winning film ''High Noon'' (1952). Directed by Fred Zimmerman--a man blacklisted by the House Committee on Un-American Activities for alleged communist activities--''High Noon'' was an allegory on McCarthyism. Since then, Hollywood has churned out film after film in the Western genre that has advanced a Marxist and nihilistic worldview. More recent examples include Clint Eastwood's Academy Award-winning film, ''Unforgiven, '' and the 2007 critically-acclaimed Western, ''3:10 to Yuma, '' starring Russell Crowe. In this thought provoking message, film producers Doug Phillips and Geoff Botkin explore the battle for the Western in light of contemporary trends and historical realities.
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