The Censored Life of a Cowboy

The Western genre began to pick up steam in the early 20^th century. As more Westerns were produced and released, films were beginning to accurately portray the life of a cowboy as compared to films made earlier in the genre. Films created even later than these started to incorporate more elements of other Hollywood films, making the realism of the Western frontier somewhat questionable, especially when the film is based on a violent period in history and the violence is left out. This can be seen in the movie The Searchers (1956, starring John Wayne), specifically during the scene where Brad Jorgensen makes a suicidal night attack against the Comanche camp.

The Searchers has all the elements of a classic Western: lawless cowboys who only go by their own rules, wide camera angles over empty and bleak deserts and plenty of gun-fighting throughout the entire film. The story goes against other films in the genre however, since not many other films involving cowboys are fueled by the search of a kidnapped relative (it is more common for cowboys to show little-to-none emotion or compassion in Western films). In fact, many other previous Westerns did not have a story quite as grand as in The Searchers, hence why many consider it to be an "epic Western." Characters display much more emotion and have much more in-depth storylines and characterization, something very different from earlier cowboys who simply rob trains and shoot at people's feet (see The Great Train Robbery and Life of a Cowboy, both by Edward Porter). Despite this realization, the level of violence in the film has not been as updated as its other aspects, since much the film is still extremely unrealistic as compared to the actual amount of violence gun-fighting entails.

At about 42 minutes into the film, Wayne's character Ethan informs Brad Jorgensen that his fiancée, Lucy, has been killed by the Comanche. In response to this, Brad becomes blindsided by love and anger, forcing him to charge into the Comanche camp. As he rides into the distance, the camera stays on Ethan who is holding back Martin, doing so because he knows an attack would be useless. The audience hears gunshots, still focused on Ethan and Martin, and after a few shots dramatic music is played, forcing the audience to assume that Brad has been killed. The film builds tension and dread for Brad's fate well in this scene through the sound of gunshots and the sudden music, however since none of his attack was shown on camera the audience misses the level of brutality that scene really entails. Poor Brad did not stand a chance, and if at least some of his fight was shown on camera, the audience would have a much better idea of what Ethan and Martin were up against. Many other scenes in the film suffer from this lack of accuracy, such as earlier in the gunfight at the river with the Comanche and the final confrontation between Ethan, Martin and the natives.

The Western frontier was a violent place full of conflict, fighting and bloodshed, from outlaws and bandits competing for wealth which they do not own to conflicts with the natives of the land. For the Western genre to be authentic, the audience needs to understand this. Films such as The Searchers don't accurately inform the audience of how grim of an era it was in "the old West," sacrificing the desperate realism of the time for a more Hollywood-friendly visual experience. Without that accurate sense of violence, the Western can never truly be reflective of the Western frontier.