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Saddle Up for a Remake! 10 Classic Westerns Ready for a Modern Twist
The Western genre— it’s as old as cinema itself! From groundbreaking editing techniques inThe Great Train Robbery(1903) to amazing storytelling advancements in later films, Westerns have constantly evolved; yet their history includes many triumphs and significant, very troubling failures. Many movies display poor pacing, problematic depictions, especially those extremely racist depictions ofNative Americans. There's a ton of room for updating these classics and correcting past mistakes!
Westerns have fallen out of favor lately; yet this overlooks how modern interpretations successfully subvert old tropes! The Coen Brothers' True Gritshows how reimagining a classic can yield brilliant results and even today’s filmmaking world can use Westerns. Many really great titles still lack some key aspects of great modern filmmaking that would improve storytelling overall! We’ll explore ten awesome titles— classics needing those updates that could be given today.
Clint Eastwood is a Western legend; hisSpaghetti Westerns(those directed bySergio Leone) are classics! However, some of his American Westerns fell short.Joe Kiddis one of them;While addressing land ownership and the mistreatment of Mexicans inAmerica, the ending is clunky and abandons any kind of prior established political subtext that was built up to that point.
A remake could fully explore those deeper themes; crafting a more profound and detailed storyline and completely modernizing the protagonist; leaving behind that classic Eastwood character and creating something new; showcasing that the genre itself continues to expand! There’s plenty to rediscover!
Stagecoachis a Western cornerstone; it’s brilliantly paced;its action is amazing,John Wayne'sintroduction is legendary. However; its treatment of Native characters leaves a lot to be desired; making this choice a clear one to correct; using today's better storytelling potential!
Modern technology can completely up the ante; creating stunts rivalingMad Max: Fury Roadfor that epic journey through dangerous territory. This also completely addresses prior concerns by adding significantly better portrayals; making use of far more advanced techniques, resulting in improvements on almost every level imaginable!
Young Gunstried something new— giving young outlaws that awesome “youthful” Western vibe; making use of incredibly popular teen actors that contributed to its original success— names likeEmilio Estevez,Charlie Sheen,andKiefer Sutherland— yet this brilliant potential for generating a huge new cast of relatively fresh-faced performers got utterly lost in a lackluster script. Its poor pacing created a poorly designed ending. A remake fixing that and still having a killer young cast could really work.
Ulzana’s Raidis a1970srevisionist Western challenging ingrained prejudices shown in US soldiers attempting to catchUlzana(anApachewarrior). Its Vietnam War criticism is its biggest strength.A remake fully exploring prejudice; examining how US history repeats; it provides a very contemporary, relevant viewpoint with a great and complex message!
Hannie Caulderis an obscure revenge Western featuring a kick-ass female lead—Raquel Welch! However, its portrayal has issues regarding its explicit attempts at making the female lead be sexualized—an element utterly lacking and detrimental that seriously affects the storyline. It still manages to shine; a huge source of inspiration forQuentin Tarantino's Kill Bill!
Modern Westerns really lack female leads. This presents a unique opportunity; making use of stronger scripts to remove those sexist plot devices, makingHannie Caulderinto that empowered female-fronted action film, giving a contemporary narrative perspective!
Broken Arrowis one of the first Westerns challenging racial injustices! It follows thisAmericansettler making peace between settlers andApache. Yet its major flaw makes this incredibly questionable: Despite challenging racism, they still have white actors wearing “redface,” contradicting what is portrayed in that film. A modern version can be updated! This makes this incredibly important moment entirely worthy of getting an update today.
Cat Ballouis an unexpectedly weird addition that didn't truly find that same resonance even today, despite some minor improvements made regarding modern cinematic approaches, its odd blend of genres still is lost; largely considered unmemorable, folks! This doesn't change what makes it good; however, what makes it a bad title makes this worth reimagining: It needs improved focus on the comedic aspect! A updated take; fully highlightingJane Fonda’scharacter could become a huge comedy.
Sergio Corbucci'sSpaghetti Westernsare top-tier;Navajo Joeisn’t! Despite showing aNavajowarrior seeking revenge,Burt Reynolds'casting is awful! This could be easily addressed and makes a remake worthy—aNative Americanlead giving an entirely different angle; demonstrating a potential that couldn’t exist with any other option.
Annie Oakley, starringBarbara Stanwyckis mostly remembered as having many flaws; an early Western exploring female characters that was seriously lacking; ignoring her importance. Its storyline focuses mostly on an utterly unnecessary love story.
This would present an easy update; especially a film focusing on her accomplishments as a highly skilled sharpshooter; emphasizing that feminist view, making this potentially very unique adaptation worth reimagining!It's a powerful story.
The Searchersis legendary; a very influential Western.However; it uses incredibly racist tropes.It’s problematic; that problematic history means any kind of remakes aren’t simple; but this does not preclude a serious attempt to create a much better portrayal using today's techniques!
Remaking it; pushing deeper into that dark hatred fromJohn Wayne'scharacter adds immense thematic relevance; that examination of racism should not be overlooked. It creates a uniquely valuable interpretation; addressing that complicated legacy which needs further context.
These films showcase how even older classics might desperately need some serious changes in the contemporary context. Some films might need more careful narrative choices to deliver improved pacing, other productions would just require removing or significantly reducing offensive racial stereotypes found commonly across various Westerns! These classic titles prove that re-imagining is possible, while providing valuable updates.