GENRE FILMS AND WESTERNS

The classic Western differs from other popular genre films in several ways. It differs because of the symbolic landscape in which the Western takes place and because of its influence on the character and actions of the hero. Detective or gangster fiction is usually characterized by the quality of the action. Romance and horror fiction, on the other hand, is usually characterized by the quality of the mood. Classic cinema Westerns, in contrast, are characterized by the protagonist’s action in relation to the symbolic landscape.