148: Andy on Westerns

One of the highlights of our 2020 Halloween season was our chat with American contributor Andy about his love of horror films (episode 107). We are pleased to say Andy now returns to talk another film genre – Westerns. As you know from our series Rustler’s Roundup, the At The Flicks Team love Westerns. Pure American history, yet those tales of heroes and villains set in breathtaking vistas, resonate around the world. Graham and Jeff totally understand this with their Celtic backgrounds, although it was more difficult for our version of English Bob (Neil) to grasp. Clint Eastwood, John Wayne and Kevin Costner, some of the big names associated with these movies are discussed at length. Classics such as Unforgiven, Shane and The Outlaw Josey Wales (soon to be the subject of the next in our Rustler’s Roundup series), are also put under the microscope. An interesting aspect we uncover is how flexible the genre is – possibly more than most. It has been successfully cross bred with musicals, horror and science fiction, among many others. The Western also works when using modern day trappings, in such movies as No Country For Old Men and Hell Or High Water. You may start listening to this podcast thinking “I am not a fan of Westerns”, however I am sure you will come out the other side with the realisation that it does hold something for you. As always we would love to hear from you and your views on the genre under discussion. As for next time with Andy, we come right up to date for a special one off on the state of the American film industry. We hope you can ride along with us, until then, where ever you are, take care and stay safe.