AHC – The Cowboy: Myth of the Western Heroes (2016) Part 1. Movies That Shaped Americas Myth
English | Documentary | Size: 1.11 GB
The legend of the Cowboy as told by over 100 years of classic films and television series. The Wild West, with its legends and tales of heroes, rebels, and guns, has been a popular setting for the film industry for decades. The two-part documentary looks back at numerous film and television productions and introduces icons such as Gary Cooper, Gene Autry, and John Wayne.
The western is America’s definitive contribution to cinema, a bullet-spattered blueprint for the nation’s image of itself and its place in the world. Even while the frontiers of the Wild West were being fought over, its myth was being forged. By the turn of the 20th Century, just as the era was being consigned to history, motion pictures began telling these stories in a new medium. The era of the western was born.
The cowboy is an essential element of American cinema since one of the very first westerns was made in the turn of the century. The image of the cowboy, the pioneer and the Plainsman was solidified for the next 120 years, with their code of the west and their freedom and independence.
The Cowboy chronicles the birth and rise of the cowboy on the silver screen, and the creation of America’s most enduring legend. Motion pictures have been the engine that cemented the cowboy as the most recognized, beloved and celebrated of all American icons, and these films also fueled the rise of the cowboy in pop culture, literature, art, music, fashion and television.
Writer & Director: Steve Burgess ; Producer & Director: Derik Murray ; A Network Entertainment Production In Association with American Heroes Channel
E1 – Movies That Shaped America’s Myth
Celebrating the icons and legends of the American West as immortalized by Hollywood.
The real life of a cowboy from the West had nothing to do with glamour. The entertainment industry, however, transformed the hard-working cowboy into the image of a knight in shining armor. From the great stars like Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, and Steve McQueen, to the great directors like John Ford, Sergio Leone, and Sam Peckinpah. Gary Cooper, Gene Autry, and John Wayne are among the most popular actors in this extremely successful film genre.
E2 – Hollywood vs. History
Movies often reduce the cowboy code to “the good guy always wins.” When you picture a cowboy, chances are it’s the Hollywood version: a lone rider silhouetted against a blazing sunset, boots shining, hat pulled low, and a six-shooter at the ready. Or maybe the lawman at high noon, ready to reestablish justice in a frontier town.
The story of the Old West as it was and as it was portrayed by the giants of cinema. Legendary lawmen like Wyatt Earp and “Wild Bill” Hickok, infamous outlaws like Jesse James and Billy the Kid, and epic showdowns like the Gunfight at the OK Corral.
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