The Wild Bunch & Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Answer these questions after completing the films and reading selections. (Watch The Wild Bunch & Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford; Read the first four removes from Narrative of the Captivity of Mary Rowlandson and the selection from Blood Meridian)
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/851/851-h/851-h.htm#link2H_4_0001
1) The Western is, I would argue, the most American of all film/literature genres — mostly because it is the most self-reflexive. It forces the viewer to examine ourselves, look at the mythologies we collectively create, deconstruct our views of government/land/liberty/violence, and project those views onto the Other. In the two films and the two readings, we encounter the Other. How does this occur in each piece? Are there any similarities or distinct differences?
2) In The Assassination… Bob and Jesse are doubles. Among many things. it is a meditation on desire, fame and the genre itself. How are Bob and Jesse doubled? Think about the cinematography, the psychological needs of Bob, and individual scenes. Does Bob desire Jesse himself or does he crave the narrative of Jesse?
3) The Wild Bunch is often classified as a film that revels in grotesque amoral nihilistic violence. Perhaps this is right. After all, Pike’s gang and General Mapache alike commit wanton acts of violence without any regret and Peckinpah’s poetic editing does not allow the viewer to shrink. However, it can be argued that there is an underlying indignation beneath all of the blood. It is the machinations of the capitalist rail road industry which drives apart Pike’s crew and Pekinpah shows a higher level of contempt for the imperialism of the US and German governments. The only group of people who are shown in a neutral or slightly positive light are the indigenous guerillas. How do you reconcile these two readings? How do you view the morality of the film? Is Peckinpah reveling in violence or is there a cultural critique?
4) Finally, in Blood Meridian there are two things that I would like for you to focus on.
A) The Glanton Gang roams the deserts bordering Mexico and the United States, hunting for Apache scalps. The land itself becomes a central character to the novel, even moreso than the humans. How would you characterize the land? What language is used? (Personally, I think it is just gorgeous language).
B) How is time utilized in the book? What events are compressed? What events are elongated? What effects does this create?
