We are accustomed to hearing great films discussed in terms of their influence on later movies, and Westerns are no exception. The makers of recent Western movies routinely discuss their works in relation to classics like The Searchers or Shane. But how, you might ask, were these filmmakers introduced to Westerns? By their grandparents? Or by someone else? In fact, the majority of filmmakers today were first introduced to the Western as an academic subject in the course of their professional training. How this influences the movies they make, and what it means for our understanding of the Western’s rich history, are just two of the topics covered in this exploration of the current state of the Western movie.

Graphic courtesy of Andrew Nelson. Click to enlarge.

Andrew Patrick Nelson is an historian of American cinema and culture, film programmer, museum curator and media commentator. He is chair of the Department of Film and Media Arts and associate professor of film studies at the University of Utah.

Recorded at the Museum of the Rockies on December 2, 2019.