The Iconography of John Wayne

The genius of John Wayne is that no matter what you might think of the actor or the legend or the ideals that he stands for, at some point you have to consider him. You have to consider him because at some level, he represents some people's idea of what America might be like or the old West might be like, or what the American experience of War might be like, or at the last, what people's idea of true heroism might be like.

Say what you will, John Wayne matters even to those who despise what he stands for. John Wayne has been an heroic paradigm for me for a very long time. As I have grown older, however, I have become more picky about the films of John Wayne that I esteem. As with Clint Eastwood, I found that Wayne is much better in films where he must face himself and live with the vulnerabilities and doubts that reside within an otherwise strong and impervious exterior.

Perhaps my most favorite Wayne film would be The Searchers. The niece of stoic and abrasive John Wayne is kidnapped by Indians after her family is massacred. Wayne sets out to rescue her but quickly loses himself in a ride of revenge and racism against Indians, eventually turning his hatred on the very girl he wished to rescue when she becomes part of a local Comanche tribe. Wayne is forced to confront his own racism and thirst for revenge when he finally rescues his niece. But even at the end of this fine John Ford film, Wayne is still marginalised and cut off from the bosom of his family and community...sort of seen as an endangered stereotype that the world has left behind.

This theme of the modern world of law and order leaving behind the rugged frontier hero is no more apparent than in "True Grit" with John Wayne's shoot 'em up heroism being viewed as embrassing and illegal by the establishment that Wayne as Rooster Cogburn has served all his adult life. The image of him fat, drunk, and sick...laying on a smelly bed in the back of a Chinese laundry is still haunting, but his resurrection to see justice done in his one man charge against Robert Duvall and company still inspires and thrills.

And finally, Wayne in Red River, Howard Hawk's fine revisonist Western may show Wayne at the height of his powers in a tragic story that approaches King Lear in its scope and depth of human relationships. Wayne adopts Montgomery Clift and the two cowboys decide to drive a superherd of cattle to market. What happens is much like the Mutiny on the Bounty, where Wayne mercilessly drives his drovers into a mutiny against him. Even Clift is driven to this final betrayal and the look on Wayne's weathered face is enough to chill the soul.

Yes, Wayne did make a lot of bad pictures, particulary in the late sixties and early seventies which were mere shadows of films like She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence. But Wayne, with all his faults, remains what he is...the best and also the worst of us and his performances still have the power to captivate me today!

The Case for Clint Eastwood

Perhaps its not such a great idea for me to state a case for Clint Eastwood, for Eastwood has long been a favorite of mine, practically all of my life. I am biased, you see. Critics and movie watchers alike will probably disagree with me on just what part of Eastwood's career to laud and where to identify a certain amount of genius film making. There are moments, in my opinion, throughout Eastwood's career that I would defend as great, if not genius. Eastwood has always been pretty much about high quality with only a few missteps here and there.


Eastwood has been both actor and director throughout his stellar career, but his acting, especially in the early years, could be spotty at times. The most important character Eastwood created in the late sixties, with the help of Sergio Leone, was the "Man With No Name", an antihero gunfighter who usually starts out the film as a mercenary, but turns out heroic by the end of the film. Eastwood was usually gruff and stoic as the "Man" which was perfect for the western genre, largely being a visual storytelling genre and perfect for Leone who was a master director of largely visual westerns. The poncho, sweaty slouch hat, stovepipe jeans, and of course, the gnarly cigar stump, created a perfect counter culture answer to the heroic pose of the 1950's John Wayne.


Interestingly enough, the "Man With No Name" actually did have names in all the Leone Westerns. In "A Fistful of Dollars", he was called Joe. In "For a Few Dollars More", he was called Manco. In "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly", he was called Blondie.


What has always been compelling for me with this character and also the Dirty Harry character which Eastwood began in the late sixties, was this sense of a hero that is always in control, even in the worst of situations. This was gratifying for me as a kid who spent most of his time in daydreams and in books, never fully sure of anything in a largely introverted life. I could be like Eastwood, or like my dad in my dreams, seemingly never questioning myself, always in control. This afforded me some emotional security regardless of how starry eyed I was.


As I grew up, I began to revise this opinion, or at the least begin to see heroes of another stripe, courage of another, more subtle kind. The hero who moves forward to confront evil or injustice, despite his questioning himself, became more of a hero for me as I encountered these situations in real life. While still nostalgic about the hero in control, it did not speak to me as profoundly as before. But the great thing about Eastwood was that he grew up as an actor and director, just as I was growing up.

Thus, the "Man With No Name" very intentionally received a name and a soul, a hero for a new age of reflection about what truly makes a hero. Eastwood did this in 1976's "The Outlaw Josey Wales". The "Man" was now Josey Wales and here was an antihero who questioned his own motives, longed for a different way of life, whose motivations were more subtle and complex than any Western or Action hero Eastwood had ever portrayed before. Wales was a complex character who begins his adventures in a revenge quest, certainly a recognizable western theme. But by the end of the film, Wales has drawn a community of misfits and loners to himself, who long for a better, more peaceful life. Wales begins life as a prototypical Western hero, but gains a soul in becoming a greater hero fighting for more life giving causes.

As good as Josey Wales was, an even better western was waiting for Eastwood to direct and to star in the mid-1990's. Unforgiven would take the elements of Josey Wales and tell a more human story of Eastwood as a gunfighter turned poor dirt farmer who decides to kill a man for money to turn his no-where life around. Eastwood had moved beyond the classic ideal of what heroes could be to what heroes often are...normal everyday people thrust into extraordinary circumstances and asked to make decisons of life transforming importance. Unforgiven may have been Eastwood's ultimate western swan song, and if it is, I would be happy with that.

And actually, Unforgiven would pave the way for one of Eastwood's very best, regardless of genre, Million Dollar Baby. Eastwood's hero questions himself and his motives constantly as he is called upon to decide the end of life process for a young woman he has come to love as a daughter. Million Dollar Baby is a film I would have never expected from Eastwood back in the 1970's or 80's. Eastwood's artistic edge has grown considerably as he has grown older, and this is why he has retained his significance and relevance in an industry he has dominated at different times for over fifty years. This film nut thanks him!

My suggestions for Halloween!

I will admit it! I was a long suffering fan in the 1980's for the Friday 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Halloween movie franchises. As I have grown older and encountered either tired rehashes of these slasher flicks or the troubling existence of so-called "Torture Porn" horror movies like the Saw franchise, I have become more and more discerning. If a Horror film makes me get up and turn on all the lights in the house, I will be a lifelong fan.

Part of the horror experience is the willing participation of the mind and the imagination. What the mind might envision waiting behind the closet door or under the bed is a much more powerful force for scaring than the constant visual deluge many current films employ today. In films like Alien, for instance, you saw the monster only occasionally and only in part until the very last few frames. In The Blair Witch Project, you never really see the Blair Witch, only flashes or sounds in the dark that the mind might make into a myriad of beasties.

Another important component, is chaos--a situation or situations that defy order or human logic or human power to resolve or overcome them. A perfect example would be the recent 28 Days Later, which scares the pants off us with an incurable infection that turns ordinary people into homicidal zombies. George A. Romero's classic Night of the Living Dead comes in here as well as a group of diverse people struggle to fend off the attacking dead in this most classical Zombie movie. Chaos has frightened us for years for the simple reason that we cannot control it and the most trusted human conventions are destroyed. We are out there on the edge and forces are gathering to destroy us.

Gore can be good, but too much is too much. The original 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre certainly had it's share of gore, but used awesome grainy and hand held cameras to increase our sense of "being there" and used the scenery to increase our dread as Leatherface chases the heroine through endless darkened woods.

An old time guilty pleasure has been added to this list which began last year. The Evil Dead, Sam Raimi's cult classic, has enertained me and yet caused me to reach for the light switch for years. This film is interesting in the sense that while it is very scary, it also pokes marvelous fun at horror films throughout the years. Bruce Campbell, king of B movies, is simply awesome and hilarious in this!

And so, below is my list for your Halloween viewing pleasure. Drop me a comment on what you agree with or disagree with and of course any suggestions of your favorite horror shockers!

1. The Thing (Both Versions)
2. The Blair Witch Project
3. An American Werewolf in London
4. Dracula (Bela Lugosi Version)
5. Night of the Living Dead
6. 28 Days Later
7. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Original Version Only)
8. Salem's Lot
9. The Exorcist
10. Jurassic Park
11. Alien

12. The Evil Dead

13. The Howling

The Case for Orson Welles

The label of "Genius" has been applied to many and many have not necessarily deserved it. The term of "Wunderkind" too has been misappropriated by many. Orson Welles epitomized the kind of person
who was labeled this way and lived up to it many times throughout his multi-faceted career that journeyed from radio into feature films.


Many critics laud him for Citizen Kane and deservedly so. In a time when melodramas were created to lessen the depression of The Great Depression moving into the early War years of the 1940's, Citizen Kane was an uncompromising look into the heart of darkness that lies within even the best of human beings. Part mystery, part drama, and even a bit of humor-Citizen Kane was a human story without many peers. The acting and cinematography belongs to a much later age than the film and perhaps that is why many critics and movie goers of the time did not care much for it. This film continues to inspire me, in the sense that film can be a most powerful spinner of human story.


Welles' post Kane career is just as controversial and argued over as his landmark film was. While many dismiss the later period of Welles' career, I often celebrate it by watching and loving films like The Magnificent Ambersons, The Third Man, The Long Hot Summer, and a recent favorite Touch of Evil. As great a director as Welles was, he was also a mighty fine actor. The Third Man showcases the classic Welles character of a basically good man overcome by the corruption of power, money and prestige. Even at his lowest point, that lovely smirk comes over his face that sort of invites us to dwell upon the giddy thing that man is.


But not all of Welles' career was sparkling. His time as a spokesperson for various products has tarnished his legend a bit. But in the end, I have developed a great deal of respect for one of Hollywood's greatest directors
and a fine actor in his own right. Perhaps his greatest crime was being labeled a genius much too early. He had much more to give us.

Thoughts on Paul Newman

Different eras of Hollywood are often defined by the stars who were in the most popular films or the greatest films of that period. Mention the 1930's, and you might think of the King of Hollywood, Clark Gable. Mention the 1940's, and you might think of Katherine Hepburn or Humphrey Bogart or Cary Grant. And then there is the man who I believe defined the 1950's with style and grace, intensity with a twinkle in his eye: Paul Newman.



Many may bring up Marlon Brando or even Montgomery Clift as the actors who define this very rich period of Hollywood past, and while these students of the Method school were great in their own unique style, Newman was the one who integrated plain and simple humanity in his roles that often was missing in the craft of others. Even when Newman played self destructive losers such as Fast Eddie in The Hustler or Ben Quick in The Long, Hot Summer, he did so with a devil may care wink in his eye that just drew you in to like the character just a little bit more, to have sympathy with these characters. Such is the craft of a great actor--to make us care about what happens to the person they are creating for us.


Newman, Brando, and Clift were all amazing at defining a new kind of hero for the movies, where heroes doubted themselves, questioned their own motives, and longed to know a certain kind of personal self esteem in a world that denied such self worth in so many ways. The Forties, except for Film Noir, dealt in heroic attributes not many could measure up to. Fast Eddie was more like me so I could care more about Fast Eddie than say, Rhett Butler. It was amazing too that the fifties would produce such actors like Newman or a Brando,but it seemed that there was always a dark undercurrent of dissatisfaction with all the apparent success of American economic and social life, that lovable losers like James Dean could make their way into our hearts. And no one did it better than Newman. Steve McQueen or William Holden could get close, but the twinkle in those icy blue eyes could always convince me that the world still has a place for the underdog loser. Newman could always make me believe in him.


Newman would continue to be a very good actor as well as a great star long after his contemporaries had either died, retired, or ceased to have much relevance anymore. Even in his later years, Newman seemed to enjoy playing old guys and I would think that Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt might struggle to feel comfortable with that inevitability. A class act on screen or off, Paul Newman, human being and great actor, will be missed by this movie lover!