thread: 2015-06-27 : A Small Western Binge
On 2015-06-29, Vincent wrote:
So, placelessness. Like, The Homesman is very concretely set in its place. So is The Outlaw Josey Wales. So is The Proposition, should I watch it again. Even 3:10 to Yuma is, although its Arizona is pretty Ferris Bueller-esque, a whirlwind tour of Western attractions.
But Sweetwater and High Plains Drifter aren't. They happen in the iconic West, right? Those towns could be anywhere, they're divorced from geography and local place-history. I don't believe in 3:10 to Yuma, but I REALLY don't believe in High Plains Drifter.
Slow West is kind of beautiful in this way. Colorado schmolorado, and in fact it was shot in New Zealand so I kept squinting at the landscapes in the film because they're subtly alien to me and I could never put my finger on why. But by framing and structuring itself as a told story, it never asks me to believe in it, just go along with it, which I'm happy to do.
