More Fun at The Movies

What makes a western film so enjoyable are the many things that make up a western that we often fail to pay attention to. The small details make a very big impact on the appeal of a western because, in general, western films usually come to a point where the dialogue ends or lessens considerably and it is all of these details that start to make an impact.

I recently watched a 1972 western film titled Joe Kidd starring Clint Eastwood, Robert Duvall and James Wainwright. Of course it had some, let's say comical moments, but it had all of the important aspects of a western as well. A few things stood out to me, mainly the sounds. The jingling of the spurs on the creaky wooden floors, the drawn out pang of a bullet as it is fired from a rifle or revolver, the sound that the reigns make when they are twisting in the hands of the capable horseman or even the rustling of the brush underfoot. These sounds are enhanced, as if they were pre-recorded and played back with a speaker to make them seem louder and more prominent. And although technology has come leaps and bounds since this film, and so many other westerns, has been made, these small sound details are still a crucial part of the success. 

The plot is rarely anything of grave importance in a western, and Joe Kidd is not set apart from most westerns in that it has to do with a conflict with land, involves a lot of guns, few women and fewer words. Most of the language in the film is either body language or what I like to call "eye language" where people say everything that they need to with their eyes. Set near the Organ Mountain Range in southeast New Mexico ( I could be wrong here, but they are remarkably similar!) Joe Kidd is a fantastic western that I could not pull myself away from.