Kevin Stoehr Publishes New Book on the American Western
Associate Professor of Humanities Kevin Stoehr’s new book, Ride Boldly, Ride: The Evolution of the American Western, provides a selective survey of the history of the Western movie from its origins in early silent cinema to the recent re-make of True Grit. With a foreword by Clint Eastwood, major filmmakers discussed include D.W. Griffith, John Ford, Howard Hawks, Anthony Mann, Budd Botcher, Sam Peckinpah, and Clint Eastwood.
Co-authored with Mary Lea Bandy and published by University of California Press, the book is described as a “comprehensive study of the Western” that “covers its history from the early silent era to recent spins on the genre”:
Ride, Boldly Ride explores major phases of the Western’s development, including silent era oaters, A-production classics of the 1930s and early 1940s, and the more psychologically complex portrayals of the Westerner that emerged after World War II. The authors also examine various forms of genre-revival and genre-revisionism that have recurred over the past half-century, culminating especially in the masterworks of Clint Eastwood. They consider themes such as the inner life of the Western hero, the importance of the natural landscape, the roles played by women, the tension between myth and history, the depiction of the Native American, and the juxtaposing of comedy and tragedy. Written in clear, engaging prose, this is the only survey that encompasses the entire history of this long-lived and much-loved genre.
