America 1987

Chapter 76 Westerns

"Well, that's good," David poured himself a cup of tea. "I'm planning to direct a Western, and I called you over to ask if you have any good ideas."

"A Western?" Quentin was somewhat surprised, quickly putting down his cup. "You mean you're planning to make a Western?"

It's no wonder he lost his composure; after all, at this point in time, the Western genre in Hollywood, while perhaps not at its peak, is certainly in its twilight. (A playful reference to a Tongliao dialect phrase.)

Due to the passage of time and the erosion of ideological foundations, American Westerns have been on a downward trend since the 60s, and by the 80s the genre had been severely marginalized.

The former is easier to understand, since Westerns are generally set between 1860 and 1900, which is nearly a century away from the present. Filming them at that time would make them "historical films," which naturally create a barrier between them and today's audience.

The reason why Wu Jing's "The Swordsman" did not perform as well at the box office as "Pegasus 3" is not only because the latter is a sequel to a popular IP, but also because of the subject matter itself.

The latter is also easy to understand. The core of traditional Hollywood Westerns is to establish the national identity of white settlers and to glorify the westward expansion as a process of civilization in the "Promised Land," which can be loosely regarded as patriotic films from the United States.

However, the rise of counterculture after the 60s, along with events such as the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement, prompted American society to reflect on colonial history and racial issues. The narrative of "sublimity" that Westerns relied on was deconstructed into "the barbaric expansion of capitalism".

When national identity, the most fundamental element, is undermined, the audience naturally stops buying into it.

"So I never intended to make a traditional Western," David quickly replied after hearing Quentin's question. "I wanted to make a subversive Western, a..."

David talked to Quentin about these things mainly because his understanding of American Westerns was rather superficial. He had indeed watched "Dances with Wolves" in its entirety in his previous life and remembered the plot very clearly, but he wasn't sure if he could perfectly grasp the spirit and essence of the film itself.

Artistic works are inherently very emotional, and sometimes audiences may like a film simply because its atmosphere suits their taste. Therefore, it is essential for David to find a professional to oversee the film's quality.

Quentin Tarantino himself is a huge fan of Westerns.

Not satisfied with just "Django Unchained," he went on to make "The Hateful Eight," and even requested that cinemas use the 70s panoramic widescreen format to ensure the latter's authenticity.

It would be a real shame not to let such a die-hard fan of this particular genre come and help with the quality control.

"An Italian spaghetti Western?"

"Of course not. Audiences are pretty tired of that kind of thing, and most of it can only be sold on video. If you want it to be shown in theaters, you definitely can't make it like that."

Italian spaghetti westerns mainly refer to the type of westerns produced from the 1960s to the mid-1970s, primarily led by Italy and in collaboration with other European countries such as Spain, Germany, and France. These were mostly low-budget productions.

The biggest difference from traditional Westerns is that it adopts an anti-hero narrative in its character portrayal—the protagonists are mostly marginal figures such as bounty hunters and bandits, whose adventure motivations are very realistic, usually for money, reflecting a kind of "bountyism" or even anarchism. This kind of character setting was very popular with young audiences at the time.

A prime example is Clint Eastwood, who rose from an unknown Hollywood actor to an international superstar with the "Dollars Trilogy" (A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly).

"So what do you mean?" Quentin gestured in inquiry.

"Use a magnificent visual presentation to fill the void of Westerns at this time and satisfy the audience's desire for an epic experience on the big screen."

Why did "Dances with Wolves" gross $4.24 million worldwide? It was all thanks to the immersive experience it provided to audiences with its grand and magnificent audiovisual spectacle.

To be honest, this movie is really long. He watched it on streaming services back then, and it was nearly 4 hours long, taking up most of his afternoon.

Although the theatrical version was cut, it only reduced the runtime from 4 hours to 3 hours. The fact that such a short film could still achieve such high box office is nothing short of a miracle in film history.

Moreover, after watching it, to be honest, it didn't completely meet his expectations—mainly because the pace was too slow and the amount of information provided was too small, which made him a little unenthusiastic.

However, compared to Quentin Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight," it is more accessible to the average viewer, with a lower barrier to entry.

The latter is also a long film with a slow pace, but it is packed with information. The characters are constantly talking, and what they are saying is not just nonsense, but important information related to the subsequent plot. If the audience loses focus even slightly, they will not understand what happens next.

The more complex the story and the more information a movie tells, the more likely it is to flop—this is an age-old truth.

"Dancing with wolves?"

Catherine read the name aloud. "Why did you name the movie that?"

Sitting in front of his computer at home, David typed a reply: "Didn't you finish reading the script? Same as last time?"

"Of course not," Catherine said, for the first time expressing her frustration with David's excellent memory. "I haven't made such a silly mistake since you criticized me last time."

"Then why are you asking me this question?"

The reason why the film was named "Dances with Wolves" is mainly because it was the Native American name given to the male protagonist, Lieutenant Dunbar, by the Sioux tribe in the film.

The plot involves Dunbar forming a friendly relationship with a white wolf near a western outpost, whom he names "Two White Socks".

The Sioux Indians observed Dunbar playing with wolves and, following their naming tradition—named after a person's frequent activities or environment—gave Dunbar the Lakota name "Dancing with Wolves."

"I'm asking if there's any other hidden meaning," Catherine said, placing her hands on the other's shoulders with a teasing smile. "After all, you're a Hollywood screenwriting genius; how could naming a movie be so simple?"

David ignored the other person's teasing—he had written a new script called "When Harry Met Sally" and cast Nicole as the female lead, so it was impossible to hide it from the other person.

Fortunately, the other party only used this as an excuse to tease me and didn't hold a grudge. It seems that my previous judgment of her personality was quite accurate.

"Other meanings? Of course there are, for example..." David explained the other meanings of the movie title to the other person in a serious manner.

The phrase "Dancing with Wolves" can be interpreted in countless ways—from symbolism of identity transformation to harmony between humanity and nature, to reflections on cultural conflict, and much more.

Interestingly, "dancing with wolves" is an idiom in the cultural context of the Eastern Continent, used to describe dealing with dangerous forces.