Compare And Contrast Red River Vs Godless

The Western genre has been a staple in American entertainment for over a century, with countless films and TV shows exploring themes of honor, justice, and survival in the untamed frontier. However, while both TV and film have contributed to the evolution of the genre, there are distinct differences between the two mediums in terms of storytelling and production values. Examples of these are 1958’s Red River, directed by Howard Hawks, and 2017’s Godless directed by Scott Frank. The two pieces of media share several common aspects of the Western genre but vary in others. Both Red River and Godless portray the southern landscape as a brutal place, where only those willing to make difficult sacrifices can survive. However, Red River portrays a

There is often the use of man vs. nature storylines, where the protagonists of a story must fight against the forces of nature to achieve their goal. In Red River, Tom Dunson’s cattle drive is constantly at the whim of the road he travels on. He fights against dust storms, rain, and his own cattle. This ultimately concludes in Dunson’s conquering of these forces and thus man’s conquering of nature itself, which is a common mentality when thinking of the wild west, both at the actual time of its colonization and when reminiscing on it. The similar trope of man vs. man is also a staple of Western media. In both Red River and Godless, there is a nearly constant threat from other people, even those previously trusted. There is a strange conflict between the solitary ideology present in Western media and the simultaneous sense of camaraderie. In Red River, this conflict is exemplified by the relationship between Dunson and his adopted son, Matt Garth. Their first interaction sets up the motif of betrayal from your fellow men, as their relationship is violently tested, however, the movie ends their jovial reconnection. This conflict between loyalty and individualism is used to highlight the harsh realities of