2021 has two 'Black Western' movies and a new history
Westerns, one of the biggest and most significant peoples in the history of cinema, have been working since the birth of cinema. He also made Buster Keaton in the 20's. From the 30's onwards, the most successful people in cinema have been running in Western. How many subgenres have been created during this long period? Jakge ... If we go beyond that history, we will not go into the main discussion of this article. Speaking of which, in this long history, the number of people who have made a Westerner the main character of a black man is terribly small. Can be calculated by hand.
Sixty years ago, The Great John Ford was the first to cast a black actor in the movie Sergeant Routledge, and he directly exposed racism. Then it is limited. There have been a number of these, the names of which can be found in different parts of this article. However, the main thing is 'All Black Western' but it is not like that, even though in some movies only blacks are the main characters. And surprisingly, in 2021, two Westerners were finally found, where all the artists were black. It has historical value. Why these two movies are important can be seen in the whole discussion.
2) Concrete Cowboy (2021)
Western thought has literally come down the streets of Philadelphia! Although the liner originates from a slightly flashy attitude, the premise idea is just that. The biggest thing is that this movie is not a fictional story, it is based on a true story. This movie is about a little bit of Philadelphia horse riding culture. A number of Black American cowboys live north of Philadelphia. Together they have developed a distinct culture of horse care. But this care is different. Because these horses are the ones whose real destiny is to die. They were bought at auction in Pennsylvania and brought to North Philadelphia. The black American cowboys look after them. Some of the dilapidated, abandoned places in North Philadelphia are somehow built to house these animals. Only out of compassion, out of compassion. At least killing the animals was inevitable.
This culture but not now. Centennial culture! The real history comes to this movie by giving a push to the history of cattle farming of white cowboys. This culture was first introduced by African-Americans in North America. The Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club in North Philadelphia has retained that culture for centuries. This is the culture of the Black Cowboys, the story of which has been on the screens for many years with Ricky Stuber's 'Concrete Cowboy' (2021), the brick-and-stone town of Western called 'Concrete' and the non-profit Fletcher Street Riding Club. One of the centers of cinema.
This is one of the reasons why the main narrative of the movie has a father-son story. Cole, a 15-year-old troubled young man, was forcibly dropped off by his mother on a North Philadelphia street because of his bad habits. Her father Harp lives there. The parents separated many years ago. Because the nature of the harp is not worldly. The horses are his meditation. So the boy is not really seen to hit him in that direction. From here, the familiar narrative of father-son distance can be found. Both the inattentive nature of the father and the rebellious nature of the son at this age intensify the separation between them. This is where the taste of 'Coming of-Age' genre comes into play.
Father and son; Image Source: Netflix
From there, the image of earning money by selling drugs in the pursuit of alleviating poverty by getting involved in bad things also came up. In addition to the real picture of young people in Philadelphia, the frustrating possibility of getting lost in the womb of tomorrow without understanding what is good and bad in the absence of proper parenting at this age also comes up. It also has images of gang violence. And the story of Fletcher Street is all around it. Rather than the father-son distance narrative, the riding club of this second narrative works directly in reality. The Fletcher Street Riding Club also has a great purpose. They teach young people to study and become skilled horsemen in their spare time. They think that this will help the youth to manage their time properly without going astray. This is how they build a culture of horsemanship.
The 'Concrete Cowboy', based on Greg Neri's novel, seeks to capture all of this. Haley attitude of the parents, the child who grows up in a bad mood, is involved in the world of drugs, creating infallible complications; In fact, this table is widely used and predictable. However, the main capital of this movie is the real history. Although the combination of this familiar table with that history in the screenplay does not give anything new, it has managed to keep the balance. So the whole narrative has left a space to breathe, even when the crowd is full of things. Although the circle of several characters needs to be expanded, not much has been done in the screenplay. There was a lot of exposure at first to tell this forgotten, unknown history of North Philadelphia, but on the one hand it was necessary, although more skill could have been added. But there is a good amount of detail in this part of the screenplay. Westerners are not just white Americans, this lesson carries a lot of necessity and relevance at this time.
Some of the members of the Fletcher Street Riding Club have been cast in a few supporting roles in an attempt to make the cinematic story real and true with the information, the occasional use of handheld cameras as well as the feel of the documentary. Needless to say, the actors have always helped the heart of the movie to thrive, even when nothing else was working. Caleb McLaughlin, the Lucas character in the 'Stranger Things' series, has had enough powerful performances in the face of actors like Idris Elbar, in the role of the boy. Gerald Jerome, who was featured in 'When They See Us', has taken over the character
Part of the actors in the movie; Image Source: Netflix
Director Ricky Stubb, along with screenwriter Dan Walser, was in that part of Philadelphia for many months, getting to know Fletcher Street and the club. That, of course, is clear in detail and exposure. With the help of handheld camera, besides giving the impression of a doc, he also gave the cinematic visual in full. Using natural light, he captures the contrast between nature and the witty life of the city. The scenes of taking care of the horses in the stables are remarkable. It paints a picture of their economic plight. The framing of the scene when Cole tries to subdue him after a horse has left the stables and the cuts on the editing table are quite significant. The thrill has been brought to that scene in a great way.
The ‘concrete cowboy,’ the economic misery of the riding club and the people in their community, though, could see more deeply into the eyes of the outside world. But in the conventional framework of the Western genre, the story of this short-lived history of the Black Cowboys is but necessary, again. New from there.
1) The Harder They Fall (2021)
As can be seen in the credit line before the introduction scene, the story of the movie is fictional. But these characters were just right in the old West. The characters are borrowed from the real. That information gives the unmistakable instruction to sit a little motionless. And there is a precedent for that. Before watching the movie, I knew that 'The Harder the Fall' (2021) is an 'All Black Western' movie! Yes, that's right you can now become known as a Lord of the Rings. Because, in the history of Western cinema, the number of works with blacks in the central characters is like counting on one's fingers. They have always been neglected in the history of Western cinema.
Lately, that history is constantly changing. Great Quentin Tarantino's one of the most powerful movies, 'The Hateful Eight' (2015) not only gives Samuel L. Jackson a central character, but also brings color to the setting in a revisionist western setting. Anthony Fukuya also gave a central character to a black man in the movie 'The Magnificent Seven' (2016). The Australian Western movie 'Sweet Country' (2016), which is not known to the general public, is a true story, centered on a black man. And that great movie nakedly portrayed the racism of that time (20s).
Talking about the history of the name of a few movies, it happened. However, the main thing is that 'The Harder de Fall' and the 'Concrete Cowboy' above will be mentioned separately in the future because not only the central character, but all the characters are black. They were / are also in the Wild West. The fact that they also have organized groups, stories are their documents. The two movies came in 2021 under the banner of Netflix. And another common link between the two movies is Idris Elba, who has acted in both movies. However, the two movies are different in taste. As the 'Concrete Cowboy' seeks to reshape the Westerns in the brick-and-mortar city, 'The Harder de Fall' captures the heart of the wild by retaining some of the old traditions of the rugged wilderness.
One of the Outlaws (Lacith Stanfield); Image Source: Netflix
Many characters in the movie, such as: Nat Love, Stagecoach Marie, Bass Reeves, Jim Buckworth; These are real. However, the incident of their mutual dispute is imaginary. The story brings up the old western. At the beginning, it is seen that an out-of-law enters the house of a person and kills the master and mistress of the house. Then he took out a knife and pulled the cut mark on the forehead of the couple's son. Then the story goes on after many years. That little boy has never been better. Bank robberies, murders have made all this their own. Running from love. At that time, he got the news that many years ago his out-of-law was shot dead by his gang. After receiving the news, the boy joined Nat Love and his gang to avenge the murder of his parents. In between, the interaction of the characters, some twists and turns, a lot of gunfire, humor have all taken place.
This movie is but a lot. At the climax, when this movie truly brings out its true nature, that past truth has the power to crush the heart. The movie proudly reveals its melodramatic climax. And the history of family tragedy, how love spreads and how violence spreads from generation to generation; His story.
And the screenplay, written in collaboration with storyteller and director James Samuel, Boaz Yakin, reveals the story on many levels. He has advanced different narratives in harmony with one another. The action of one narrative seems to be reflected in another narrative. James Samuel has made each character his own. They can be distinguished by their distinctive characteristics. He has given each one a style. And he has shed light on the depths of everyone's psychology, without leaving the original narrative in a different field. Quentin Tarantino's inspiration for such cool characterization is well illustrated by Samuel's work.
Cool Gang in Cool Imagery; Image Source: Netflix
The Tarantino-Esc thing worked in the way Tarantino created different circles of characters, and the way dialogue after dialogue, of course, humorous, arranged and carried the narrative forward. Violence also has that impression. Even in times of crisis, Samuel's characters love to talk. However, the melancholy melody that resounds in the interlude, the climax that comes to the fore is Samuel's own. Of course, he has left his mark in screenwriting. He also talked about racism and murder. The time and space of the movie has captured all the time in it. Revisionist Western will bring moral conflict. Keep the good and the bad in the gray, change the time; This is the work of revisionist westerns.
The casting of the movie 'All Black' has also been amazing. Overwhelmed by 'Lovecraft Country', Jonathan Majors, along with Idris Elba, Regina King, Lacith Stanfield, Jazzy Beats, all combine their acting skills with the rhythm of the characters. Their characters or they are running in the reckless rhythm of rock music, as they are mixed in the characters. Since the reference to the music is real, it is necessary to mention its background music. A musician by profession. So this different musical arrangement of the movie brings a different rhythm to the whole movie. Such compositions, scores are not common in Western movies. It will be established as another trademark of James Samuel.
Just what music! The fact that he understands the aesthetics of the movie perfectly can be understood in the style of making imagery. The uninterrupted communication of words and imagery has worked so spontaneously in the skillful editing that the audience's ears and mind and imagery dance to the same rhythm with the gun. Not the old west, but a new west. The color representations seem to come out right. The set design, the costume design, the bizarre nature of the characters are all in the same tone, creating a world of perfect harmony, which is more Samuel's than the West's. Everything in this world is made under his direction. Whenever Samuel and his cinematographer changed the angle of the camera, the focus shifted to something in this huge widescreen ratio that makes sense. The visual gag has created quite a bit of style, which is not uncommon in the West. And in this context, jazzy filmmaking is not uncommon. This is what creates a surreal atmosphere in the midst of this western atmosphere!
A stylish imagery; Image Source: Netflix
That said, this is James Samuel's movie! Abhishek has created his own style, his own language with movies. As the characters like to speak, the imagery also likes to dance and sing by adding melody to the words. Such a huge casting, if these people gave him more; Surely he will bring something innovative instead of many more ornaments. Something new in the traditional Western form, 'The Harder de Fall.' New history, new Western cowboy / out-of-law, new rhythm.
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It is to be expected that in the coming years, as in 2021, there will be more work on black people, more stories will come up. And these two movies could become cults in that case.
Language: English
Topic: This article is a composite review about the 2 western films of 2021 which features 'All Black Cast' and are historically important.
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