Men of the West – Classic Western Heroes and the Examined Life (Digital Download)

Men of the West – Classic Western Heroes and the Examined Life – This film study guide features classic images of the compelling western hero. The hero of the great western film is seldom a shining knight with no flaws. In keeping with the centuries-old traditions of classic realism in literature and drama, the compelling western hero is a man who has great strengths as well as serious weakness and limitations.

From Fred Zinnemann’s High Noon (1952) to John Ford’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence (1962), leading men from Hollywood’s Golden Age model timeless masculine virtues such as friendship, prudence, moral courage, generosity of spirit, honor, and love of justice.