Hollywood Westerns and American Myth: The Importance of Howard Hawks and John Ford for Political PhilosophyIn this pathbreaking book one of America's most distinguished philosophers brilliantly explores the status and authority of law and the nature of political allegiance through close readings of three classic Hollywood Westerns: Howard Hawks' Red River and John Ford's The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and The Searchers. Robert Pippin treats these films as sophisticated mythic accounts of a key moment in American history: its "second founding," or the western expansion. His central question concerns how these films explore classical problems in political psychology, especially how the virtues of a commercial republic gained some hold on individuals at a time when the heroic and martial virtues were so important. Westerns, Pippin shows, raise central questions about the difference between private violence and revenge and the state's claim to a legitimate monopoly on violence, and they show how these claims come to be experienced and accepted or rejected. Pippin's account of the best Hollywood Westerns brings this genre into the center of the tradition of political thought, and his readings raise questions about political psychology and the political passions that have been neglected in contemporary political thought in favor of a limited concern with the question of legitimacy |
Contents
| 7 | |
Red River and the Right to Rule | |
Who Cares Who Shot Liberty Valance? | |
Politics and SelfKnowledge in The Searchers | |
Conclusion | |
Other editions - View all
Hollywood Westerns and American Myth: The Importance of Howard Hawks and ... Robert B. Pippin No preview available - 2010 |
Hollywood Westerns and American Myth: The Importance of Howard Hawks and ... Robert B. Pippin No preview available - 2010 |
Common terms and phrases
American imaginary Bazin beginning bourgeois cactus rose cattle character civilized clearly Comanche commercial republics complicated Darling Clementine discussion domestic Doniphon Dunson egalitarian electronic media epic especially Ethan fact fantasy fight film film's Ford's granted to include gunfighter Hallie Hawks heroic historical Hollywood human illustration in electronic include this illustration Indian issue Jeff John Ford John Wayne killing Debbie Laurie legend Louise Lusty Men Martha Martin Matt Matt's means modern moral movie myth mythic mythological narration narrative Perez perspective plot political passions political philosophy political psychology print publication problem psychological question racism ranch Ranse Ranse's Red River refer to print relevant revenge Rights Ringo rodeo role rule Scar scene Searchers seems self-hatred self-understanding Shinbone Shootist shoots Shot Liberty Valance social society sort Stagecoach Stoddard story suggest theme Tom's transition understanding University Press viewer violence wagon train wants West Westerns