1. Discuss how The Captive, by Mary Rowlandson, represents the tensions inherent in later Western films, especially those Simmon calls the “eastern-western.” How does the representation of captivity present a more complex picture of European-Native American relations than is evident in later films, even as early as The Battle of Elderbush Gulch (1913), or in moments from films that have “Indian attacks.” Be sure to provide specific examples from both the book, citing it, and any films you refer to.
2. Discuss how the Western hero/protagonist becomes an increasingly complex figure from Hell’s Hinges (1916) through The Big Trail (1931) and Stagecoach (1939). You must provide specific examples from the films to support your points, and you MUST cite Simmon at least twice in answering this question, and Murdoch at least once.
3. Discuss how the films Stagecoach and My Darling Clementine (1946) present a cynical view of “civilization” as embodied in the communities represented in the films. How does Clementine balance the values associated with the East and the West by doubling its heroic figure? You must provide specific examples from the films to support your points, and you MUST cite Simmon at least twice in answering this question and Murdoch at least once.
4. Discuss the contradictory nature of the representation of American Indians in American culture prior to the “silent” Western film up to My Darling Clementine. You must provide specific examples from the films to support your points, and you MUST cite Simmon at least twice in answering this question, as well as Murdoch and Rowlandson.
Books he refer to are:
Scott Simmon, The Invention of the Western Film (Cambridge UP, 2003)
Mary Rowlandson, The Captive (American Eagle, 1990 [1682]).
David Hamilton Murdoch, The American West: The Invention of a Myth (U of Nevada P, 2001)
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