The Western

Great westerns explore themes of sacrifice, honour and freedom, and you can see a selection of the best in The Western, running at the Australian Cinémathèque at GOMA from September to November.

We’re privileged in Brisbane to have the only Australian art gallery with purpose-built facilities dedicated to film and the moving image, so make the most of it by coming along and seeing why the western – from the silent days to the heydays of the 1940s and ‘50s through to modern-day interpretations – is so loved and respected.

Amanda Slack-Smith, Associate Curator, says that The Western will “celebrate a genre made famous by iconic images of lone cowboys, Native Americans and barren landscapes… Set in a mythic vision of the west, rather than the west itself, the genre has influenced the way we think about individualism and nature.”

Films includes John Ford’s masterpiece The Searchers (1956), John Sturges’ The Magnificent Seven (1960), Seven Samurai from Akira Kurosawa (1954), Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), Ang Lee’s Oscar winner, Brokeback Mountain (2005), and Australian interpretations such as the futuristic Mad Max 2 (1981) and The Proposition (2005), filmed in Queensland.

On Saturday, 19 September, there’s an illustrated talk by Dr David Baker, Lecturer from Griffith University, where he’ll examine the western genre since the 1900s, and the Gallery will also host four live music and film events showcasing the important role played by silent cinema. On 13 September, Nonsemble, a Brisbane-based chamber ensemble will present new scores for The Great Train Robbery (1903), The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906) and The Invaders (1912); and for John Ford’s The Iron Horse (1924) on 1 November.

There are plenty more treats, including a newly-restored The Daughter of Dawn (1920) with an entirely Native American cast (accompanied by David Bailey on Wurlitzer organ) and a screening of Buster Keaton’s slapstick silent comedy, Go West (1925), to be soundtracked with live music and sound effects such as horses’ hooves on 15 November.

Check out the program HERE

By Vicki Englund