I started to post this as a specific question about Canada in the Rose County thread but then decided to move it to its own, so not to drag that one off into another direction.


The Western is predominantly an American thing, but the same themes of exploration, settling new areas, lawless boom towns and a people motivated by a fast buck are often present elsewhere just in a different time and place. Canada, Australia, Alaska and South America each had a gold rush in the later 19th century / early 20th century which led to similar conditions as the American West after the US Civil War.    

The time period is not of particular importance as even in the US there were places where the "old west" lived well into the 20th Century, to the point it is not impossible to have cowboys and bootleggers mingling.
 
Quigley down under is probably being one of the better film examples of a what I'm talking about. Despite being set in Australia it is definitely still a western. The later portion of Butch Cassidy & the Sundance kid after they go to Bolivia is another example. The Clint Eastwood movie Joe Kid is an example of a western towards the end of the traditional period, being set around 1900.
Not nearly so well known (and as I recall really only watchable because of Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson) Death Hunt, which is set in the Canadian frontier around 1930 has a western feel and fits both the out of time and out of place criteria.

The hunt for Pancho Villa and the ensuing Punitive expedition occurred in 1916, involved the US military trucks and aircraft but it has many western elements, as that part of the US was still largely as it had been in the 1880s.

Outland with Sean Connery is of course basically a western in space, but I'm looking more for historical, or at least pseudo historical references, not just the themes. Other times and places where a western could be set, perhaps a campaign continues into that time line (if set later than most) or characters could come from or visit those places and maintain the same kind of vibe to the campaign.  

A ton of Westerns were filmed in Spain and Italy, but I'm not aware of either historically having a period that really resembles the Western in the US form. Africa maintaining a strong colonial presence seems to maintain more of a Victorian feel, so while certainly a place to go with an open frontier it doesn't really feel western to me, but I could be wrong.



Just kind of rambling, but curious about other times and places for a western campaign films, real history, books (gasp) etc.

Quote from: Toadmaster;1019265I started to post this as a specific question about Canada in the Rose County thread but then decided to move it to its own, so not to drag that one off into another direction.


The Western is predominantly an American thing, but the same themes of exploration, settling new areas, lawless boom towns and a people motivated by a fast buck are often present elsewhere just in a different time and place. Canada, Australia, Alaska and South America each had a gold rush in the later 19th century / early 20th century which led to similar conditions as the American West after the US Civil War.    

The time period is not of particular importance as even in the US there were places where the "old west" lived well into the 20th Century, to the point it is not impossible to have cowboys and bootleggers mingling.
 
Quigley down under is probably being one of the better film examples of a what I'm talking about. Despite being set in Australia it is definitely still a western. The later portion of Butch Cassidy & the Sundance kid after they go to Bolivia is another example. The Clint Eastwood movie Joe Kid is an example of a western towards the end of the traditional period, being set around 1900.
Not nearly so well known (and as I recall really only watchable because of Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson) Death Hunt, which is set in the Canadian frontier around 1930 has a western feel and fits both the out of time and out of place criteria.

The hunt for Pancho Villa and the ensuing Punitive expedition occurred in 1916, involved the US military trucks and aircraft but it has many western elements, as that part of the US was still largely as it had been in the 1880s.

Outland with Sean Connery is of course basically a western in space, but I'm looking more for historical, or at least pseudo historical references, not just the themes. Other times and places where a western could be set, perhaps a campaign continues into that time line (if set later than most) or characters could come from or visit those places and maintain the same kind of vibe to the campaign.  

A ton of Westerns were filmed in Spain and Italy, but I'm not aware of either historically having a period that really resembles the Western in the US form. Africa maintaining a strong colonial presence seems to maintain more of a Victorian feel, so while certainly a place to go with an open frontier it doesn't really feel western to me, but I could be wrong.



Just kind of rambling, but curious about other times and places for a western campaign films, real history, books (gasp) etc.

South America - Particularly Patagonia (see the ending of Butch and Sundance), would seem to work particularly well.

I'm sure you could do a game with at least some western themes in 19th century Russia or Central Asia.

A lot of the Spanish and Italian Westerns are actually set in Mexico, although rarely actually filmed there.

Blazing Saddles. Modern Burbank.

Quote from: Voros;1019288A lot of the Spanish and Italian Westerns are actually set in Mexico, although rarely actually filmed there.

Yeah, I didn't mention Mexico, while distinct from the US I overlooked it since it is so much a part of traditional western lore. Loads of westerns were set there whether filmed on location, or somewhere in the US, Spain or Italy. Thank you for pointing that out, it was an oversight on my part and Mexico definitely has some unique characteristics, and that brings in a French connection to a western game as well.

Chester Brown's Louis Riel comic is a great intro to Riel, Dumont and the Red River Rebellion. The Canadian poet and anarchist George Woodcock wrote a good bio on Gabriel Dumont, Riel's Metis General, who ended up in Buffalo Bill's show later in life.

Gunbus drags a pair of cowboys into World War One aeroplane battle over Europe.

Quote from: Voros;1019288A lot of the Spanish and Italian Westerns are actually set in Mexico, although rarely actually filmed there.

Generally filmed in Andalusia due to the basic superficial resemblance to the American Southwest and northern Mexico , where they were mostly set.

Quote from: Toadmaster;1019294Yeah, I didn't mention Mexico, while distinct from the US...

Not so distinct at the time, the cultures overlapped the border which was arbitrary and barely observed by anyone living there.

Altman's McCabe and Ms. Miller is set in the Pacific Northwest, which although in the US (actually shot in Canada) feels significantly different from most other Westerns. Other snowy Westerns are the excellent Day of the Outlaw and The Great Silence.

Quote from: Dumarest;1019316Not so distinct at the time, the cultures overlapped the border which was arbitrary and barely observed by anyone living there.

and still somewhat true in places. The border is pretty vague in some of the less populated areas. With all the talk of illegal immigration many don't have a clue how much legitimate traffic there is, particularly in places like Nogales or Douglas, AZ that are intertwined with Nogales and Agua Prieta Sonora, or El Paso, TX and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. If you are in San Diego, then I'm sure you see some of the same where sometimes looking at the license plates in the local Walmart parking lot can make you question which side of the border you are on.  

When I worked in Arizona, there were times in the beginning where I wasn't entirely sure I hadn't made a wrong turn and crossed the border. Coming from crowded California there was no way the US could have places so remote.

There was one little town (basically a ghost town, although maybe still a few residents), I think Lochiel, AZ that was literally a stones throw from the border. The first time I was there I was sure I had just driven into the set from of A Fistful of Dollars. Some of those places are timeless. Sorry meandering.

Quote from: Toadmaster;1019347and still somewhat true in places. The border is pretty vague in some of the less populated areas. With all the talk of illegal immigration many don't have a clue how much legitimate traffic there is, particularly in places like Nogales or Douglas, AZ that are intertwined with Nogales and Agua Prieta Sonora, or El Paso, TX and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. If you are in San Diego, then I'm sure you see some of the same where sometimes looking at the license plates in the local Walmart parking lot can make you question which side of the border you are on.  

When I worked in Arizona, there were times in the beginning where I wasn't entirely sure I hadn't made a wrong turn and crossed the border. Coming from crowded California there was no way the US could have places so remote.

There was one little town (basically a ghost town, although maybe still a few residents), I think Lochiel, AZ that was literally a stones throw from the border. The first time I was there I was sure I had just driven into the set from of A Fistful of Dollars. Some of those places are timeless. Sorry meandering.

So true. I like meandering...we have a lot of cross-border people and business here.

There's still a law on the books here in Calgary about businesses having to provide a hitching post and water for horses, and in the older areas of town you can still see those hitching posts. I remember in the 80s when some of the newer neighbourhoods were still ranches and farms, running into a classmate who came into town to shop on horseback.

Awesome you've brought up this topic!  

About a week ago, I watched a movie called The Stolen (I had never heard of it; only watched it on the strong recommendation from a friend) and I have to admit, it was actually quite good.  Came out in 2017 and the setting is 1860's/1870's in New Zealand.  

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1680140/

In every sense of the word, it's an excellent Western but it's even better (from my American point of view) because they have a Maori warrior ending up being a vital character in the drama.  It was written, filmed, and produced by New Zealanders so I presume they were accurate in the particulars at any rate.

I highly recommend it by the way for anyone interested in the Western genre.




ETA:  Oh, and I loved Death Hunt as mentioned upthread.  I still watch it occasionally as a matter of fact.  Straightforward plot and easy on the brain, it's just a classic in the genre.

Quote from: CausticJedi;1019418ETA:  Oh, and I loved Death Hunt as mentioned upthread.  I still watch it occasionally as a matter of fact.  Straightforward plot and easy on the brain, it's just a classic in the genre.

I saw it years ago and don't recall much of it but can you ever really go wrong with Charles Bronson or Lee Marvin, and it has both. The synopsis at Wikipedia comes across as a pretty weak effort, good to hear it is better than reading it sounds.


I'll keep an eye on Netflicks for The Stolen.