The Gunslingers of '69
Western Movies' Greatest Year
by Brian Hannan
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Book Presentation:
In 1969—the counter-cultural moment when Easy Rider triggered a “youthquake” in audience interests—Westerns proved more dominant than ever at the box office and at the Oscars.
It was a year of masterpieces—The Wild Bunch, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Once Upon a Time in the West and True Grit. Robert Redford achieved star status. Old-timers like John Wayne, Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum appeared in two Westerns apiece. Raquel Welch took on the mantle of Queen of the West. Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin tried their hand at a musical (Paint Your Wagon). New directors like George Roy Hill reinvigorated the genre while veteran Sam Peckinpah at last found popular approval. Themes included women’s rights, social anxieties about violence and changing attitudes of and towards African-Americans and Native Americans.
All of the 40-plus Westerns released in the U.S. in 1969 are covered in depth, offering a new perspective on the genre.
About the Author:
Brian Hannan writes a regular column for Cinema Retro magazine and gives lectures on film at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland.
Press Reviews:
• "Hannan expertly examines the forty-plus westerns of 1969. As usual, author Brian Hannan is the master of statistics. A very good read."—Cinema Retro
• "An inviting and well-balanced mix of history and criticism…recommended"—Flick Attack
• "Engaging and well-researched…fascinating details…terrific"—Texas Escapes
• "Hannan unquestionably knows his movies. The amount of preparation that has obviously went into compiling box office data, let alone watching the myriad of films he effortlessly recounts is as impressive as it is informative."—Medienwissenschaft
> From the same author:
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