The Iconography of John Ford's Westerns

Abstract

This paper follows the way in which the filmography of the movie director John Ford presents cultural icons. We discuss the symbolism of these images and their cultural significance in the larger context of the West as a cultural area and American culture in general. Ford’s sensibility had one foot in 19th century American thought and feeling, and the other in the 20th century. We argue in favor of the idea that John Ford is a myth-builder and a visual image-maker whose contribution provided the foundation of a romantic, heroic America and the forging of American national character.

Keywords

• American West
• cultural icon
• frontier
• patriotic landscape
• John Wayne