THEME EXPLORATION

westward expansion

10 films · 2 directors
FILMS THAT EXPLORE THIS
The Iron Horse
The Iron Horse
1924 · John Ford
Once Upon a Time in the West
Once Upon a Time in the West
1968 · Sergio Leone
Custer of the West
Custer of the West
1967 · Robert Siodmak
Meek’s Cutoff (, 104 min.
Meek’s Cutoff (, 104 min.
2011 · Kelly Reichardt
The Battle at Elderbush Gulch
The Battle at Elderbush Gulch
1913 · D.W. Griffith
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
1972 · John Huston
The Claim
The Claim
2000 · Michael Winterbottom
Zegen
Zegen
1987 · Shohei Imamura
Across the Great Divide
Across the Great Divide
1976 · Stewart Raffill
Hokuriku Proxy War
Hokuriku Proxy War
1977 · Kinji Fukasaku
DIRECTORS WHO EXPLORE THIS
Francis Ford Coppola United States

Ford's iconic Westerns like 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' and 'My Darling Clementine' are foundational explorations of westward expansion, settlement, and the mythology of the American frontier.

 Damien Leone Italy

Leone's Spaghetti Westerns, particularly 'Once Upon a Time in the West,' offer a revisionist critique of westward expansion by emphasizing violence, greed, and the displacement of indigenous peoples and traditional ways of life.