Tombstone- western opening scene

Tombstone is a 1993 film written by Kevin Jarre and when watching the opening scene there is a lot you can notice on how they manage to draw you in and represent the western film genre using various filmmaking techniques. 

With a rapid start, we’re hooked in straight away, with the dialogue “they call themselves the cowboys”. The grey ‘tape rolling’ over the picture tells us that the movie is likely set before the 19th century. The gun shot sparks our attention and before you know it there’s an establishing shot of the men on their horses, in a line, riding in the horizon. The soundtrack is intense to begin with which tells us there is danger and that these men are probably more villainous than heroic. As they get closer the sound of the horses’ hooves become louder and we can see that they’re cowboys. We are intrigued to see where or who they’re travelling to.

I’m guessing it’s set in the 1800’s in an American state where cowboys originated. Tombstone is a place in Arizona so we’re given a hint in the title of the movie. The scene moves between two different settings until they meet, juxtaposing each other with sound as well as place. The way it’s been edited, it looks as if the cowboys are travelling to the setting of the beautiful, little town/village where the people are just going about their day

The tone conveys and element of dangerous, hectic masculinity that dominates the screen which contrasts to the peaceful, harmonious village surrounding themselves with music and food. The other characters' facial expressions tell us they're in danger- also done with an eyeline match of what they're all reacting to. at the end of the scene, what looks like the leader has a cheeky, proud look on his face, portraying his evil.

how you can tell it’s a western film;

-   The hot, dry weather in the sand gives a ‘wild west’ implication

-   The cowboys are a stereotypical aspect to a western film

-   The costumes they wear; boots, hats, tassels, chains and neck scarfs as well as their creepy moustaches

-   When they approach the man just married you notice the distance between them is comical and replicates the typical western film scene e.g. ‘the good, the bad, and the ugly’

-   I think we as an audience connote sand, sun and that dry, dusty weather with a desert or deserted place with western movie

-   Quick camera duration also implies it wasn’t filmed recently due to the quick gun shots and less advanced ways of shooting a gun shot.

We can outline a leader in the red shirt due to his mannerisms and how there’s an unspoken hierocracy within the cowboys. All other characters seem unimportant to the narrative apart from the groom. I assume he has some unfinished business or has had history with the man he’s come to either kill, we can tell these cowboy characters are the bad guys as it resulted in a mass killing of what look like innocent people. Through these two men’s feud suggests a possible narrative for a backstory of why. Maybe he continues to search for his enemies and kills them. The storyline could also follow the opposing gang who fight against the cowboys.

I think it’s likely to be a successful film- not everyone’s ‘cup of tea’ but I believe it was successful in engaging me and had me questioning the main cowboy’s intentions. I think the camera movement captured the intensity of the scene and editing created a nice juxtaposition when exaggerating the harm the cowboys bring.