Horizons West: Directing the Western from John Ford to Clint Eastwood (Film Classics S.) (Paperback)

~ Jim Kitses (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Indispensable guide to the Western." -- Douglas Pye

"One of the seminal texts in the study of the Western, and indeed of genre in general." -- Robin Wood

"Still the best piece of sustained criticism on the Western generally" -- Edward Buscombe --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

When first published in 1969, Horizons West was immediately recognised as the definitive critical account of the Western film and some of its key directors. This greatly expanded new edition is, like the original, written in a graceful, penetrating and absorbingly readable style.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 342 pages
• Publisher: British Film Institute; 2nd edition (January 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844570509
• ISBN-13: 978-1844570508
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #141,640 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent Expansion, September 2, 2005

By	Michael Samerdyke (Big Stone Gap, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a magnificent expansion of Kitses' 1970 book, which looked at the Westerns of Anthony Mann, Budd Boetticher and Sam Peckinpah. It is fine reading for anyone interested in the Western.

Kitses has added a marvelous chapter on John Ford, which examines all Ford's westerns from Stagecoach (1939) to Cheyenne Autumn (1964). Kitses' comments are sensible and to the point. His discussion of The Searchers is very well done, and he raises excellent points about The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Also, he has written good analysis of Sergeant Rutledge and Two Rode Together, two late Westerns that few critics pay attention to.

Kitses has left the text of his original work alone, except for adding some to the Peckinpah chapter. While his comments on Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid are perceptive, the Peckinpah chapter is probably the weakest in the book. I am not sure if Kitses dislikes Peckinpah or if he disliked critics who like Peckinpah.

Kitses then adds two chapters, one of Sergio Leone and one on Clint Eastwood. The Leone chapter is okay but is far colder than the rest of the book. However, the chapter on Eastwood is terrific, one that strikes a fine balance between praise for his achievements and an awareness of the flaws in those achievements. This is perhaps some of the best serious analysis of Eastwood as a director that I have read.

Strongly recommended for all readers interested in Westerns.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A CLASSIC STUDY RE-WORKED AND REISSUED, January 31, 2006

By	Andrew Mangravite - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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Back in the late 1960s Jim Kitses wrote an enjoyable study of three western directors who at the time were not nearly as highly regarded as they are today. His chapters on Anthony Mann and Budd Boetticher were marvelous because both directors had pretty much completed their contibutions to the western genre. The chapter on Sam Peckinpah left something to be desired since, at the time, Peckinpah had only three feature films--all of them westerns--under his belt. This new edition addresses that problem by providing a career-length reassessment of Peckinpah's contributions to the western. The other new material--mainly on John Ford and Clint Eastwood--is certainly readable, but I'm not certain that it was essential. Nevertheless it is good to have this volume back in print once more.