THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES

Eastwood portrays Josey Wales; an innocent farmer who is torn apart after his family is murdered. A loner for several years, Wales is driven into a life of vengeance and desire for revenge, but ends his inner torment by reconnecting with civilization, freed from his self-destructive path as the Native Americans take him in. Seen as a political parable to the Vietnam War and it’s aftermath, The Outlaw Josey Wales is historically set in the Civil War and again Eastwood removes the sparkle of the Western, presenting his version of a rugged and desolate vision showing the negative effects of war and the affects and sacrifices made by the people caught up in it.

The Outlaw Josey Wales main themes are to ‘inflict considerable “mayhem” in purist of peace’ (4) In connection to John Ford filmmaking approach, particularly from The Searchers. The theme plays a massive part in both characters. As Josey Wales and Ethan Edwards embark on a mission of vengeance and redemption, from their opening scenes of Josey Wales’s family being brutally murdered to the Comanche’s attacking the home of Ethan Edward’s brother. Eastwood stylized the opening scenes from Josey Wales point of view showing the painful reactions to his family murder, much like Edwards reactions to his family home being burned. The emotions and the hurt suffered from Edwards character was a trait Eastwood used for his character in the opening scene. The score played an important role too for both films enhancing the moment of immanent threat. Although the aftermath reveals narrative comparisons, the two films are ultimately very different in meaning and conclusion.

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Josey Wales is motivated by grief whereas Edwards is motivated by racism (hatred of Native Americans). The portrayal of Native Americans was crucial too, the different Native American companions Josey Wales encounters each teach him life lesson from Lone Watie who instructs Wales in the ways and thoughts of the Cherokees to Little Moonlight, a Navajo girl who suffers injustice from the white man’s civilization. Wales tries to pass his self-sufficient qualities onto to them showing respect and survival in the harsh environment.

“A reticent –type person, he doesn’t want relationships. The more he doesn’t want them, the more they keep imposing themselves upon him. Working on, manipulating, that shred of good nature that is still present in him, until at last without his ever overly acknowledging it, this little commune heals and restores him to the human family” (5)

Although in contrast, Eastwood related to what Ford had achieved and tried his own perspective on the Western genre. Ford deeply believed in the civilizing impact on society, for example: Ford’s dusty towns usually have a church or school with the frame of the building standing against the raw landscape, compared to Eastwood’s westerns about the darkness were evil is avenged though the wounds are rarely healed; these films conclude by finding inner peace within themselves. Although in The Outlaw Josey Wales, the final iconic scenes with Ten Bear’s and Edwards encounter with Scar is very similar. The way which the two characters handle their individual situations demonstrates the different cultural conditions in which both films were made. The Outlaw Josey Wales is made in a far more interchangeable way for the 1970s, revising the classical pattern, giving the hero a greater emotional range and compassion compared to Ford's Edwards. Eastwood’s message is clear, they have no choice but to live together in peace and harmony whatever race or colour. Whereas, Edwards is literally and visually closed away from a newly united family ultimately failing to fit in.

“His heroes.... may appear simply to be loners, outsiders to established society, who generally speak through action rather than words. But their conflict with society embodies larger themes in the American experience." (6)

The Man who Shot Liberty Valence, another John Ford film, which relates to The Outlaw Josey Wales theme because of the reputation, which precedes Eastwood’s character. Josey Wales has a liability about him with people wanting to make a name for themselves by challenging him. With The Man who Shot Liberty Valance, James Stewart is recognized for the removal of the gunslinger in a frightened town. As Stewart goes into a political career, John Wayne’s character who did the deed sinks into depression and obscurity. Once the truth is out, those in the know agree to lay it to rest. Ford and Wayne believed the lie or myth in helping people to live their lives, especially through the Western saga. Josey Wales escapes that and doesn’t live the lie. Josey Wales may have a satisfying life in the end, but requires a new tough persona, avoiding the falsehoods around him to become ‘heroic’ as Eastwood presented him. The theme of reconciliation plays a huge part in The Outlaw Josey Wales too.

At Malpaso, Eastwood was able to use the same actors, for example: Sam Bottoms and Sondra Locke, making them feel comfortable in their roles as well as having a large association with his projects much like John Ford's Stock Company were Ford made Western after Western using the same cast from John Wayne to Ward Bond and Jack Pennick.

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On set, a trait from Ford, which Eastwood developed was never using storyboards and composing the pictures in his mind, but the influence of John Ford’s My Darling Clementine using the muted colour tones on sets designs and shooting as if it was black and white led to Eastwood superbly desolate and dark tone. Again the murky, harsh, low key lighting and distorted camera angles gives a quality to The Outlaw Josey Wales by never redeeming any of its characters. As well as being Inspired by the atmospheric use of expressionist cinematography by Robert Krasker on The Third Man, Cinematographer Surtee’s was able to backlight the shadow figures and evoke the seedy locations, especially Josey Wales entrance into the bar taking on two bounty hunters in an attack.

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Lighting played as much of a part as the natural landscape and time of year, expressing the development of narrative and Eastwood’s character plot. The films mood changed with the lighting. A heavenly light introduced us to Josey Wales, then it became a very somber tone when Josey Wales becomes motivated by vengeance. This type of lighting would play a huge part in Eastwood epic 1992 western Unforgiven.

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