Comments on: CBS to Reboot Gunsmoke

By: maurice

maurice — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:10:52 +0000

By coincidence, the years that Gunsmoke portrays
begin in 1873, the same year an economic Panic swept
the nation. The Panic of 1873 began when the
railroad-building boom went bust. Railroad
terminals such as Dodge City experienced the
travails of the Panic as much or more than other
places. The grittines in Gunsmoke episodes can
be viewed as realistic consequences of the
woes sweeping the country in 1873 and quite a
few years thereafter.

The tie-in with the Panic of 1873 was never
developed in the original Gunsmoke series.
Year 2012 might be fine opportunity to see it
done.

By: Craig P

Craig P — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:23:06 +0000

From the 1950′s thru the mid-1970′s, the original GUNSMOKE series was far more realistic and gritty than any of its counterparts. The lighting and makeup helped portray the Old West from a dark and brooding perspective. To its credit, the series relied on character-driven plots more often than typical shoot-em-ups. If the movie remake is simply a festival of free-flowing bullets and blood and guts, then it will fail to live up to the original series.

While the original series traveled to Utah, Arizona and Colorado for some exceptional location shooting, Front Street of Dodge was on a soundstage–really the only concrete weakness of the series! If the new version holds true to Dillon’s laconic nature and it carefully builds relationships among the principal characters of Matt, Doc, Kitty, and Chester/Festus, then it has a chance at being a good movie. Once blood and bullets start flying, however, the true essence of the original series goes out the window of the Long Branch!

By: Jeremy K.

Jeremy K. — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:31:03 +0000

Actually, all you state above was:

“The genre refers to a style of minimalist filming
used and NOT a reflection of the location in which it was filmed.”

Which was only a partial definition, leaving out the origin of the term. Your statement that followed mine then added to it. You can’t say “as I said above” and then add to the statement as if everything new you listed was originally stated. Better to say “To clarify”, than to say “as I said above”.

Interesting read though, thanks for the link. Never really connected the American westerns made back in the day being so connected to the westerns that had been made in Europe. Though, I must say, I would have never though of Gunsmoke and a spaghetti western. It seems to me like comparing black to white when comparing Gunsmoke to, let’s say, a Sergio Leone movie. Not saying it is not a spaghetti western, just saying it seems so difference to others.

By: Rodney

Rodney — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 03:12:15 +0000

Funny that the very article you link to says that the European films of the genre had an “influence they had on other Westerns.”

There is nothing to say that these films required to be filmed in Europe to qualify as Spaghetti.

By: Rodney

Rodney — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 03:07:30 +0000

Jeremy, as I said above, the subgenre of Spaghetti Westerns ORIGINATED based on the minimalist style used in the European films often made popular by Italian and Spanish directed Westerns, and the style was emulated in many of the popular Western films that were created on North American soil.

The reference is the STYLE of filming, not the locale.

The Spaghetti Western Data Base lists a number of films that were produced in the US that qualify as within the genre.

http://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Category:USA

By: Tomi

Tomi — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 03:07:30 +0000

maybe a bit selfish, but I just don’t see the point. To me I haven’t seen these reimaginings encourage people to revisit the old ones, but rather encourage them to mock them.

But I guess you’re right, if I personally liked more of these reimaginings I would definitely have less of a problem with it. I’m just sort of annoyed by the idea of trying to capture an audience that had no interest in the original to begin with. That to me is part of the fun of art: some people like it, some people don’t, and part of who you are is your taste, I think!

By: Jeremy K.

Jeremy K. — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 02:43:33 +0000

Ya, I’d have to side with Kamish for the most part on this point. Can you provide some valid references to support your claim, Rodney? I’m not going to claim to have grown up in the 60′s… but watching Spaghetti Westerns growing up with my father in the 80′s I was always told it was called as such similar to what Kamish stated.

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly did not really seem like “mimilalist filming” to me, but maybe that is just me.

Granted, I think it was beyond just location. It was the fact these movies were typically directed by Italians and casted primarily with Italian and Spanish people with an American lead of sorts.

Sergio Leone made some of the best of this style western back in the day. Though some of my favorite westerns from way in the past would be El Dorado and Big Jake.. a couple John Wayne flicks that were NOT spaghetti westerns.

By: Jeremy K.

Jeremy K. — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 02:33:54 +0000

Accept for the fact that those that did not like the original don’t watch it, and thus a reimagining is made to peak the interest of a new audience that may have liked the premise, but not the movie itself.

What your saying is that just because somebody does not like something, then they should not have the opportunity to have the same thing told in a way that they just might like it.

Just sounds selfish; whereas, having an reimagining opens a world to possibly two different audiences. Granted there are those that like the old that may also like the retelling as well.

By: Kamish

Kamish — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 01:27:42 +0000

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaghetti_western

I beg to differ friendo…

By: Kamish

Kamish — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 01:25:06 +0000

Sure…