Film and History 1: Western Movies

In the first presentation of our Film and History series, we will look at how Western films display depictions of themes like heroism, masculinity, racism, colonialism, and social mores. We will focus less on the films’ inaccuracies and more on how they talk to the audience through their historical settings. The presentations center on the ways history is used as a mirror to the audience. We ask: what do the films say and how do they say it? We will talk about presentism, authorial intent, critical reaction, and how these genres change over time.

Suggested films to watch before attending: Stagecoach (1939), My Darling Clementine (1946), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), The Searchers (1956), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962).

Michael Snyder is a graduate of Rutger University-Newark where he received his Bachelor’s degree in 2012 graduating Summa Cum Laude as a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Alpha Theta. He was the recipient of the David Michael Friedlander Award for academic achievement from the History Department at Rutgers Newark. At a young age, Mike’s parents instilled in him a natural curiosity of history. Mike finished his Graduate studies at Rutgers Newark in 2017. His undergraduate work focused on the intersection of film and history, and he has presented his papers including “Forrest Under Fire: Critical Responses to ‘Forrest Gump’ (1996)” and “The Changes in Masculinity in John Ford’s Westerns: 1939-1961” at several conferences. 

This presentation will be hybrid - in person and on Zoom.  Advanced registration is required to receive the Zoom link.