The big picture
- “McCabe & Mrs. Miller” challenges the traditional Western genre by presenting a gritty and realistic depiction of Western life in the early 20th century.
- Director Robert Altman takes a down-to-earth approach by subverting stereotypes and presenting a more socially conscious western film.
- The film also questions gender roles and shows a cowardly protagonist and a clever businesswoman who together find a way to bring life to their city. The ending is tragic and vulnerable, reflecting the main character’s missed opportunities.
Since its initial rise, the American Western genre has been dominated by action-adventure films, usually featuring dominant, hypermasculine heroes who use a fair amount of gunplay to get the job done. Like movie stars Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, James Stewart, Gary Cooper, Yul Brynner, And Franco Nero shaped their legacy by playing these triumphant outlaws, sheriffs, bounty hunters and heroes. While there was definitely an evolution in their westerns, leading to more thoughtful films like… The man who shot Liberty Valance And unforgivenEven though they retained elements of the same basic story structure. However, Robert Altman With his 1971 western, he took a more down-to-earth, unsentimental approach McCabe & Mrs. Miller. At a time when Hollywood was turning to younger directors to reinvent genres, Altman created the greatest Western of all time.
What is McCabe & Mrs. Miller about?
McCabe & Mrs. Miller has more in common with the great social dramas of the 1940s than anything Wayne or Eastwood ever did; Altman belonged to the “New Hollywood” generation of directors Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Brian De Palma, And Francis Ford Coppola who built their success on subverting stereotypes. McCabe & Mrs. Miller follows skilled player John McCabe (Warren Beatty) when he opens a brothel in a run-down mining community. As the clever prostitute Constance Miller (Julie Christie) realizes that McCabe isn’t quite as intelligent as he imagines and decides to join him in the industry as their town feels the financial pressure of a larger corporation that threatens to dominate their future.
McCabe & Mrs. Miller is a gritty, unflinching look at Western life in the first decade of the 20th century, examining the horrific conditions many workers endured. Nothing about the film is sanitized in any way, as beautiful skylines or impressive shots of ranchers on horses are completely absent. Altman is known for going against the grain, having challenged audiences’ expectations of a costume drama (Gosford Park), a gambling thriller (California divided), a mystery noir (The long goodbye) and an inspiring musical drama (Nashville), But McCabe & Mrs. Miller is arguably his most shocking reassessment. However, presenting a realistic approach to what life in the “Wild West” might actually have been like proved to be a reminder that the ideas they had of that era were based on an idealized vision of history that was never so beautiful was.
Robert Altman takes a realistic approach to the Western genre
Altman presents small town life in a very dark way. McCabe initially thinks that the mining community is an easy target for his plans because the residents seem lethargic and boring, but he slowly realizes that their lack of energy is due to the grueling conditions in which they work. In the days when communication with the larger country and even with other border towns was not easy, there was no isolated paradise. McCabe only realizes after his plans have already been implemented that the city lacks significant resources. They find themselves in the middle of nowhere and their only way to become more in touch with each other is to submit to the Harrison Shaughnessy Mining Company.
It’s interesting to see the influence McCabe had on Community and how it differs from other Western films of the same era. Think about what it was like in the 1973s Plateau Drifter, Eastwood’s “Stranger” immediately wows the town with his penchant for violence and cold-hearted personality. In comparison, McCabe is merely a minor annoyance that they are willing to endure in order to learn news about life outside their borders; It could all be hyperbole on McCabe’s part, but at least it gives them a taste of something that doesn’t have to do with mining and backbreaking labor. It doesn’t take long for Miller to realize that McCabe is telling tall tales and could easily be used to her advantage.
“McCabe & Mrs. Miller” questions gender roles in western films
McCabe & Mrs. Miller is certainly a major step forward in challenging gender roles in the West. McCabe is a charismatic con man, but he is a complete coward whose physical stature is not the least bit imposing. Miller is a seasoned entrepreneur in the community because of her industry, but sees an opportunity in her potential partnership. McCabe may be arrogant, but he’s not a complete idiot, and they find a common way to breathe some life into their city by starting a business together. Amusingly, while their interest in each other goes from professional to romantic quite quickly, Miller still charges fees from McCabe for her services.
McCabe & Mrs. Miller It would still be a major reversal of the genre if the story simply ended there, but Altman was aware of how quickly an endeavor like this would fail. After McCabe offers to buy out his company from the Harrison Shaughnessy Mining Company, the dominant company sends the bounty hunter Butler (Hugh Millais), breeding (Jace Van Der Veen) and child (Manfred Schulz) to kill him. They come to quickly dispel any notions the community may have had about McCabe’s reputation based on his fanciful stories; McCabe has never killed anyone in his life. Whether it’s arrogance, love for Miller, or a desperate attempt to hold on to the only thing he ever built, McCabe decides to face the bounty hunters in battle.
What happens at the end of McCabe & Mrs. Miller?
The snowy terrain and gloomy atmosphere create a turbulent backdrop for the climax. Instead of standing proudly and defending his honor as Wayne would have done, McCabe is immediately faced with the foresight that he is inferior. Their final shootout is a chaotic series of chases and misdirections, with McCabe, just crouching in the background, firing fatal shots at Breed and Kid. He receives no support from the community he helped build as it tries to contain a fire that broke out in the chapel. McCabe doesn’t die a hero, and Beatty spends his final moments with a vulnerability rarely seen in male movie stars. He dies miserably while lying in the snow thinking about all the opportunities he missed.
McCabe & Mrs. Miller proved that Westerns can be dramas, romances, tragedies and historical reenactments, suggesting that the genre has room to grow. That doesn’t mean audiences can’t still enjoy it The good, the bad and the ugly and the epic rendition of the outlaw myth, but it’s important to remember that more energetic films should not be confused with reality. McCabe & Mrs. Miller took on the difficult task of portraying the Wild West in a realistic light and ended up becoming the greatest Western of all time.
