"The Old West: Myth, Character, and Reinvention" Film Program
The Museum of Modern Art
This event has ended.
A national epic is a story that illuminates (and invents) a people's prevailing history and national identity, giving a sense of essential connection across different epochs. The Italians have The Divine Comedy; the Finns consider the epic poem Kalevala a national symbol; and for Hindus across the Indian subcontinent, the Mahabharata remains a cultural touchstone. No single work can be said to capture the United States in the same way, but the idea of the Old West may come the closest. This series presents a fascinating selection of films from the collection, spanning 1894 to 1995, that represent the myth of the Old West, America's unofficial national epic.
[Image: "William Wellman, Joel McRea, and editor James B. Clark on the set of 'Buffalo Bill'" (1944) © Twentieth Century Fox]
Media
Schedule
from April 01, 2009 to May 01, 2009