The Gunfight at the OK Corral was shot in 1957 starring Burt Lancaster as Wyatt Earp and Kirk Douglas as Doc Holiday. It is one of the few films that show two men who have the potential to be the alpha male cowboy. While watching the film it may seem that Doc is Wyatt's sidekick but he shows many qualities that represent the alpha male cowboy of the time. The film was shot in the late 1950's which was a rapidly changing time in America, the role of men and women were taking a turn and it was being reflected in Westerns. Western's of this time are usually referred to a revisionist films meaning they stray away from the characteristics of the original Western's of the 30's and even the 40's. Due to the time this film was shot it can be argued that the director intended to include two alpha male cowboys rather than one alpha because along with American society, Western's were changing.
Like Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday displays the traditional cowboy qualities, the loner lifestyle and protecting their loved ones. Doc and Wyatt are content with solitude as they both leave their girlfriend and fiance to ensure their safety. According to Matheson and Tompkins these are both very important qualities of the alpha. It is also clear that both men follow the law of the gun rather than the written law, they both use their moral judgment to determine when and where is appropriate to draw their gun which also proves they are both alpha male cowboys.
It is clear that both men can hold their own in the film, they are powerful, dependent, loyal and loners which place them both under the category of the alpha.
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ReplyDeleteThe Gunfight at the OK Corral was shot in 1957 starring Burt Lancaster as Wyatt Earp and Kirk Douglas as Doc Holiday. It is one of the few films that show two men who have the potential to be the alpha male cowboy. In a western film there is only room for one alpha male cowboy regardless of how dominant the ‘other’ may seem.
ReplyDeleteWyatt displays physical strength while Doc displays his lack of physical strength. Another alpha male quality if their possession of a moral compass, which they abide by. Wyatt is seen as a good man who stands up for justice and does what he feels to be the right thing. Earp avoids the temptations of gambling or bribery because he is following his ethical center. Wyatt does his best to take responsibility for his town, his position as the marshal and when his family needs his help. On the other hand Don’s only concern is settling any debt he owes. He is only concerned with himself.
Doc is controlled by his vices; he is not independent of his addictions which lead him to join Wyatt because he owes a debt to him. Doc may seem like an alpha male but he is in fact Wyatt’s sidekick. Doc is loyal and listens to Wyatt’s orders for example when Doc wants to kill Ringo Wyatt asks him not to and he listens. During fighting scenes Doc acts as a help to Wyatt for instance at the dance. Doc beats Kate which further shows his weakness as a man which leads us to believe he is the sidekick. Due to his addictions, Doc needs Kate to take care of him. An alpha male is independent and does not need to be taken care of, this further proves that Doc is the sidekick. He is not the primary fighter but merely a sidekick. Lastly, Doc is aware that he is not the hero or the protagonist, we see this when he says to Kate, “You and I, we don’t matter”.
The film was shot in the late 1950's which was a rapidly changing time in America, the role of men and women were taking a turn and it was being reflected in Westerns. Western's of this time are usually referred to a revisionist films meaning their plot and character presentation are away from the characteristics of the original Western's of the 30's and even the 40's. Due to the time this film was shot it can be argued that the director intended to include two men who could be considered alpha male cowboys rather than one alpha because along with American society, Western's were changing. Although both men may seem like the alpha male cowboy, only Wyatt proves that he is the true alpha. The film reflects the changes westerns were experiencing while also still maintaining their roots in the classic western