Western Films About Tourists

Description: Although primarily a revenge tale, the film includes elements of tourists as Ethan Edwards, a Confederate veteran, searches for his niece, encountering various cultures and landscapes of the West, providing a tourist-like exploration of the frontier.

Fact: The film was shot in Monument Valley, which became iconic for westerns, and John Ford's use of the landscape is considered masterful.

Description: A retired sea captain arrives in the West to marry his fiancée but finds himself embroiled in a feud between two rival families. His outsider perspective on the local customs and conflicts adds a layer of intrigue to the narrative.

Fact: Gregory Peck, who plays the sea captain, was not a fan of horses, which adds an ironic twist to his character's journey into the West.

Description: A group of gunfighters, hired by Mexican villagers to protect them from bandits, can be seen as tourists in their own right, experiencing the culture and challenges of a foreign land.

Fact: The film was a remake of Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai," adapting the story to a western setting.

Description: This classic western features a senator returning to a small town where he once was a tourist, revealing the truth behind the legend of the man who shot the notorious outlaw Liberty Valance. The film explores themes of heroism, truth, and the myth-making of the West.

Fact: John Wayne and James Stewart, both icons of the western genre, star in this film. It's often cited for its famous line, "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."

Description: Cable Hogue, a man left to die in the desert, finds water and builds a way station, encountering various travelers and tourists who bring life to his isolated existence.

Fact: Directed by Sam Peckinpah, known for his revisionist westerns, this film is often overlooked but praised for its humor and humanity.

Description: When a rancher hires schoolboys to drive his cattle to market after his regular cowboys abandon him, the film showcases the transformation of these young "tourists" into hardened cowboys, facing the perils of the West.

Fact: John Wayne, known for his western roles, plays against type as a rancher who must adapt to teaching inexperienced boys.

Description: A cattle rustler and a rancher engage in a cat-and-mouse game, with the rancher's family and workers, who are somewhat like tourists in their new environment, caught in the middle.

Fact: The film features Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson, both delivering memorable performances in this unique western.

Description: While not strictly about tourists, the film follows Josey Wales, a Missouri farmer turned outlaw, who encounters various characters, including a group of settlers, as he flees from Union soldiers. His interactions with these "tourists" of the West provide a unique perspective on the frontier life.

Fact: Clint Eastwood not only starred in but also directed this film, which was one of his first directorial efforts.

Description: While not a traditional western, this silent film includes scenes of tourists on a train being robbed, offering an early cinematic depiction of the West's lawlessness.

Fact: It is one of the earliest narrative films and includes one of the first close-ups in cinema history.

Description: Jeff Webster, a cattle driver, travels to the Yukon with his herd, encountering various characters and challenges, including a group of tourists looking to strike it rich during the gold rush.

Fact: James Stewart's character, Jeff Webster, is one of the few times he played a morally ambiguous figure in a western.