Method Westerns: The Left-Handed Gun and One Eyed Jacks

Bignell, J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4874-1601 (1996) Method Westerns: The Left-Handed Gun and One Eyed Jacks. In: Cameron, I. and Pye, D. (eds.) The Movie Book of the Western. Movie Books. Studio Vista (Cassell), London, pp. 99-110. ISBN 9780289801680

Abstract/Summary

This chapter discusses how the Method style of American film acting was appropriate to the representation of the heroic but psychologically complex protagonists of Hollywood Western films in the 1950s and 1960s. The chapter explains the history of how Method came to the USA, how it was taught at the Actors Studio, and how Hollywood stars used it in their work. The chapter explores the implications of Method for performances by Paul Newman in The Left Handed Gun (1958) and Marlon Brando in One Eyed Jacks (1961).