RESEARCH INTO A WESTERN OPENING TITLE: Tombstone

 Western Opening Scene Analysis.

Tombstone, starring Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer and Sam Elliott was directed by George P. Cosmatos and Kevin Jarre and released in 1993 by Buena Vista Pictures. 

The film starts with an extreme long shot of men riding on horses in a setting of the desert following a non-diegetic voice over saying, "They call themselves the cowboys." This immediately establishes to the audience that this is a film of western genre, and also introduces the group of people and their status. This is accompanied by a non-diegetic soundtrack of intense, orchestral music signifying that perhaps something is about to go wrong, thus introducing the highly dramatic tone of the film, acting as a convention of the western genre.

An establishing shot is then used, transitioned through a cut, and the soundtrack stops and instead is replaced by diegetic sound effects of people chatting and laughing. This emphasises the extent to which these cowboys are about to interrupt this location, and perhaps even signifies that they should be perceived as villains as they are disrupting peace and serenity.

A band are also shown playing rather upbeat music contrapuntally, once again underlining that these cowboys should be perceived as villainous and are disrupting the peace of this town. The men are shown in a close up to emphasise this.

A close up of a man walking towards the town with the sound effect of his cowboy boots jingling perhaps serves as an indication as to who the main character or villain is due to this sudden isolation and juxtaposition. This also acts as a convention of the western genre as it is rather over dramatic and there is a clear distinction between 'the good and the bad'. Additionally, as he loads his gun, locals are shown to depict how intimidating he is as a figure. His face is not shown yet and this adds a sense of mystery to encourage the audience to continue watching.

A newly wedded couple are then shown walking out of a building as they are dressed in a costume of a wedding dress and suit, and hold happy expressions. This depicts their ignorance of the situation, encouraging the audience to feel sympathy for them as they are unaware of what is to come with the individual with his gun.

There is then an element of a face off between the cowboys and the man who has just married, and the reason as to why this is is established when the individual delivers the dialogue, "Ya'll killed two cowboys."

Both individuals have a pack of men behind them, signifying that they are the leaders of these 'gangs'. The face off and gang depiction serve as a convention of the western genre.

This then quickly escalates into a shoot off as the two gangs fight, the narrative serving as a hint to the action related undertones to the piece and encouraging the audience to continue watching to see who emerges victorious. Eventually, however, the invading gang win, presenting them as a more powerful group of people and the focus of the narrative. From this, it can be assumed that the rest of the film will follow them and their adventures, or perhaps explore the theme of revenge.

I think this is a highly successful opening as it captures the key conventions of the western genre, thus preparing the audience for the tone and theme of the film and determining whether or not they will like it. Due to the violence, it can be assumed that this film is targeted for a more mature audience and those who particularly enjoy the western genre. 

THE TRAILER