Why The Walking Dead will bring the Good, The Bad and The Ugly

I bet the thought of AMC’s Walking Dead has already conjured many genres in your mind – thriller, horror, suspense, character drama. I’m sure there are others. How about Western?

Yep, Western. According to writer, director and executive producer, Frank Darabont – who makes an intriguing comparison between the upcoming zombie series and the Western genre.

Quotes via MTV:

“Andy is so good in this. He has a fantastic ability to intrigue the viewer,” said Darabont. “It’s that Gary Cooper thing. You wonder what’s going on. You want to know what he’s thinking. He holds back just enough to draw you in — that’s a very rare knack for an actor.”
“You put this guy on a horse and he really does look like Gary Cooper. It’s great,” added Darabont.
In fact, the filmmaker said he realized early on that the story of a small group of survivors navigating a dangerous, zombie-filled America was more like a Western than he would’ve guessed coming into the project.
“I always kind of knew it, but it really came home as we’ve been shooting the last few days — it really does turn into a Western at times,” he explained. “You see [Lincoln] riding into the dusty streets of the town here, only it happens to be Atlanta with these skyscrapers, [and] it’s a very cool mix of visual elements.”
“There’s a little John Ford meets ‘I Am Legend’ thing going on here,” he laughed.

I find this interesting. Although Darabont seems to be talking about the visual and stylistic resemblance to a Western, I think the series could also borrow thematic characteristics typically displayed in that genre. The notion of honor, pride and territory in a lawless system. Blend this with the characters battle to maintain humanity when most of humanity has turned on itself, and you have a melting pot.

I can just picture Rick Grimes and the other survivors having to grapple with the personal and moral sacrifices they make in order to stay alive in their post-apocalyptic society. The excellent movie (and novel), The Road. has a fitting phrase that might apply to some of the themes that Walking Dead will explore – “carrying the fire” – doing more than just surviving. Living by a moral code to make living worthwhile.

Oh Walking Dead, are you here yet or am I just going to keep anticipating your arrival?

The Walking Dead sneaks up on you from October, 2010 on AMC.

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Tagged as: amc, frank darabont, interviews, The Walking Dead