List of films based on western fiction
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A list of films that are based on western fiction.
Geographically, this page encompasses the frontiers of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as Australia and South America.
At present, South Africa and Siberia are not included.
17th and 18th centuries
Missionaries
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Robe | 1991 | Bruce Beresford | Canada & Australia | Black Robe | Brian Moore | 1985 | Novel |
Settlers
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Penn of Pennsylvania | 1942 | Lance Comfort | UK | William Penn | C. E. Vulliamy | 1933[1] | Biography |
19th century
(and the Edwardian age)
Unclassified
- * television film.
Frequently filmed: Riders of the Purple Sage
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riders of the Purple Sage | 1931 | Hamilton MacFadden | USA | Riders of the Purple Sage | Zane Grey | 1912 | Novel |
Bushrangers
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ned Kelly | 2003 | Gregor Jordan | Australia | Our Sunshine | Robert Drewe | 1991 | Novel |
Cavalrymen
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Hallelujah Trail | 1965 | John Sturges | USA | Hallelujah Train | William Gulick | 1963[1] | Novel |
Cowboys
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Four Faces West | 1948 | Alfred E. Green | USA | Pasó por aquí (?) | Eugene Manlove Rhodes | 193? | Novel |
Entertainers and mythmakers
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type | TV | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Annie Get Your Gun | 1950 | George Sidney | USA | Annie Get Your Gun | Herbert Fields & Dorothy Fields (book), Irving Berlin (lyrics) | 1946 | Musical | - | - | - |
| 2 | Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson | 1976 | Robert Altman | USA | Indians | Arthur Kopit | 1969 | Play | - | - | - |
Explorers
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Far Horizons | 1955 | Rudolph Maté | USA | Sacajawea of the Shoshones | Della Gould Emmons | 1943[1] | Novel |
| 2 | Passage † | 2008 | John Walker | Canada | Fatal Passage | Ken McGoogan | 2001 | Non-fiction |
- † Dramatized documentary.
Forty-niners and goldseekers
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Hanging Tree | 1959 | Delmer Daves & Karl Malden (uncredited) | USA | The Hanging Tree | Dorothy M. Johnson | 1957 | Stories (?) |
California Gold Rush
1848–1855
Gauchos, charros y vaqueros
Frequently filmed: Martín Fierro
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nobleza gaucha | 1915 | Humberto Cairo, Ernesto Gunche, Eduardo Martinez de la Pera | Argentina | Martín Fierro | José Hernández | 1872–1879 | Poem |
| 1 | Santos Vega | Rafael Obligado | 188? | Poem | ||||
| 2 | Martín Fierro | 1968 | Leopoldo Torre Nilsson | Argentina | Martín Fierro | José Hernández | 1872–1879 | Poem |
Gunfighters
| Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open Range | 2003 | Kevin Costner | USA | The Open Range Men | Lauran Paine | 1990 | Novel |
Hunters
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Last Hunt | 1956 | Richard Brooks | USA | The Last Hunt | Milton Lott | 1954 | Novel |
Indians
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Broken Arrow | 1950 | Delmer Daves | USA | Blood Brother | Elliott Arnold | 1947[1] | Novel |
| 2 | Ishi: The Last of His Tribe * | 1978 | Robert Ellis Miller | USA | Ishi in Two Worlds: a Biography of the Last Wild Indian in North America | Theodora Kroeber | 1961[1] | Biography |
| 3 | The Last of His Tribe * | 1992 | Harry Hook | USA | Ishi in Two Worlds: a Biography of the Last Wild Indian in North America | Theodora Kroeber | 1961[6] | Biography |
- * television film.
Frequently filmed: "A Man Called Horse"
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Man Called Horse | 1970 | Elliot Silverstein | USA | "A Man Called Horse (short story)" from Indian Country | Dorothy M. Johnson | 1950–1968 | Story |
Lawmen
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | High Noon[3] | 1952 | Fred Zinnemann | USA | "The Tin Star" | John W. Cunningham | 1947 | Story |
| 2 | Wild Bill | 1995 | Walter Hill | USA | Deadwood | Peter Dexter | 1986 | Novel |
| 2 | Fathers and Sons | Thomas Babe | 1978 | Play | ||||
Frequently filmed: Destry Rides Again
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Destry Rides Again[7] | 1939 | George Marshall | USA | Destry Rides Again | "Max Brand" | 1930[1] | Novel |
Lumberjacks
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seven Brides for Seven Brothers | 1954 | Stanley Donen | USA | "The Sobbin' Women" | Stephen Vincent Benét | 195? | Story |
Missionaries
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | 1966 | George Roy Hill | USA | Hawaii | James Michener | 1959 | Novel |
Mountain men
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeremiah Johnson | 1972 | Sydney Pollack | USA | Crow Killer: The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson (uncredited) | Raymond Thorp & Robert Bunker | 1969[1]¤ | Non-fiction |
| 1 | Mountain Man (uncredited) | Vardis Fisher | 1965 | Novel | ||||
Mounties
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clancy of the Mounted | 1933 | Ray Taylor | USA | "Clancy of the Mounted Police" from Ballads of a Cheechako | Robert W. Service | 1909 | Poem |
| 2 | Fighting Trooper | 1934 | Ray Taylor | USA | ? | James Oliver Curwood | 19?? | Novel |
| 3 | Susannah of the Mounties | 1939 | William A. Seiter | USA | Susannah of the Mounties | Muriel Denison | 1936 | Novel |
| n | Jesuit Joe | 1991 | Olivier Austen | France | Jesuit Joe Jésuite Joe | Hugo Pratt | 1980 | Bande dessinée |
Twice filmed: Tiger Rose
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tiger Rose | 1923 | Sidney Franklin | USA | Tiger Rose | Willard Mack & David Belasco | 191? | Play |
Outlaws
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Great Train Robbery[5] | 1903 | Edwin S. Porter | USA | The Great Train Robbery | Scott Marble | 1896 | Play |
| 2 | 3:10 to Yuma | 1957 | Delmer Daves | USA | "Three-Ten to Yuma" | Elmore Leonard | 1953 | Story |
| 3 | Catlow | 1971 | Sam Wanamaker | USA | Catlow | Louis L'Amour | 1963 | Novel |
Railroaders and railwaymen
(The USA has railroads. Canada has railways, as did the rest of the British Empire.)
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Union Pacific | 1939 | Cecil B. DeMille | USA | Trouble Shooter | Ernest Haycox | 1936 | Novel |
| 2 | The National Dream * | 1974 | Eric Till & James Murray | Canada | The National Dream | Pierre Berton | 1970 | Non-fiction |
| 2 | The Last Spike | Pierre Berton | 1971 | Non-fiction | ||||
- * TV miniseries.
Schoolmarms
Frequently filmed: The Rainmaker
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Rainmaker ♠ | 1956 | Joseph Anthony | USA | The Rainmaker | N. Richard Nash | 1954 | Play |
- ♠ A spinster smart enough to be a schoolmarm falls for a con man.
Sertanejos, cangaceiros e jagunços
Settlers and sodbusters
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cimarron | 1931 | Wesley Ruggles | USA | Cimarron | Edna Ferber | 1929 | Novel |
Outback
("The Never-Never", "the back of beyond", "the back of Bourke")
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | We of the Never Never | 1982 | Igor Auzins | Australia | We of the Never Never | Mrs Aeneas Gunn | 1908 | Novel/Memoir |
Sourdoughs and cheechakos
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Shooting of Dan McGrew | 1924 | Clarence G. Badger | USA | "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" from The Songs of a Sourdough | Robert W. Service | 1907 | Poem |
| 2 | The Trail of '98 | 1928 | Clarence Brown | USA | The Trail of Ninety-Eight, A Northland Romance | Robert W. Service | 1910 | Novel |
| 3 | Klondike Annie | 1936 | Raoul Walsh | USA | Frisco Kate | Mae West | 1930 | Play (unproduced) |
| 4 | Jack London | 1943 | Alfred Santell | USA | The Book of Jack London | Charmian London | 1921 | Biography |
| 5 | North to Alaska | 1960 | Henry Hathaway | USA | Birthday Gift | Ladislas Fodor | 195? | Play |
Stage drivers
Teamsters and muleskinners
Telegraphers
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Union | 1941 | Fritz Lang | USA | Western Union | Zane Grey | 1939 | Novel |
Temperance crusaders and teetotallers
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Hallelujah Trail | 1965 | John Sturges | USA | Hallelujah Train | William Gulick | 1963[1] | Novel |
Vigilantes
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Ox-Bow Incident[8] | 1943 | William A. Wellman | USA | The Ox-Bow Incident | Walter Van Tilburg Clark | 1940 | Novel |
Whalers
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The White Dawn | 1974 | Philip Kaufman | USA | The White Dawn: An Eskimo Saga | James Houston | 1971 | Novel |
20th century
Explorers
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Journals of Knud Rasmussen | 2006 | Zacharias Kunuk | Canada & Denmark | Across Arctic America: Narrative of the Fifth Thule Expedition | Knud Rasmussen | 1927 | Memoir |
Indians
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lost in the Barrens * | 1990 | Michael Scott | Canada | Lost in the Barrens[9][10] | Farley Mowat | 1956 | Children's novel |
- * television film.
Individualists
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Mosquito Coast | 1986 | Peter Weir | USA | The Mosquito Coast[11] | Paul Theroux | 1982 | Novel |
| 2 | At Play in the Fields of the Lord | 1991 | Hector Babenco | USA | At Play in the Fields of the Lord | Peter Matthiessen | 1965 | Novel |
Missionaries
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | At Play in the Fields of the Lord | 1991 | Hector Babenco | USA | At Play in the Fields of the Lord | Peter Matthiessen | 1965 | Novel |
| 2 | The Other Side of Heaven | 2001 | Mitch Davis | USA | In the Eye of the Storm | John H. Groberg | 19?? | Memoir |
Prospectors
| # | Film | Date | Director | Country | Source work | Author | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Treasure of the Sierra Madre[5] | 1948 | John Huston | USA | Der Schatz der Sierra Madre | "B. Traven" | 1927 | Novel |
