Deadwood

By Callum Brown

Deadwood is a western T.V series based in the real-life town of deadwood, and based on the journals written by the people who lived there, the characters and events that take place are all shockingly true, with lies, betrayal, double crossing and violence filling the screen with a Shakespearean-esc dialect its truly a work of art, to believe that these lives were true and people suffered as much as they did at the time is astonishing, starring Timothy Olyphant, Ian Mcshane, Powers Booth, Keith Carradine and John Hawkes this is as superbly acted as you’d expect, and one of the main features that awoke me to the beauty of the genre.

One of the mot interesting facts about the show is the truth and brutality behind it, full of rich and exiting history such as the death of Wild Bill Hickok, the real Calamity Jane, and ruthless Al Swearegen and more legends of the west. Too the left is the real newspaper from the town featuring some of the characters, which shows how accurate they made everything look visually, and explains in detail the death of Wild Bill by Jack McCall , which the show desists. 

 

Unfortunately the show was cancelled and the plans for two T.V movies never came to flourish, with the burning and re-building of Al’s saloon (The Gem Theatre - left) still to tell, and how after the second burning he left for San Francisco only to be found dead and penniless beside the road. This show not only captivated me through the characters, language, excitement, and violence, but mostly through the fact that it happened, some of the facts that the show didn’t tell because it was simply too outlandish, such as when the sheriff Seth Bullock split the town in to two parts with a line (literally) one for a lawful side, and another for the outlaws. The show not only captivates this history but also makes deep characters, but is not afraid for comedy relief such as with the pig-farmer Mr Whu. Despite many fires destroying most of the town, it is still standing and can be visited today.

But back to the show, with so mush still to tell it was a shame about the cancellation, but what is left still stands as one of the best dramas I’ve had the pleasure of viewing, the realism displays hard hitting facts and whilst being fluent in a old language, it never get too hard to understand, the budget is low but never seems it, besides the construction of the town and costumes there’s very little that is needed, as the whole show is set there, it never get over the top with action and always maintains its realistic and honest soul that makes it what it is, I wish to see more westerns back on our screens but not only that but ones that are based on true stories, the 1800’s west was s fasanating and exiting it seems a waste not too, and with latest masterpieces such as True Grit, No County For Old Men, Deadwood, and many more I think its about time to bring back westerns, even if films like The Lone Ranger and Cowboys And Aliens do require modern takes to turn this endangered genre into blockbuster material.