In every decade since the inception of cinema, Westerns have been a staple for moviegoers, consistently undergoing new evolutions and sometimes entire regenerations. With every decade has come a new genre-defining addition to the Western canon, which began with simple, short black-and-white pictures at the end of the 19th century, experienced revolutionary upheaval in the 1960s due to Italian innovation, and has seen recent remodelling with popular neo-Western films. Throughout these changes have been constant thematic, artistic, and narrative traits that define what it means to be a Western – timeless messages about violence and greed that transcend eras and ensure that the genre is relatable for all audiences.
