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John Carpenter's
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Sheriff MacReady and the Big Showdown
at Outpost #31
by Jeffroi
Certainly many cinematic genres share characteristics with the
Western, and clearly science-fiction is one of them. It is
problematic, however, to assess a film, its conflicts, iconography,
hero, etc., based wholly on the markers or characteristics of another
genre. "The Thing" has a reputation of being a science-fiction film,
and sci-fi has it's own conventions, many of which are different from
those and that of the Western. It is impossible then, to prove that
"The Thing" is a Western, but I assess that it is the most prevalent
form of cinema evident in the film.
Opening with the inter-title: Antarctica, Winter 1982, the
cinematography depicts a vast landscape, resembling a most unexplored
region of land. This site is both similar to the Old West, and
contrarily a somewhat darker version. The West was more of a state of
mind with respect to the infinite opportunities that awaited.
Comprising of broad stretches of inhabited land, it was scattered with
a few isolated towns that welcomed travelers from the East. With such
immensity and a lack of a well furnished political entity, the
governing laws were left to the respective towns. It is a bit of a
stretch to indicate that Antarctica is similar to this, but it does
adhere to common emphatic points. The laws of Antarctica are more
powerfully dictated by the discretion of nature, however they both
contain identical themes of man against nature. Furthermore, it is
this conquest of desolate and untamed land through courage, and the
ability to constantly be able to adapt, that "The Thing" and the
Western continually are able to orbit one another in an artful unison.
Instead of the traditional Western image of a man riding-in on a
horse, the black Norwegian helicopter creeps into the white foreground
set against a white sky. As the chase leads the Norwegians to
The United States National Science Institute Station #4, the compound
is not unlike a Westernesque town. A prototypical Western setting
involves a town filled with dust, in addition to an intimate, quiet
community. The outpost is also secluded and rather quiet, and the
imagery of dust is replaced by blinding white snow. The lack of
religion present at the Outpost, whereupon most Western towns
possessed churches for Sunday communion, indicates that religion has
transgressed and technology has advanced. This is intuitive from the
period in which the Western was most famous. Symbolically, if one
wishes to make the analysis, the sound of church bells are coupled
with the progression of technology to the electronic alarm that MacReady pulls to alert the other crew members of danger. Like the
classic Western movies "The Gunfighter" and "High Plains Drifter," the
inhabitants of the towns/complex gather outside at the sound of
newcomers. Immediately following the explosion of the helicopter, the
remaining survivor is portrayed as villainous, firing wildly at the
dog, and injuring George. He is subsequently shot through the eye by
Gary, which establishes a scenario indicative of a common Western
ideology.
With the introduction/intrusion of an unknown, the town's
equilibrium is disturbed. Like many films however, action has
purposely been induced to create entertainment, and further create a
spectacle of how it adapts. This philosophical nature is inherent in
many Western films such as "Hell's Hinges," where a newcomer (like
"The Thing") enters a town, and ends with chaotic imbalance that
ultimately results in the towns destruction. This is also apparent in
the climactic scene of High Plains Drifter, where the "unknown", now
"known", rides off as the presumptuous figure of vengeance. "The
Thing" also exhibits a destructive conclusion, as the remaining
components of the complex continue to burn in the final shot of the
movie.
Of the numerous inherent symbols of the West that outweigh other
genres, the scientists themselves depict a stereotypical Western
society. They are all men, highlighting masculinity as the central
driving force of the film, and conversely depicting its terrible
absence of love, personifying its creepy and dark feel. It is easily
said that the film demonstrates a brutally sexist attitude by the
absence of females, in agreement with "High Noon" and Sam Peckinpah's
"The Wild Bunch." Both of those films, like most Westerns, within a
small standard deviation of the mean (Sharon Stone comes to mind as
one of the few female protagonistic Western heroes in Sam Raimi's "The
Quick and the Dead") depict law and prosperity at the control of men. The weapons themselves, mainly the revolver, shotgun and dynamite
further resurrect this theme. Like the principal weapons of the West,
phallic symbolism is subtly implemented. The gun and its shape,
function to spurt hot lead on demand. The kennel dog take-over scene
illustrates this concept of the male macho ego, as both Gary and MacReady strike strong confident poses with their weapons, firing
wildly, firmly placed in their hands. It is not necessary to go
further into a Freudian analysis to conclude that "The Thing" is a
film about men.
A classic, but dark Western hero is brought to the character of
MacReady by John Carpenter and Kurt Russell, although it is Garry who
is initially presented as the dominant male because he shoots the
Norwegian. In the scene where the team uncovers the remains of a
charred Norwegian corpse, the camera pans slowly to the left into the
back of Garry. A revolver is seen placed around his waist on a beige
holster, and is in stark contrast with the dark ambiance of the room.
It is this portrait that paints the clean-shaven Garry as the sheriff
figure of the camp. He may not be the brightest or strongest
individual on the team, but he holds the gun. However, his competence
as the physical leader of the group dissolves when he loses emotional
control in being questioned about sabotaging blood that was to be used
for determining who was infected by the alien organism. After his
resignation as the leader, the authority and gun are quickly possessed
by MacReady. He has now obtained the duty to uphold and protect the
complex, a fate forecasted by the previous scene where he physically
subdued the delirious Blair and then locked him up in a prison like
cabin. It is ironic that Kurt Russell would later go on to play Wyatt Earp, because both MacReady and Earp share similar evolutions.
Villainy has arrived in both Tombstone and the US outpost, and through
time they both inevitably take charge. It could be said that Wyatt Earp is a cleaner version of MacReady, but the characteristics of
courage, leadership and competence are all traits inter-twined in both
individuals.
The scene where MacReady is making an audio tape of the account
further solidifies the conviction of his sheriff status and Western
figure. We see him slouched in a chair drinking scotch with the gun
placed in the foreground on the desk. As if talking to his deputies, a
mental construction is formed that is not that different from a
sheriff writing his will on the verge of death. Sheriff Cane, of the
film "High Noon," performs a similar eulogy. He writes his will just
before leaving to confront the three gunmen, after discovering the
town has turned against him, similar to Childs reaction of
self-protection alone and locking MacReady out in the cold. In
addition, while MacReady sits in the 'saddle' of the helicopter, his
cowboy style hat is worn sideways. By taking the symbol of the Western
hat and rotating it ninety degrees, has the frontier migrated South? It is probably coincidental, but is possible Carpenter may have
conceived this idea purposely (Carpenter has openly declared that
"Escape from New York" is a Western). All these attributes dictate
that beneath the veneer of MacReady, lies the soul of a sheriff, bound
on protecting his community and providing justice through competence
and necessary violence.
Beyond the similarities of MacReady and the Western hero, there is
further imagery that reinforces Western conventions eminent in "The
Thing." A cowboy traditionally drinks mash whiskey, and MacReady's
beverage of choice is scotch. There is also a recreation room which
looks like a saloon, complete with a bar, billiard table, gambling and
liquor. MacReady becomes dependent on alcohol to cool his nerves and
remain in control. When he faces the mammoth pincering composite
"Thing" in the final showdown, it is the alcohol that has kept him
from crumbling. Like the Mexican standoff routine, they are alone at
opposite ends of the corridor, waiting for the other to make a move...
with dynamite in MacReady's hand, but ending too quick for the luxury
of a tumbleweed to wisp across. Ultimately, like the gunfighters of
the West who needed whiskey to retain skill, and remain calm and
confident under pressure, MacReady succeeds in defeating the creature
by virtue of whiskey and dynamite.
When considering a film like "The Thing," classification into a genre
breaks down to two essential pillars, repetition and recognition. Geiger counters will always register science-fiction readings for a
film like "Alien." "The Thing," however, is more difficult to diagnose
since everything is scaled down, from the small cast size, to the
limited complex in which most of the film was shot. However, this loss
transforms into a more profound character-depth exposition. Certainly
it has elements and characteristics that are science-fiction related,
just as there are Western and other properties. The driving point of
my argument, however, is that the film needs to be analyzed more with
respect to recognition, than repetition, since very few films have
ever been made with this style. From that perspective then, "The
Thing" alludes more to the doctrines of the West than any other film
genre.
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