The Battle Of Elderbush Gulch And The Shirt - 1108 Words

The Battle of Elderbush Gulch and The Shirt can also be compared by examining how they handle the topic of colonialism and the stereotypes that have arisen due to interactions between settlers and Native Americans. In both films, white people are assumed to be capitalist and concerned with a person’s external image. However, this implication is either seen as positive or negative depending on how a filmmaker interprets history. After all, those who hold power and privilege are the ones who write the history books, and even today most humans’ views towards colonialism remain largely shaped by fiction. The Battle of Elderbush Gulch glorifies the successful settlers who could subdue the Natives and build a new country. The Natives are portrayed through the use of â€Å"othering†, which is the process of placing a group into opposition with one’s identified group. This opposition takes the form of binary opposites that the group in power defines. In The Battl e of Elderbush Gulch, the Natives are frequently â€Å"othered† through the use of cinematography. The Natives are first introduced as newcomers are dropped off at the white settlement. As the settlers gather around to greet the wagon, two Native women stand in the background, glaring towards the settlers, and furthermore, the camera and the audience. Again, this scene is used to alienate the Natives by placing them in the background with menacing expressions, while the settlers are given a medium shot to allow their vivid