Tombstone is a fantastic Western film that depicts the adventures of infamous lawman Wyatt Earp as he travels to a small town in Arizona and quickly finds it overrun by criminals and Cowboys, but it wasn't the first film to do so. Starring Kurt Russell as the iconic figure, Tombstone is the most famous and critically acclaimed film to tell the story of Wyatt Earp – but it's certainly not the first. There have been several films about Wyatt Earp, and they all take completely different approaches to storytelling.
Perhaps what is so compelling about Earp's story is the way it effectively and succinctly embodies the themes of revenge, violence, and masculinity that were prevalent throughout the American Old West. It's the kind of story that speaks volumes about society at the time, but remains relevant today with its characters who have since become icons. However, This famous story has understandably been watered down and transformed over the yearsand the true story of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday is not as well known.
Wyatt Earp's Role in Wild Bill Hickok Explained
The iconic figure made a brief appearance in Clifford Smith's film
Wild Bill Hickok was first released in 1923, several years before Westerns reached their peak of popularity among American audiences. The silent film was directed by Clifford Smith and details the adventures of another Old West hero named Wild Bill, who brought law and order to his new home, Dodge City, when he found himself at the behest of a group of outlaws. Today, the film is mainly remembered for being the first on-screen depiction of Wyatt Earp — and the only version of his story filmed while the real-life figure was still alive.
Earp's role in Wild Bill Hickock is only small and appears as a friend of Hickcok, hired to help the lawman drive criminals out of Dodge City. The film is reportedly based on a true story, and while it's difficult to prove whether the details fully line up with other accounts of Earp's adventures, it's widely believed that Earp and Hickcok met at least once. They were not friends like Earp and Holliday were, but their appearance in Wild Bill Hickok suggests that their paths crossed.
Wyatt Earp was a Western legend long before his tombstone
Tombstone wasn't the first film to tell its story
Although Wild Bill Hickock was the first film to portray Wyatt Earp, the figure was already an extremely important name in American history. His adventures were famous long before he appeared in Smith's film, and it took even longer for his own story to be portrayed in films like The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. However, his name was well known in the US as waves of his exploits continued to spread across the country in the form of folklore and urban myths.
The reason why Wyatt Earp is so firmly rooted in American history it's the same reason why people still make films about their lives today; He embodied everything it meant to be an outlaw in the Old West, including both evil and good. He was an extremely controversial figure, but his adventures were filled with drama and intrigue that undeniably made for a great story. The fact that Tombstone was released 70 years later Wild Bill Hickockthe first film portraying Wyatt Earp, puts into perspective just how influential his story was.
Tombstone is the film that defines Wyatt Earp
His adventures are no more exciting than Russell's film
Although Tombstone deserves some fact-checking, there's a strong argument that it's the most entertaining and somewhat educational depiction of Earp's life to date. The story takes place during Earp's early years in Tombstone, Arizona.when his friend Doc Holliday joined him in running the Cowboys out of town. What follows is a dramatic, blood-soaked depiction of the “Earp revenge ride” – a tireless search led by Earp for the criminals who killed his brother and close friends.
Tombstone It may be a bit sensationalist and its depiction of revenge may be a little glamorous for some, but it's a fundamentally entertaining film that takes everything audiences love about the Western genre and pushes it into the future with a fresh, dynamic narrative and complex characters. that subvert conventions. Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer's lead performances have gone down in history as the definitive iterations of these historical figures, and the film does a great job of explaining why Earp and Holliday became the notorious figures they eventually did.