Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The movie The day of the Outlaw looks at women differently than the traditional western film. In this movie women play a more prominent role. In traditional westerns women are almost a side note in the movie. This movie being made at the beginning of the women’s rights movement presented the notion that American women were trying to become more important in society. These women now playing a bigger part in these western movies shows a little progress for women in America. However this movie also shows that women were far from equal when this movie was made.
When a team of outlaws take over a town the captain gives his word that the his men will not destroy the town or take advantage of the women under two conditions, that he stay alive and the members of the town obey his wishes. Throughout this movie the women are powerless. There is nothing they can do or say in their current situation. If it wasn’t for the captaining ordering his men to stay away from them it is obvious his men would take advantage of these women. This movie shows that even though women were creating a stir about how they should be treated equally in society little progress was being made.

1 comment:

  1. This film shows very poor treatment of women by men. When the criminals come into town the only thing these men want to do is take advantage of the women of the town. The only thing holding the men back from raping these women is the leader of the group of bandits. One scene illustrates this very clearly. When the women are herded like cattle into the bar simply to entertain the men against their will.

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