The two films, Johnny Guitar and Two Mules for Sister Sara, create a slightly different character of the alpha male cowboy than seen in previous films. Johnny Logan, in Johnny Guitar, is more of an unspoken alpha male cowboy. It appears that he returns from the east to be a guitar player in Vienna's saloon, however, the audience soon uncovers unsuspecting shadows in Johnny's past. He had relations with Vienna over five years ago, and was a crazy gunman. Johnny attempts to change in order to win Vienna back, which is a quality not common to the alpha male cowboy. He must prove that he no longer lives for shoot-outs, like the alpha male cowboy does. This makes him an outcast in the society where the men are hardboiled cowboys. This relates to Vienna's situation, of being an other, since she is a successful woman living by herself. In 1954, when this film was created, the Civil Rights Movement had not gotten underway, and women did not have many rights. WWII did help women gain support, since they operated the work force while the men were off fighting in the war, but the men resumed thier jobs when the war ended. Vienna represents a rare case where a strong woman can provide for herself in a man's world.
In the film Two Mules for Sister Sara, the woman lead, Sara, is a strong character, but clearly an outcast. She was forced to run from her French controled town for helping the Mexican army, and travels alone until Hogan finds her. Sara is also dressed as a nun, in order to hide her true identity of a prostitute. She knows that nuns are given much more respect than prositutes, and plays her part convincingly in order to survive. She plays a major role in Hogan's plan to overtake her villiage to steal money from the French. Sara's role is one of a strong female, which can be explained through the Civil Rights Movement, which was completed a few years before the film was created, in 1970. Women were granted many more rights than before, and were beginning to be allowed into the workforce. They began playing bigger roles in society than simply raising a family and preforming domestic chores. Sara represents a strong female character with many differences from the earlier western films, where women stayed in town caring for the children and tending to the household chores while the men explored the land.
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The two films, Johnny Guitar and Two Mules for Sister Sara, create a slightly different character of the alpha male cowboy than seen in previous films. Johnny Logan, in Johnny Guitar, is more of an unspoken alpha male cowboy. It appears that he returns from the east to be a guitar player in Vienna's saloon, however, the audience soon uncovers unsuspecting shadows in Johnny's past. He had relations with Vienna over five years ago and was a crazy gunman. Johnny attempts to change in order to win Vienna back, which is a quality not common to the alpha male cowboy. He must prove that he no longer lives for shoot-outs, like the alpha male cowboy does. This makes him an outcast in the society where the men are hardboiled cowboys. This relates to Vienna's situation of being an other, since she is a successful woman living by herself. In 1954, when this film was created, the Civil Rights Movement had not gotten underway, and women did not have many rights. WWII did help women gain support, since they operated the work force while the men were off fighting in the war, but the men resumed their jobs when the war ended. Vienna represents a rare case where a strong woman can provide for herself in a man's world. This is the characteristic that sets her apart from the other women in the town; therefore she is labeled an outcast.
ReplyDeleteIn the film Two Mules for Sister Sara, the woman lead, Sara, is a strong character, but clearly an outcast. She was forced to run from her French controlled town for helping the Mexican army, and travels alone until Hogan finds her. Sara is also dressed as a nun, in order to hide her true identity of a prostitute. She knows that nuns are given much more respect than prostitutes, and plays her part convincingly in order to survive. She plays a major role in Hogan's plan to overtake her village to steal money from the French. Sara's role is one of a strong female, which can be explained through the Civil Rights Movement, which was completed a few years before the film was created, in 1970. Women were granted many more rights than before, and were beginning to be allowed into the workforce. They began playing bigger roles in society than simply raising a family and performing domestic chores. Sara represents a strong female character with many differences from the earlier western films, where women stayed in town caring for the children and tending to the household chores while the men explored the land.