Johnny Guitar is a different type of western film with respect to the alpha male cowboy and his general demeanor. Throughout the film, Johnny Logan is forced to change his ways to appeal to Vienna and try and win her back. A different storyline than typical, Johnny guitar shows the alpha male cowboy changing from the “other” to someone more appealing to Vienna. The women in the film are described as the others (more or less all but the alpha male cowboy is an other) for the fact that they seem to bog down the characters of the men because they dominate the roles and the actions that have taken place in the film. They find was to create a sense of power over the males in their characters. This is relevant to the time period of the mid 1950’s and the fact that the roles of women as housewives had begun to change after WWII as they proved that they could do things just as well as a man in his absence.
Two Mules for Sister Sarah is more of a different type of otherness. Sarah, a prostitute in disguise, has been tricking and coxing Hogan into helping her. However, she also manages to save his life twice and contribute to their overall journey. Sarah is a strong character because she is able to stand up in times of need and be brave and needed. But at the same time, she plays into the role of the other by disguising her true identity, along with lying to Hogan about who she is and what she is really doing. This film, made in 1970, is just after the civil rights movement and plays towards the role of women having a stronger role in society. They have found that at times, you need to disguise who you are in order to accomplish things and gain respect from others.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Blog #6 - The Day of the Outlaw
The Day of the Outlaw recognizes the changing role of women during the late 1950s. In this film, a dispute between ranchers and cowboys is interrupted when a foreign threat, a group of outlaws rolls through town seeking a place to stay for a bit. The ranchers and cowboys unite together to make sure the outlaws cause as little damage to their town and women as possible, which, during this period, symbolizes the uniting of all Americans against the Communist threat during the Cold War.
The leader of the band of outlaws is an ex-army officer by the name of Jack Bruhn. Bruhn wants as little trouble as possible to come to the members of the town and thus tell the town members to hide the alcohol and that his men will not bother the towns women. While the women of the town stick up to some of the devious outlaws and are respected, they still require the protection of the town men and even Jack Bruhn.
While the women in the film are more independent than women of the past, they are still powerless against the will of the outlaws and the men of the town. They do as they are told and respect the men. In this film, one woman in particular sticks out as a strong woman. Helen defends her marriage and is a key player in the effort to resolve the issue between the ranchers and the cowboys. However, in the end the alpha male cowboy Starrett must take responsibility to save the town from the outlaws. He sacrifices himself and leads the outlaws down a harsh path in an attempt to have the outlaws kill each other off. In the face of true adversity, the alpha male is still called upon to make things right. While women in the 1950s were fighting for civil rights, the men still dominated society.
The leader of the band of outlaws is an ex-army officer by the name of Jack Bruhn. Bruhn wants as little trouble as possible to come to the members of the town and thus tell the town members to hide the alcohol and that his men will not bother the towns women. While the women of the town stick up to some of the devious outlaws and are respected, they still require the protection of the town men and even Jack Bruhn.
While the women in the film are more independent than women of the past, they are still powerless against the will of the outlaws and the men of the town. They do as they are told and respect the men. In this film, one woman in particular sticks out as a strong woman. Helen defends her marriage and is a key player in the effort to resolve the issue between the ranchers and the cowboys. However, in the end the alpha male cowboy Starrett must take responsibility to save the town from the outlaws. He sacrifices himself and leads the outlaws down a harsh path in an attempt to have the outlaws kill each other off. In the face of true adversity, the alpha male is still called upon to make things right. While women in the 1950s were fighting for civil rights, the men still dominated society.
Day of the Outlaw
In Day of the Outlaw, filmed in 1959, women have leading roles. The film centers on women, which is different from the traditional western. Women have a hold on the men, and are also protected by them. Helen Crane is a woman who once had an affair with Blaise. Helen is now married, and Blaise wants her back. Helen tells him it is too late and that she will be married to Mr. Crane for the rest of her life. Helen made her own decision and the alpha-male cowboy didn’t have much say. This shows a change in women’s role within society. Women were beginning to have voices, and were able to make their own decisions rather than the men controlling everything. One similarity that Day of the Outlaw has with the traditional western films is, however, is the fact that women are still viewed as “pleasures;” the outlaws, Tex and Pace, are kept away from the women because of their sexual drives. This shows that even though women were gaining rights during this period, they were not yet considered equals and were still degraded. Another similarity is that women still depended on men. Helen depended on her husband, and the other women depended on men for protection. During the late 50s and early 60s, the second wave of the Women's Rights Movement began and the status of women were beginning to change. Yet, they didn’t change completely.
The Day of the Outlaw
Love is infiltrated more into westerns due to the predominance of women, older generations of westerns revolved mostly on the interactions between alpha male and his comrades, the change in relationship status from men to men, to women to men shows the equal footing of both genders. Blaise the alpha male wants to win the love of his young love, yet she had moved on and married a farmer named Hal. Blaise expects to sweep Helen of her feet, without any considerations to her moral obligations to her martial spouse. But still pertaining to traditional values she maintains her loyalty to her husband, as she had said her vows. Choosing loyalty over lover, a factor most related to alpha males intimes of crisis. Due to the movie being made in 1959 five years before the civil rights act, women have began to get more equal footing, thus women now have the same obligations as men, and have the strength to stick by them.
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.
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.
Blog #5 - Johnny Guitar/Two Mules for Sister Sara
The role of women in Westerns typically includes the frowned-upon use of language as a means to exert power, being concerned with a world focused on religion, culture, class distinctions, fancy words, and pretty actions that sharply contrast the world of the alpha male cowboy, and weakness in the face of adversity. However, the films Johnny Guitar and Two Mules for Sister Sarah revise the image of women.
In Johnny Guitar, two women, Vienna and Emma, are the main characters that drive the plot. Johnny Guitar, the alpha male cowboy in this film, also displays feminine qualities such as musical talent and the encouragement of dancing. The Vienna and Emma appear to be modeled after the classical alpha male cowboy by wearing pants, having guns and knowing how to use them, running and owning businesses, and are eventually engaged in a duel between the two of them. Both women use action over words and are constantly in the limelight of the film, a role typically reserved for males.
In Two Mules for Sister Sarah, the main character is a woman named Sarah who consistently outsmarts the males throughout the film. She first poses as a prostitute dressed as a nun, a symbol of the two escapes from the control of men for women. Neither prostitutes or nuns have to answer to the will of men. The alpha male cowboy in this film, Hogan, relies on Sarah to save his life more than once. However, Hogan also saves Sarah's life which may symbolize that they are equals in this film.
Despite of their differences to stereotypical western women, the women of Johnny Guitar and Two Mules for Sister Sarah represent "otherness" to the alpha male cowboy. The alpha male cowboy is an individual surrounded by a world that they can't relate to. He must have a strong moral center because in the West, a man makes his own law. In both films, the alpha male cowboy needs to overcome obstacles including the changing role of women. Also, the alpha male cowboy becomes a more prominent player when the women face adversity.
In Johnny Guitar, the women still show flashes of the typical western woman despite their differences. Vienna needs protection and let's her emotions take hold of her in the end. Emma is completely driven by emotion. The film shows the value of the alpha male in several ways. The title of the film is the name of the alpha male cowboy, Johnny is the one who has to react and adapt to situations/adversity, and in the end, the film wouldn't have function properly without the alpha male cowboy. From a cultural studies perspective, the world of the 1950's still relied on masculinity despite the changing role of women.
The 1970s, when Two Mules for Sister Sarah was released, was a decade filled with civil rights movements. The American public was calling for revolution through Anti-war protests, the black power movement, and the women's rights movement. The men of the 1970s were also becoming liberated from their masculine constraints of the past. They began to express their emotions while women were fighting for equality. However, American society still relied on masculine attributes and men to be successful, which is represented well in Two Mules for Sister Sarah.
In Johnny Guitar, two women, Vienna and Emma, are the main characters that drive the plot. Johnny Guitar, the alpha male cowboy in this film, also displays feminine qualities such as musical talent and the encouragement of dancing. The Vienna and Emma appear to be modeled after the classical alpha male cowboy by wearing pants, having guns and knowing how to use them, running and owning businesses, and are eventually engaged in a duel between the two of them. Both women use action over words and are constantly in the limelight of the film, a role typically reserved for males.
In Two Mules for Sister Sarah, the main character is a woman named Sarah who consistently outsmarts the males throughout the film. She first poses as a prostitute dressed as a nun, a symbol of the two escapes from the control of men for women. Neither prostitutes or nuns have to answer to the will of men. The alpha male cowboy in this film, Hogan, relies on Sarah to save his life more than once. However, Hogan also saves Sarah's life which may symbolize that they are equals in this film.
Despite of their differences to stereotypical western women, the women of Johnny Guitar and Two Mules for Sister Sarah represent "otherness" to the alpha male cowboy. The alpha male cowboy is an individual surrounded by a world that they can't relate to. He must have a strong moral center because in the West, a man makes his own law. In both films, the alpha male cowboy needs to overcome obstacles including the changing role of women. Also, the alpha male cowboy becomes a more prominent player when the women face adversity.
In Johnny Guitar, the women still show flashes of the typical western woman despite their differences. Vienna needs protection and let's her emotions take hold of her in the end. Emma is completely driven by emotion. The film shows the value of the alpha male in several ways. The title of the film is the name of the alpha male cowboy, Johnny is the one who has to react and adapt to situations/adversity, and in the end, the film wouldn't have function properly without the alpha male cowboy. From a cultural studies perspective, the world of the 1950's still relied on masculinity despite the changing role of women.
The 1970s, when Two Mules for Sister Sarah was released, was a decade filled with civil rights movements. The American public was calling for revolution through Anti-war protests, the black power movement, and the women's rights movement. The men of the 1970s were also becoming liberated from their masculine constraints of the past. They began to express their emotions while women were fighting for equality. However, American society still relied on masculine attributes and men to be successful, which is represented well in Two Mules for Sister Sarah.
Johnn Guitar/ Two mules for Sara
In the film Johnny Guitar the two most prevalent characters come from the “others” Emma and Vienna. Both robust women playing opposite roles, Vienna a saloon owner outside of town wishes to build her own town once the railroad is built. Living a life of immorality by sharing her bed with a robber, she shuns the numerous neighbors who are against the railroad track. They call the town officials which are led by the other leading female character Emma. The plot is not as important as the cast, the lead characters predominantly female. This is due to the timing of the movie, after World War II woman had proved their strength and earned their independence, this movie was created as a tribute to strong women. Although the alpha male in the movie is still projected as Johnny Guitar and he still holds the title of the film.
In the film Two Mules for Sister Sara, Sara a prostitute saves a man’s life (Hogan) twice, on two different occasions, this interchanges the role of damsel in distress, a far cry from Ethan’s niece in The Big Trail. Through being a prostitute Sara receives insight on the mentality of men and she uses it to influence men to follow her idea to attack the French fortress. But prostitution is not her only forte, but she also can act, and is manipulative enough to work the processes of a completely opposite job, a nun.
Both films correspond with the current times, women slowly but assuredly gaining more respect, women of different occupations, movies now show the plight of women and the hardships they go through due to patriarchal propaganda.
In the film Two Mules for Sister Sara, Sara a prostitute saves a man’s life (Hogan) twice, on two different occasions, this interchanges the role of damsel in distress, a far cry from Ethan’s niece in The Big Trail. Through being a prostitute Sara receives insight on the mentality of men and she uses it to influence men to follow her idea to attack the French fortress. But prostitution is not her only forte, but she also can act, and is manipulative enough to work the processes of a completely opposite job, a nun.
Both films correspond with the current times, women slowly but assuredly gaining more respect, women of different occupations, movies now show the plight of women and the hardships they go through due to patriarchal propaganda.
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