The role of the woman in film and in life has changed dramatically over the years. We can see this change firsthand in the films High Noon and The Ballad of Little Jo which both portray the role of a strong and dominant woman. This is kind of female role is not seen very often in westerns which shows us somewhat of a role reversal between men and women. Women were infamous for having minor roles in western films, playing no more than the role of a motivation, arousal or time spent in a town but the female characters Helen Ramirez of High Noon and Jo of The Ballad of Little Jo break this mould showing viewers an alpha female character.
In the film High Noon I believe that Tompkins would categorize Helen Ramirez as the dominant female due to her strength, independence and the fact that she is a successful business woman. Along with these traits the fact that she has been associated with all three males in the film- Harvey, Will Kane and Ben Miller- also shows her dominance and atypical behavior. She is very bold and is proud to express herself in anyway especially if it involves degrading men, for example she calls Harvey a “ good looking boy” but then tells him that he will never be a man like Kane. Helen does not live in fear as she is not afraid of the law of the gun as she criticizes Amy for being. We see Helen’s lack of fear when she fleas the town because she wants to protect herself economically showing her intelligence and care of herself over others.
In The Ballad of Little Jo, Josephine proves to be an exception to Thompson’s statement that, “Westerns pay practically no attention to the women’s experience” (Thompson 41) because she proves to rough it out in the West when she is shunned for being an illegitimate baby. Unlike many other westerns, the protagonist of the film is Josephine, better known as Jo and her experience with the West. Jo embarks on a journey and is labeled as a whore and ended up having to become a prostitute, it was clear that she was only seen for the pleasure of men. Jo must adapt and portray herself as a man in order to survive but I believe she would still be categorized as a feminine man and not an alpha male because she still has woman like tendencies. For example when Jo shoots two men it is clear that she still is not masculine because she shows her sensitivity all over her face which is seen as a sign of weakness. This film differs from High Noon because it focuses on a different type of woman, it shows the weakness and more negative aspects of a typical woman during that time.
Regardless of their different Josephine and Helen can be seen as major stepping stones for female characters in westerns because they can be seen as at least somewhat dominant and strong. They pave the way for future female characters allowing them to play stronger more dominate roles in the films changing viewer’s opinions of women in westerns.
In the western film genre the other is defined as anyone that is not the alpha male cowboy. Westerns were beginning to morph from the classic western where the role of women was minimal to revisionist westerns where women were beginning to play major roles. We can see this change firsthand in the films High Noon and The Ballad of Little Jo which both portray the role of a strong and dominant woman.
ReplyDeleteHigh Noon was shot in 1952 and presents Helen Ramirez as not only the female ‘other’ but she is a Mexican immigrant as well. Helen displays strength and independence along with dominance which we see in her relationships with all three males in the film- Harvey, Will Kane and Ben Miller. She is very bold and is proud to express herself in anyway especially if it involves degrading men, for example she calls Harvey a “good looking boy.” Helen does not live in fear as she is not afraid of the law of the gun as she criticizes Amy for being. We see Helen’s lack of fear when she fleas the town because she wants to protect herself economically showing her intelligence and care of herself over others.
The fifties was a decade prior to the second feminist and civil rights movements which meant that women still played a relatively traditional role in society. During the time period the film was made the women’s movement was making progress but had not yet reached their ultimate goal of equality. Women were still seen as housewives and mothers not working class citizens. They were still being denied jobs and equal pay to men. Although women were make improvements they still had yet forced the passing of the equal pay act or the civil rights act. Helen represents the desire of women to break away from traditional roles and be treated as equals.
In The Ballad of Little Jo was filmed in 1992 and Josephine proves to be an exception to Thompson’s statement that, “Westerns pay practically no attention to the women’s experience” (Thompson 41). The film is named after Josephine proving that she has fulfilled the ultimate alpha female role. Jo proves to rough it out in the West when she is shunned for being a ‘bastard’ child. Jo must adapt and portray herself as a man in order to survive. This shows Jo’s intelligence and strategic nature which further leads us to believe she is like the alpha male cowboy. Jo displays gun’s skills which we see when she shoots two men. Josephine shows other alpha male qualities such as silence and her decision to resort to violence in order to solve issues. Jo still displays few feminine qualities but she is a true revision of the female in westerns.
At the time that The Ballad of Little Jo was filmed the civil rights act had been passed almost three decades ago. Society was now more accepting of strong, independent women such ad Jo. The women’s movement became so powerful that it not only improved the lives of women but of homosexuals and transgenders. The nineties is a representation of all the hard work that women had done in order to become considered equal human beings in society.
“They may seem strong an resilient, fiery and resourceful at first, but when push comes to shove, as it always does, they crumble” (61). Although the women of High Noon somewhat supports this statement, Jo proves that this statement is incorrect. It is due to the differences in the times that the films were shot that their primary female roles are shown in a different light. Regardless of their differences Helen can be seen as major stepping stones for female characters while Jo is seen as the ultimate revisionist female.