PG Two Mules, Johnny Guitar

In the two movies, the idea of the others is challenged. Neither of the women ultimately follows the patterns set by Jane Tompkins. Although Vienna portrays a strong female character much more obviously than Sarah does, both prove to be strong independent women, something we rarely see in the Western. Where we normally see the female other need saving from the Alpha Male Cowboy, both Vienna and Sarah are able to hold their own, either saving themselves or their male counterpart

In Two Mules for Sister Sarah, We first see Hogan, an obvious alpha male cowboy, rescue Sister Sarah, who at first seems to be a run of the mill Western female. And at first, this is all we see of her. However, as the movie progresses we see hints here and there that perhaps there is more to her than meets the eye. She smokes, drinks, and swears, for the most part in secrecy or under the guise of stress and special circumstances. She is so good at hiding her true identity that we as the viewer honestly believe that her increasing boldness and bravery are actually character development, rather than her disguise falling apart as she increasingly needs to use her true habits to get by. Sarah challenges our idea of the other in a roundabout way, showing us a direct example of what we expect her to be, then slowly turning the tables on us.

In contrast, Vienna challenges our perceptions directly, from the very beginning of the film. She runs her saloon on her own, managing her own team of men who answer only to her. She condones drinking and gambling, two things that are usually frowned upon by the religiously driven females we are used to seeing. We see Johnny Guitar chasing her, rather than the other way around. He exhibits strange motivations for an alpha male cowboy, wanting to win Vienna more than anything, when she really doesn’t mind one way or the other. Ending up together at the end of the movie is something she is glad about, but we know that she would have been fine alone in the end. She is a strong independent woman first, and a love interest second. She is never anything but brave, intelligent and driven throughout the entire movie. Even her way of dressing depicts this.

These movies go a long way towards challenging our expectations of females in the Western. While doing so in different ways, both give us a look into the life of a character we do not normally see in these movies as anything more than a bit character. Hogan tells Sarah about how he prefers being able to get his women when he is in town, and able to move on from them. This is a common mentality, one that places the prostitute in a very minor dismissed role. This increases the surprise when we find that the most important woman in the movie is one of those women who would be an extra in any other film. The other in these movies are more than the title that is placed upon them, due to their own actions. Both movies made a very interesting case for Women in Westerns, allowing them to be more than talkative, religious shackles for the Alpha Male.