The film Rooster Cogburn is an excellent representation of the "other". By looking into the relationship between Cogburn and Eula Goodnight throughout the film it is easy to see that the film does not follow the classic view of women. In the scene where Eula tries to claim Cogburn's salvation we hear the opinion on women from the alpha male cowboy: Cogburn asks Goodnight what kind of church would let a woman speak out. When Goodnight's father was killed, instead of staying home she insists on going with Rooster. Many things in the film show Goodnight having the qualities of bravery and fearlessness. Both of those qualities are typically only seen in the alpha male cowboy and are never seen to be possessed by a woman in the classic Western.
Looking at the film Rooster Cogburn from a cultural studies point of view we can see why the woman plays a much different role than in earlier westerns. The film was shot in 1975 which was a time where the push for womans rights was still in full swing. This is the reason we see a woman playing a prominent role in the western. Goodnight proves to Rooster that she is just as good as any other cowboy by killing one of Jordan's posse when he told her to only shoot as a distraction. Also in many scenes Goodnight is physically above or the same height as Rooster in the shot showing her physical presence also brings her to the alpha male cowboy level.
The film Rooster Cogburn is an excellent representation of a revisionism of the "other". By looking into the relationship between Cogburn and Eula Goodnight throughout the film it is easy to see that the film does not follow the classic view of women as "other". In the scene where Eula tries to claim Cogburn's salvation we hear the opinion on women from the alpha male cowboy: Cogburn asks Goodnight what kind of church would let a woman speak out. This slightly shows the view of women in the classic western. Women did not speak, and an alpha male cowboy never let the language of a woman get to him. When Goodnight's father was killed, instead of staying home she insists on going with Rooster. Many things in the film show Goodnight having the qualities of bravery and fearlessness. She is also seen shooting a gun. These qualities are typically only seen in the alpha male cowboy and are never seen to be possessed by a woman in the classic Western.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the film Rooster Cogburn from a cultural studies point of view we can see why the woman plays a much different role than in earlier westerns. The film was shot in 1975 which was a time where the push for womans rights was in full swing. Second wave feminism was finally making headway with the passing of abortion legislation and legislation to end the discrimination of women in the work force. This is the reason we see a woman playing a prominent role in the western in the seventies. Goodnight proves to Rooster that she is just as good as any other male by killing one of Jordan's posse when he told her to only shoot as a distraction. Also in many scenes Goodnight is physically above or the same height as Rooster in the shot showing her physical presence also brings her to the alpha male cowboy level.