In the films Two Mules for Sister Sara and Johnny Guitar the concept of otherness is seen in the characters, Hogan and Johnny Guitar.
In Johnny Guitar we see Mr. Logan as the alpha male cowboy but his role as the macho and powerful character in the movie is shadowed by the role of Vienna. Vienna is a very fierce and strong woman character with a deathly glare that inimidates many in the film. This is a very differen portrayal of characters compared to the other films we have watched. While watching the movie it is easy to make sense of this new concept of the woman being the character in complete control. It has a lot to do with the time period the film was made in. In the 1950's women had a new found importance in the country. While the men were off fighting in WW2 we see women take steps in being more independent and taking on jobs that men would normally do. Vienna shows a Rosie the Riveter type attitude when she insists she can run her own casino and saloon and will do whatever she needs to to do so.
In the film Two Mules we see the concept of otherness when Sara saves Hogan when she helps him shoot his gun while he's wounded. This is very untraditional and different when talking about Western film. We normally see the alpha male as brave and to a certain extent, bulletproof. When a woman helps the alpha male cowboy it becomes obvious that there is a reflection of the time period the movie was shot in the film. Two Mules for Sister Sara came out in 1970 which was the end of a time period where women officially established themselves in society, so when Sara helps Hogan we see this reflection. Also, Hogan the alpha male cowboy being wounded, reflects the fact that America isn't as bulletproof as they thought they were after going through the worst years of the Vietnam war.
In the films Two Mules for Sister Sara and Johnny Guitar the concept of otherness is seen in the characters, Hogan and Johnny Guitar.
ReplyDeleteIn Johnny Guitar we see Mr. Logan as the alpha male cowboy but his role as the macho and powerful character in the movie is shadowed by the role of Vienna. Vienna is a very fierce and strong woman character with a deathly glare that intimidates many in the film. This is a very differen portrayal of characters compared to the other films we have watched. While watching the movie it is easy to make sense of this new concept of the woman being the character in complete control. It has a lot to do with the time period the film was made in. In the 1940's women had a new found importance in the country. While the men were off fighting in WW2 we see women take steps in being more independent and taking on jobs that men would normally do. Vienna shows a Rosie the Riveter type attitude when she insists she can run her own casino and saloon and will do whatever she needs to to do so. Although this film was shot in fifties this attitude is still seen in many women throughout the fifties.
In the film Two Mules we see the concept of otherness when Sara saves Hogan when she helps him shoot his gun while he's wounded. This is very untraditional and different when talking about Western film. We normally see the alpha male as brave and to a certain extent, bulletproof. When a woman helps the alpha male cowboy it becomes obvious that there is a reflection of the time period the movie was shot in the film. Two Mules for Sister Sara came out in 1970 which was during the time period where women were officially establishing themselves in society, so when Sara helps Hogan we see this reflection. Also, Hogan the alpha male cowboy being wounded, reflects the fact that America isn't as bulletproof as they thought they were after going through the worst years of the Vietnam war.
The representation otherness in these films is the fact that some of the power is being taken from the alpha male cowboy and given to a women. This is due to the progress in Second Wave Feminism.