Johnny Guitar/Two Mules for Sister Sara

In Johnny Guitar and Two Mules for Sister Sara an example of "the other" is shown. In Johnny Guitar Vienna is, "the other", she has a innapropiate relationship with many towns people. She is then challenged in a fight with Emma, in classic westerns women would never be allowed to fight. This shows why women are the others, they are not important so no men protect them. In two mules for sister Sara, Sara is spotted being gang raped, she then smokes and drinks alcohol, two behaviors unnacceptable for a women to do. I this film this shows how she is not the class women but the other, she poses as a nun but in reality is a prostitute. In both films the cowboy is seduced by these women and fall for her ploy. This shows that the cowboy is not a perfect human and can even fall for faults that others have. In the time period that the films were made in women were just gaining rights, and this showed their new found freedom and independence

KB- rooster cogburn

Rooster cogburn is an example of revisionist films in regards to women. In the film Eula is a main character. This is uncommon in the genre of western films. Eula wants to track down the criminals who were responsible for killing the reverend. She is the ring leader in organizing people to go on the treck to get mercy for the reverand. In classic western films Eula would never think of taking control of an entire mission. Eula is not the classic female in western films and this is why this film can be categorized as a revisionist film. Although some main characters are male the plot revolves around a women which is unheard of in western films. Rooster Cogburn does follow the role of women and contradict them at the same time. In this film the women is trying to protect her church and her man. That is what a women "is supposed to do" so it shows the traditional role of a women. However a womn traditionally would never lead a mission with men following her lead. In the 1970's when this film was made women were all fighting for womens rights so it was an appropiate film to show how women can take control. At this point the womens revolution was in full swing and this showed how capable women are.

KB- The searchers

The searchers shows how cowboys rely on the land. In Tompkins she discusses how the land may be very vask but the cowboy has control over the land. He knows what is going on in all places and has control over it. In the searchers the film shows the cowboys relation to the land, when the cowboy is unfamiliar with the land he is subject to an attack. In this film when Pawley was on the indian land he got killed. This shows that land that is not known by the cowboys is unsafe. The cowboys rely on their land for protection and have a secure feeling when they are on it. The land represents the strength of the cowboy, it is lonely yet strong. The cowboy is still the ultimate here and is never afraid of what is ahead. He is a man of few words, like the land that he roams it is vask but has much meaning. The cowboy is simple and strong much like the land.

Unforgiven-KB

A revisionist western is a film that questions the ideals and stereotypes of a western. A revisionist film usually has stronger women roles, minorities as leads, and puts emphasis on negative plot lines. The Unforgiven is the epitome of a revisionist western. The first give away that the Unforgiven is a revisionist film is the role of Morgan Freeman. In this film Morgan Freeman plays a lead role as an alpha male cowboy. He is the side kick to a white cowboy and is seen as an equal. Morgan Freemans character is the first time we see an african american play a lead role as an alpha male cowboy. Another sign of revisionism is when the three men finally get to Big Whiskey and Munny is sick. We see the cowboy as a human and someone who is actually vulnerable to the environment. Munny got sick from the rain and showed that he was not a true alpha male going against the strong ideal of what an alpha male cowboy is supposed to be. This film shows indians as an actual threat to the three men and in prior films the indians were inferior. The main plot of the film is to protect prositutes, this is very forward thinking in the western film genre. Women are not supposed to be sexually provocative and the fact that a black man is protecting them shows that his film is truly revisionist.

Spaghetti Westerns - SJC

ince their founding Spaghetti westerns have been distinctively different from classic westerns in almost all aspects of the genre. Classical westerns like High Noon or The Searchers feature an alpha-male cowboy who is strong, silent but lives by a moral compass and always does what is right. This is where the spaghetti western differs from the classical version. Spaghetti westerns do not feature an alpha-male cowboy, who does the right thing or acts morally, but instead he is a questionable character and the audience is never truly sure if he is good or bad. In the film The Good, The Bad and The Ugly the man with no name played by Clint Eastwood is first introduced to the audience as “The good”. This introduction is telling the audience that Clint is the good character in the film. What is ironic about the introduction is the fact that right before being introduced as the good character he is seen stealing from the local government. He and his Mexican bandit friend run a scam where “Blondie” (Clint Eastwood’s nick name) turns in his Mexican friend for a reward, only to turn around and free him a few minutes later. This scam of the local government and working with a criminal displays the moral ambiguity of the spaghetti western. Besides not featuring a morally just alpha-male cowboy the spaghetti western genre is extremely violent when compared to the classical western. In High Noon a classical western film the total death count of the full movie is four bandits. In the film The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance there is only one man killed during the duration of the film; however, in spaghetti westerns like Navajo Joe Violence and death are featured throughout the entire film with the death count being in the high teens.

Like Classical westerns, spaghetti westerns are a reflection on the perceptions of America and how America is view through European eyes. Spaghetti westerns like The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Navajo Joe show an America obsessed with money, uncaring about the morality of actions and willing to do murder to get revenge. These three traits give the films a far more dark and real feel of what it truly means to be an American.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good the Bad and the Ugly centers around "the money", where the three characters that represent the title of the movie are all after a stash of hidden gold, and each other's heads. Instead of muddling around with the alpha male cowboy identity, the film (in my opinion) sets up the characters to directly represent the good and the bad. BLONDIE vs. ANGEL EYES? The ugly is an interesting matter. Rarely have we seen other minorities take such a central role to the plot, and the "ugly" Mexican is an enigma himself. Another interesting point that was different from previous Westerns is that the emphasis on ability and prowess is still there, but like the chaos that is the West, so to is fortune, and it's hilarious to watch how the three manage to one-up each other due to fortuitous circumstance. This constant change of the "king of the hill" and a clear progression from Point A to Point Gold keeps the audience on its feet as everyone may have differing views as to who "should" win. I don't believe that this movie is social commentary on capitalism and chasing money, I believe that economic pressure is universal, and the way in which the director has brought this to bear on the utilitarian cowboy is amusing.

Spaghetti Western

In the spaghetti westerns of these two films, the external perspective of the United States is explored. These westerns as a whole tend to over play the violence factor that is seen in the traditional western. Navajo Joe is a very different from the previous films. The theme of this film focuses on an "alpha" Indian who is fighting to get his land back. Joe is then hired to protect the people and save the day from the outlaws of the town. In the other films, the white people sought someone to protect them from the Indians, and we see a total reversal in this film. Joe takes on the role of the protector traditionally held by the alpha-male cowboy. Indians in the film were no longer portrayed as harmful, but the solution and is placed as more of an equal in this film.

In The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, another one of the spaghetti westerns, “The Good” is played by Clint Eastwood, and the bad is represented by the non-whites in the film. There are some aspects of racism between Tuco and Blondie during this film, due to the hostility of the incident in the desert. This characterization of them provides the European sentiment of the United States of the time.