The two films High Noon (1952) and The Ballad of Little Jo (1993) both contain strong female characters that show the change of the female roles in Western films. In High Noon, Amy Kane (Grace Kelly) is shown, at first, to be the typical female; religious, talkative and altogether useless because they are “cowering in the background” (Tompkins 41). She begs Will Kane (Gary Cooper) to not fight with the Miller Posse because she is a Quaker and it is against her religion. However, by the end of the movie, she jumps off the train at the sound of the first shot and runs back to town to see if her husband is safe. She even ends up assisting him by killing one of the men.
In The Ballad of Little Jo, Josephine ‘Jo’ Monaghan (Suzy Amis) takes complete control of her life by dressing up as a male. She continues this charade for the rest of her life. Though many of the other male characters find something to be off about “him”, they are still dominated by “him”. Jo is always in control, such as when she makes Frank Badger cut down the Chinese man that he had strung up. Jo never backs down, thus making her the alpha “male” cowboy, a role that is virtually unheard of for a female.
The two films High Noon (1952) and The Ballad of Little Jo (1993) both contain strong female characters that show the change of the female roles in Western films. In High Noon, Amy Kane (Grace Kelly) is shown, at first, to be the typical female; religious, talkative and altogether useless because they are “cowering in the background” (Tompkins 41). She begs Will Kane (Gary Cooper) to not fight with the Miller Posse because she is a Quaker and it is against her religion. During most of the film, she waits in the hotel for her train to arrive so that she can leave town and Will. However, by the end of the movie, she jumps off the train at the sound of the first shot and runs back to town to see if her husband is safe. She takes the advice of Helen Ramirez and sticks by her man. She even ends up assisting him by killing one of the men. In doing this she completely changes the view of women in Westerns. She becomes a part of the plot and, in a sense, serves as the sidekick that Kane was searching for throughout the film.
ReplyDeleteIn The Ballad of Little Jo, Josephine ‘Jo’ Monaghan (Suzy Amis) takes complete control of her life by dressing up as a male. She began as a woman from a fairly wealthy family in the east. However, she becomes pregnant out of wedlock and the family disowns her. She travels west and soon discovers that the only way to survive on her own is to become a man. She continues this charade for the rest of her life. Though many of the other male characters find something to be off about “him”, they are still dominated by “him”. Jo is always in control, such as when she makes Frank Badger cut down the Chinese man that he had strung up. Jo never backs down, thus making her the alpha “male” cowboy, a role that is virtually unheard of for a female.