Johnny Guitar - SJC

Classic westerns are known for their weak women and strong male leads; however, Johnny Guitar and Two Mules for Sister Sarah do not abide by the same stereotype female roles. Produced in 1954 Johnny Guitar alters the rules of the alpha-male cowboy and the other. In this film the alpha-male cowboy is not the alpha-male cowboy and the other (women) are the main players in this film. Vienna is the main character of the film and is extremely empowered for a woman. Vienna is a store owner and eventually performs a manly action when she handles her problems head on and kills her enemy Emma. With this film being produced in the 1950’s the changing opinion on women is evident throughout the entire film. Women were slowly becoming empowered in society and female store owners were becoming acceptable in society. This movie took great strives to feature women who are equal if not superior to the men in the town.

The second film was produced in 1970 and featured Clint Eastwood and Shirley MacLaine Two Mules for Sister Sarah. Being produced in the 1970’s with the feminist movement in full swing it is no surprise that Sarah is not the standard woman western films featured 20 years earlier. Sarah is introduced to the audience as a Nun and uses religion to save Hogan from a tribe of Indians. According to Jane Tompkins in her book “West of Everything” religion was a female flaw. Sister Sarah however breaks this stereotype when Sarah reveals that she is pretending to be a nun and is in fact a prostitute. This movie uses her betrayal on religion to prove that women have truly overcome the weakness and cannot be associated with the same women as the 40’s and 50’s. Two Mules for Sister Sarah show how far women had moved with their social equality movement.