In classic westerns it was “the landscape that challenged the body”; however, this is not the sole challenge presented to the alpha male cowboys in Johnny Guitar and Two Mules for Sister Sara (Tompkins 71). Women were once considered “the shadow of a more important male” and were thought of as “extensions of the men they are paired with” (40). The emergence of the woman from this shadow is a vital part of these films, which portray the role of women as “other” as they offer challenges to the alpha male.
In Johnny Guitar, Vienna, owner of a saloon and a self-proclaimed “good gunfighter”, angers Emma and the other men in the town by owning her valuable plot of land on the railroad. McIvers threatens to shut down the saloon in twenty-four hours in order to take her land. Throughout the film, Vienna feuds with these people to keep her saloon and to also deny the belief that she was involved in the bank robbery. Another challenge exists within the relationship of Vienna and Johnny; it is as though she is challenging his manhood. When talking about her he says that he has “never seen a woman act like such a man; she thinks like one, acts like one, and sometimes makes me think I’m not one.” Missing his previous relationship with Vienna, Johnny asks her to tell him that she still loves him. She does so and as they are speaking and trying to resolve their differences Vienna tells Johnny to “stop feeling sorry for yourself, I didn’t find this place I had to build it!” It seems as though she was the motive for his activity (41). His transformation from Johnny Logan to Johnny Guitar was in order to win back Vienna. In the end of this film it was the alpha male who overcame his challenges with “the other” to save her life as she was about to be hung.
In Two Mules for Sister Sara, Sara challenges Hogan throughout the plot. He meets her as she is being attacked by three drunk men in the wilderness. The first challenge arises after he saves her life by killing these men but before leaving the site Sara, dressed as a nun, insists on giving the men a Christian burial, which Hogan believes to be unnecessary and he cannot imagine after what just happened why she would want to do this. He becomes angry when she uses his water to bless them. Although it poses as a challenge, I think Sara’s religious façade proves to be an asset to Hogan’s journey. Using her cross to deflect light on the Yaquis Indians, she saves Hogan and herself from attack by stepping in front of the gun. She provides him with information that helps him invade the garrison, takes the arrow out of his chest and keeps his gun steady as he shoots the dynamite on the bridge to stop the train. In the end of this film, the non-classic western of the two, it was the female who repaid the favor of being saved at the beginning of the film and helped Hogan to accomplish his task.
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In classic westerns it was “the landscape that challenged the body”; however, this is not the sole challenge presented to the alpha male cowboys in Johnny Guitar and Two Mules for Sister Sara (Tompkins 71). Women were once considered “the shadow of a more important male” and were thought of as “extensions of the men they are paired with” (40). These two films both portray the role of women as “other” in which they are the ones who offer challenges to the alpha male.
ReplyDeleteIn Johnny Guitar, Vienna, owner of a saloon and a self-proclaimed “good gunfighter”, angers Emma and the other men in the town by owning her valuable plot of land on the railroad. McIvers threatens to shut down the saloon in twenty-four hours in order to take her land. Throughout the film, Vienna feuds with these people to keep her saloon and to also deny the belief that she was involved in the bank robbery. A rivalry exists between Vienna and Emma and it is Emma who insists that Vienna is sentenced to death. Another challenge exists within the relationship of Vienna and Johnny; it is as though she is challenging his manhood. When talking about her he says that he has “never seen a woman act like such a man; she thinks like one, acts like one, and sometimes makes me think I’m not one.” Missing his previous relationship with Vienna, Johnny asks her to tell him that she still loves him. She does so and as they are speaking and trying to resolve their differences Vienna tells Johnny to “stop feeling sorry for yourself, I didn’t find this place I had to build it!” It seems as though she was the motive for his activity (Tompkins 41). His transformation from Johnny Logan to Johnny Guitar was in order to win back Vienna. In the end of this film it was the alpha male who overcame his challenges with “the other” to save her life as she was about to be hung.
In Two Mules for Sister Sara, Sara challenges Hogan throughout the plot. He meets her as she is being attacked by three drunk men in the wilderness. The first challenge arises after he saves her life by killing these men but before leaving the site Sara, dressed as a nun, insists on giving the men a Christian burial, which Hogan believes to be unnecessary and he cannot imagine after what just happened why she would want to do this. He becomes angry when she uses his water to bless them. Although it poses as a challenge, I think Sara’s religious façade proves to be an asset to Hogan’s journey. Using her cross to deflect light on the Yaquis Indians, she saves Hogan and herself from attack by stepping in front of the gun. She provides him with information that helps him invade the garrison, takes the arrow out of his chest and keeps his gun steady as he shoots the dynamite on the bridge to stop the train. In the end of this film, the non-classic western of the two, it was the female who repaid the favor of being saved at the beginning and ultimately helped Hogan accomplish his task.