In the film The Day of the Outlaw, there seems to be a constant attention toward the handful of women in the town. The women receive two different types of attention throughout the film. In the beginning of the film it is evident that the men who live in the town respect the women they live with, as Mrs. Crane's daughter does not hesitate to voice her opinion on the matter of Blaise's disagreement with her father, with Blaise present in the room. Nobody tells her to hush up or keep her opinions to herself, such as some Western women may have felt she should have done, indicating that the women are able to speak freely and equally among the men. Mrs. Crane, especially, appears to be one of the most respected and influential people in town. In the first kitchen scene, Blaise almost begs her to be with him, but she denies him. Though later when Mrs. Crane realizes her husband and Blaise are going to duel over the land dispute, she takes charge and kisses Blaise in an attempt to get him to lay down his guns. She is constantly taking action in an attempt to stop the imminent violence, unlike the women in The Big Trail, who sit by and watch a fight. Mrs. Crane makes multiple visits to Blaise, which she states her husband even allows her to do, which is very strange given the circumstances. The men of the town have a deep respect for Mrs. Crane and the rest of the women.
The other type of view portrayed toward women in the movie comes from the visiting cavalry. They see the women only as objects and have no respect for them. The men frequently ask their captain, Bruhn, if they can just "have a little fun" with the women, with intent to molest them. At hearing this, Mr. Crane and Blaise stick up for the women, and Bruhn even states he can tell they really care about their women in this town. Throughout the whole time the cavalry men are in town, they pester their captain over letting them socialize with the women. Even with the disrespectful cavalry men looming over the women of the town, the women do not appear intimidated. Mrs. Crane's daughter not only disobeys the cavalry men to see her little brother, she even slaps the youngest member of Bruhn's gang. The women become the basis of conflict among the cavalry as the men have opposing view's of what to do with them. It is evident that Mrs. Crane does not fear these unknown men as she even rebukes Bruhn for stopping in their town, the captain whose own men are afraid to question. The movie shows two completely opposing view's toward women, the contrast making the two sides very obvious to the viewer.
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In the film The Day of the Outlaw, there seems to be a constant attention toward the handful of women who live in the town. The women receive two different types of attention throughout the film. In the beginning of the film it is evident that the men who live in the town respect the women they live with, as Mrs. Crane's daughter does not hesitate to voice her opinion on the matter of Blaise's disagreement with her father, with Blaise present in the room. Nobody tells her to hush up or keep her opinions to herself, such as some Western women may have felt she should have done, indicating that the women are able to speak their opinions freely and equally among the men. Mrs. Crane, especially, appears to be one of the most respected and influential people in town. In the first kitchen scene, Blaise almost begs her to be with him, but she denies him. Though later when Mrs. Crane realizes her husband and Blaise are going to duel over the land dispute, she takes charge and kisses Blaise in an attempt to get him to lay down his guns. She is constantly taking action in an attempt to stop the imminent violence, unlike the women in The Big Trail, who sit by and watch a fight. Mrs. Crane makes multiple visits to Blaise, which she states her husband even allows her to do, which is very strange given the circumstances that she is a married woman. The male residents general demeanor toward the women show the men of the town have a deep respect for Mrs. Crane and the rest of the women.
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