The film, Day of the Outlaw, really depicts a negative attitude toward women. The women in this little town out west are truly treated not as people, but objects. We see the townsmen moving them around trying to keep them safe, but the outlaws eventually capture them. A great example of the inequality of women is the scene of the dance. The outlaws are only looking for the sexual pleasures of the women. They have no care for their feelings or the fact that they are living beings. Tex and Pace are probably the worst out of all the outlaws. They are the most brutal and continue to push the limits by throwing themselves onto the women. Constantly they are trying to make sexual advances on the townswomen and torturing other townspeople so their desires can be satisfied.
As for a cultural study stand point, we see Helen in this film try to be a leader and offer advice to the fellow townspeople. The 2nd wave of the feminist movement was just beginning when this film was made, 1959. Helen describes a great example a women who is constantly giving advice but no one will actually consider it. She represents the beginning of the movement and the struggles women had with getting their voice heard. The men continue to only listen to themselves, and disregard Helen’s advice or opinion on most of the matters at hand. It is very difficult for any women in this time period to have any sort of power over men other than one in a sexual nature.
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The film, Day of the Outlaw, really depicts a negative attitude toward women. The women in this little town out west are truly treated not as people, but objects. We see the townsmen moving them around trying to keep them safe, but the outlaws eventually capture them. A great example of the inequality of women is the scene of the dance. Some of the outlaws are only looking for the sexual pleasures of the women. They have no care for their feelings or the fact that they are living beings. Tex and Pace are probably the worst out of all the outlaws. They are the most brutal and continue to push the limits by throwing themselves onto the women. Constantly they are trying to make sexual advances on the townswomen and torturing other townspeople so their desires can be satisfied. The women were considered sexually shallow as well. Helen offered Starrett to continue their relationship in exchange for her husband’s life. She even tries to use her body as a tool of persuasion but that doesn’t work. She is actually using her body as a tool of negotiation. This is not an archetype that the feminist movement was hoping to portray in their efforts to become equal.
ReplyDeleteAs for a cultural study stand point, this film is extremely odd. The 2nd wave of the feminist movement was going and making statements in 1959. However, this film seems to regress women’s rights despite the effort in society. The feminist movement is represented by the women in this film. Their inability to be heard demonstrates the struggles they had as well as the ineffectiveness of their efforts. Helen exhibits an example a women who is constantly giving advice but no one will actually consider it. She represents the beginning of the movement and the struggles women had with getting their voice heard. The men continue to only listen to themselves, and disregard Helen’s advice or opinion on most of the matters at hand. It is very difficult for any women in this time period to have any sort of power over men other than one in a sexual nature