Rooster Cogburn (1975) stars John Wayne as the titular character, a drunken U.S. Marshal serving in Arkansas circa 1880. After losing his badge as a result of shooting sixty-four men during an eight-year period of time, Reuben “Rooster” J. Cogburn is called upon by Judge Parker to resume his duties. Rooster is given the task of apprehending Hawk, Breed, and the gang who stole a wagon carrying nitroglycerine and dynamite, attacked an Indian village and killed many, including Reverend Goodnight and U.S. military personnel. Rooster, after quickly determining that no posse of deputies will be aiding him, is stunned when Eula Goodnight declares that she will accompany him so as to see to it that her father’s killer faces justice. Rooster, at first irritated that Eula and Wolf, an Indian boy, are determined to accompany him, gradually warms to the pair. Eula saves Rooster’s life by shooting one of Hawk’s men before he could shoot Rooster. Thus, despite the fact that Eula’s many religious sayings at first annoy Rooster, he comes to appreciate her perspective and view of life.
In the classic Western film, all characters except the white alpha male cowboy are “the other.” All other characters, including Indians, deeply religious individuals, and women serve as contrast characters who demonstrate that the white alpha male cowboy is the ideal man. In Rooster Cogburn, these definitions of “the other” do not hold true. Due to the fact that Hawk and his gang attack the Indian village, killing many, the Indians are portrayed as the innocent victims of a band of murderers. Additionally, Wolf is shown to be intelligent (as he has been educated by Eula), courageous (he risks his life on multiple occasions while attempting to recover the nitroglycerine), and a friend of Cogburn. Clearly, this film is revisionist in its portrayal of Indians as Wolf is a far cry from the Indians portrayed in The Big Trail (1930) and The Searchers (1956). The classic Western film “rejects organized religion and a belief in spiritual power….[as the viewer is] supposed to perceive the ridiculousness of believing in a divine Providence” (Tompkins 35-36). Rooster Cogburn, however, portrays the deeply religious Eula Goodnight in a very positive light. As Rooster, Eula, and Wolf begin to travel together, Rooster is openly hostile to Eula’s religious beliefs and criticizes her for frequently quoting the bible. However, as the film progresses, Rooster himself makes references to a deity when he, Eula, and Wolf encounter dangerous scenarios (being surrounded by Hawk’s men while hiding behind the nitroglycerine in the woods, traveling down the rough river on the boat with the nitroglycerine). By the conclusion of the film, Rooster has accepted the importance of religion in Eula’s life and no longer criticizes her beliefs. Clearly, this film is revisionist in its acceptance of religion.
The most important aspect of Rooster Cogburn is the fact that Eula Goodnight is portrayed as a strong, independent woman. In the classic Western, women are weak, irrelevant, and dependent upon men in order to survive. This film is clearly revisionist in its portrayal of Eula as she does not take “No” for an answer when she decides to accompany Rooster in apprehending Hawk and his gang. Eula knows how to shoot a rifle and utilizes this skill to save Rooster’s life. Additionally, she is able to deceive Hawk and his men, telling them that Rooster is injured. After the men let down their guard, Rooster promptly kills them. At the film’s conclusion, Eula requests that Rooster escort her back to the Indian village as she wants to rebuild it on her own. From a cultural studies point of view, it is quite logical that Eula is portrayed as a strong female character as the film was released in 1975. At the time, the women’s rights movement was once again in full force. In 1973, the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade restricted state governments in preventing women from having abortions. This was a major victory for advocates of women’s rights. In 1972, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was passed by the U.S. Congress. However, it was not ratified by a sufficient number of states, and never became an amendment to the Constitution. The ERA, if ratified, would have prevented state governments and the federal government from denying equal rights on account of sex. The ERA became a contentious issue during the 1970s as its conservative opponents feared that it would lead to a change in regard to the roles of men and women in the U.S. Some of the comments that Rooster makes to Wolf in regard to Eula are obviously a result of the women’s rights struggles of the 1970s. Rooster says to Wolf that “If we ever give them [women] the vote, god help us.” Additionally, Rooster tells Wolf that Eula is “frightening.”
The film only follows the classic view of women in two instances: (1) Eula cooks for Rooster and Wolf (after killing and skinning a turkey on her own) and (2) Eula remarks to Rooster that “living with him is an adventure that any women would relish.” These two instances, however, are not incredibly consequential when compared with the important events and themes of the film as a whole. Thus, in comparison with the classic Western, it is clear that Rooster Cogburn is revisionist in its portrayal of Indians, of deeply religious individuals, and of women.
No comments:
Post a Comment