DB - The Day of the Outlaw

The Day of the Outlaw, a 1959 film directed by Andre de Toth, is in many ways a typical western. It has cowboys, outlaws, horses and violence. However, it is rather unique within the western genre in its portrayal of women and of love. In the film, some of the women are shown to be more free thinking and independent. The time period in which the film was created was marked by a shift in perception of women and their importance in society. America was experiencing a second wave of feminism, in which it was beginning to see women as more than just live in maids whose job was to please their man and family. America was beginning to see women as men’s equals, as being equally important and requiring their own identity. In the film, some of the women, such as Helen, are admittedly portrayed in a way that was more typical of women at the time, being submissive and willing to do anything to please or protect her man. However, Ermine is a departure from the ordinary in terms of the depiction of women in western films. She is independent minded, ignoring men at times in order to get what she wants. Additionally, she in many ways dominates Gene, causing him to reconsider his life and decide he wanted to stay with her. This is extremely atypical for westerns. In most cases, men are often seen leaving women behind, often ignoring them when they plead for them to stay. It is interesting, therefore, that Gene goes against this stereotype, opting to stay and live his life with “a good woman”. The film also addresses love in ways that most westerns don’t, because whereas in most westerns the alpha male cowboys have no real love interests and are in many ways married to the land, the men in The Day of the Outlaw value women and recognize their love.

It is important to note, however, that while the film does at times recognize shifts in the perception of women, the film does still contain many of the typical stereotypes of women that exist in the western genre. Women are viewed by many as objects (of pleasure), needing the protection of a man. In other words, the film insinuates that the women are not capable of protecting themselves, which does prevent women from being portrayed as true equals to men.