J.O. Day of the Outlaw

Released in 1959, The Day of the Outlaw, by André De Toth, portrayed women as the classic definition of “the other”. In this film, the four women were treated either as trophies worth protecting, or on the other hand, objects for the fulfillment of sexual lust. The men of the village wanted to protect the women from Bruhn’s gang while the men under Bruhn, chiefly Pace and Tex, wanted to use the women to carry out their pleasures. Additionally, the women were not encouraged to voice out their opinions or to do as they pleased; they were expected to listen and obey. Helen Crane is repeatedly brushed aside by Blaise who is unyielding to her complains. Ernine is also scolded by Gene and her little brother because she was acting irrationally and not thinking about the situation at hand or the danger that she was putting herself in. Throughout the film, the women were commanded by both sides; moreover, every attempt to take off the leash and become their own person was discouraged and reprimanded.

The way the women were treated in this film relates to the issues and ideas during the 1950s. During this time, conservatism and anticommunist feelings blanketed the American society. Families were tight and spent plenty of time together, ate family meals and so on. More important, women wore knee-length or longer skirts, evident in Helen and Ernine’s clothing, and most stayed at home to cook meals and tend to the children. However, nearing the end of decade, moods began to change as the populace moved from conservatism to more radical ideas and sought change.

Further, women also began to express more and more of their opinions nearing the end of the decade. In the film, Ernine pronounces in one of the early scenes that she would have a farmer over a rancher as a husband because she likes change. Similarly, Helen constantly attempts to push out her opinions on how Blaise should act, but he denies her advice and sticks to his mindset. Reflective of how hard it was for Helen to propose her opinions or have her ideas, troubles, and thoughts heard, a book by Betty Friedan, The Feminine Mystique, was published four years after the film describing the dissatisfaction felt by the middle-class American housewives with the narrow role imposed on them by society. In the end, the film takes on the issue of the definite role placed upon women, distinctively showing how they gradually begin to expand past their role to claim their own purpose and position in society.