J.O. Johnny Guitar/Two Mules

In the typical Western film, the alpha male cowboy seizes the spotlight while all the additional characters are used solely for background and storyline purposes. These additional characters, notably the "others", usually include women, blacks, Indians and immigrants. However, as seen in Johnny Guitar and Two Mules for Sister Sara, the characters that frequently represent the "others" in typical Westerns are now portrayed as characters of equal importance to the alpha male cowboy himself. Most probable to the time period within which these films came about, the idea of "otherness" is revised, giving background characters major roles and more importance than customary of Western films.

Unusual of a Western film, the story of Johnny Guitar (1954) did not center around the alpha male cowboy; instead, it focused on his love, Vienna. A single, strong-willed saloonkeeper, Vienna is a major character who seems to be on an equal stage as Johnny. Like an alpha male cowboy, Vienna slings a gun, is independent and orders men. Vienna carries a lot of power in the town and the main plot of the story focuses on her trouble with the townsfolk who suspect her to be part of a committed robbery. On the other hand, Emma, the “villain” of the film is another powerful woman similar to Vienna. Like Vienna, she shoots a gun, commands a posse of men, and owns her own land. The women in this film do not play minor roles as typical of Western films; moreover, their roles are of equal importance to the alpha male cowboy, who somewhat works for Vienna. Significant of the time period, the plot of the film is similar to the blaming and finger pointing during the Red Scare. Because Vienna upholds different views concerning the railroad, the townsfolk dislike her. Further, at her first chance, Emma blames Vienna for the robbery, which leads to the ruining of her life, as was the same with many during the McCarthy era.

Similarly, in Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970), both the Mexicans and Sara play a more important role than accustomed to Westerns. Sara, a strong-willed woman, acts the same way Hogan does; she smokes, drinks, and can handle a gun. Throughout the film, Sara is with Hogan, which is important being that in the typical Western, the woman is left in the town while the alpha male cowboy goes off on an adventure. During the period of time that this movie was produced, the woman’s movement was in full effect. The equality women now shared with men is evident in this movie, as Sara’s role is equally important to the movie as the alpha male, and she is seen riding off with him in the end instead of being left in town. Furthermore, the Mexicans in this film also show the revision of the idea of otherness. The Mexicans are fighting for freedom and have Hogan to train and aid them. In America, along with the fight for Women’s Rights, the struggle for Mexican-American civil rights was also on the rise. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund were passed in 1968, which called for the training of local Hispanic leaders and political advocacy. Hispanic-American culture was also on the rise during this time. The strong presence of Mexicans in this film reflected the times and portrayed a new meaning of the idea of otherness.