RT Day of the Outlaw

The film, Day of the Outlaw, was produced in 1959 by Andres De Toth. In the film a group of outlaws run into a small town so that their injured leader can rest and receive medical attention. While there, his men continuously try to take advantage of the four women in the town. The outlaws view the four women as objects, wishing to only have a short-lived physical relationship with them. The outlaws try time and time again to kiss the women and rip clothing off of their bodies. However, the injured captain and one of the outlaws, Gene, does not allow the other outlaws to do so.

As a member of the town, the women hold simple tasks around the town showing no real deviance from stereotypical "housewife standards". The four women cook, clean, and aren't given much work that is stereotypically "masculine". This coincides with the objectification of women by the outlaws. They aren't given much freedom or individuality, sticking to work that the men want them to do. Additionally, all of the women are married or thinking about soon becoming married. A strong part of their life is obtaining a union with a male figure and the objectivity of the process. One of the characters, Mrs. Crane, is married to one of the men in the town despite being loved by and loving Mr. Starrett. She offers herself as a reward if Mr. Starett refuses to kill her husband. Mrs. Crane pictures herself as an object, a means of reward that can be traded from one man to another.

It is interesting that this film portrays women in such a way, given that it follows such events as Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat and the case decision of Brown v. The Board of Education. The film comes after the empowerment of those who previously had unfair rights and one was led by a female. However, during this same time period the barbie doll was released several months before The Day of the Outlaw. The perfectionism and objectiveness of women was heightened by this new product and corelates clearly with the mentality of the film. Past female roles and the arrival of new products such as the barbie doll had a profound impact on The Day of the Outlaw despite recent events such as Brown v. the Board of Education.