I love the western genre and have watched a great many of the best westerns ever made, but the thing about most westerns is that a vast majority of them are centered around white men.
Sure, there are a select few that feature Black characters, and I always welcome them, but most American westerns are focused on white men having white men problems.
Do you want to know another group that is rarely represented in westerns? Women! Which is strange since I'm sure women had their own problems back then, too. There are a few notable westerns focused on women, like Meek's Cutoff, True Grit, and 1956's Gunslinger, but my favorite is 1954's Johnny Guitar, and for several reasons. Here are just a few.
The Story Centers Around Joan Crawford As A Tough As Nails Saloon Owner
Today's younger cinephiles likely don't know much about Joan Crawford, unless it concerns the 1981 drama, Mommie Dearest, which stars Faye Dunaway as Crawford in a, let's just say, less than flattering light. However, Crawford had a pretty interesting career that had its high highs in the ‘20s and ‘30s, and its low lows in the late ‘60s/early ‘70s. The ‘50s in particular were an interesting period for Crawford, and that's where 1954's Johnny Guitar comes in.
Directed by Nicholas Ray, Crawford plays a saloon owner named Vienna who did everything she could to afford and build her saloon. The first time we see her, she's discussing business with a man, and you can tell she's the kind of woman who gets what she wants. That is until a posse arrives at her saloon, led by Emma Small (Mercedes McCambridge), who hates her guts and wants to see the place burn.
However, Vienna isn't going down without a fight, and even though she isn't quick to fire, she will definitely stand her ground, making her one of the more intriguing female characters in a western. First, I want to get back to the simmering anger between Vienna and Emma, as that's the crux of this film.
Her Rivalry With Another Woman Is One For The Ages
I really like westerns that subvert expectations. I recently wrote about The Big Country, and I love that movie since it stars a protagonist who preferred not to fight. I also love Johnny Guitar since it features something else that you don't often see in a western: a rivalry between women.
Which you wouldn't think, right, given the film's title. Johnny Guitar is actually a character in the film played by Sterling Hayden. While he is an important character, none of the men really matter as much as the hatred that Emma has for Vienna.
This hatred leads to a startling climax that rivals anything you might see in other, more popular westerns like The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, and Unforgiven.
In The End, It's Unlike Any Other Western From The '50s, Or Even Today
I've seen so many westerns in my life, but I've never seen one like Johnny Guitar. I usually love westerns where you root for the outlaw, but Johnny Guitar isn't that. I also love westerns where you have men squinting at each other for long periods of time before they have a shoot-out, but Johnny Guitar isn't that, either.
In fact, even after all I've written, it's still hard for me to explain just why I love this western so much since it doesn't follow any of the tropes that I'm so familiar with when it comes to the genre. This might be why the film did moderately well when it first came out, but it's since developed a new, modern appreciation.
This is why you should definitely watch Johnny Guitar if you haven't already (it's available on Kanopy), since I guarantee you haven't seen any other western like it.
