Chicks With Guns Night

In the tough, feminist masterpiece Johnny Guitar, Joan Crawford demonstrates the violent cost of female independence. Crawford’s character Vienna is unique in the western genre: the charming, gentle woman who falls in love with Johnny Guitar (Sterling Hayden) is at times as hard and ruthless as her male counterparts. Johnny Guitar’s visual splendour made it one of the most baroque westerns of its time.

Vienna runs the saloon outside town and is hated by its citizens. When four friends hold up a stagecoach, the town marshals rush to the saloon to arrest them. However, they haven’t counted on Vienna who obstructs their efforts with the help of an old acquaintance, Johnny Guitar. One of Martin Scorsese’s favourite American classics, particularly because of Nicholas Ray’s expressionist use of colour and witty script.

This evening about women in westerns will be preceded by an hour of excerpts and trailers featuring, among others, Jane Russell in The Outlaw, Kim Darby in True Grit (1969), Doris Day in Calamity Jane and Michelle Williams in Meek's Cutoff.

Screening of the restored 35 mm print from Eye’s collection.