Johnny Guitar

Nicholas Ray / US, 1954 / 110 min.

This superior, subversive Western with its progressive ideas on gender was way ahead of its time. At that time, its visual excess also made Johnny Guitar the most Baroque Western ever made. In this mercilessly feminist masterpiece, Joan Crawford shows that a woman’s independence comes at a brutal price.

poster Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, US 1954)

Women seldom play the lead in traditional Westerns. One of the most striking exceptions to this rule is Johnny Guitar, in which Joan Crawford battles conservative, male forces. Crawford’s character, Vienna, is unique in Western culture: one minute she’s a charming, gentle woman – she falls in love with Johnny Guitar (Sterling Hayden) – the next, she’s just as tough and ruthless as her male counterparts.

This is part of

Eye Classics

Director

Nicholas Ray

Production year

1954

Country

Original title

Johnny Guitar

Length

110 min.

Language

English

Subtitles

NONE

Format

35mm

Part of

Eye Classics

Eye’s collection includes a wealth of classics. We screen them regularly, in various programmes. Eye now brings film history even closer with its new series Eye Classics: three classics a week, chosen by Eye's programmers. On the big screen, screened in 35mm whenever possible.

Learn more