Women of the West.
Yeehar. Anthology Film Archives kicks off their Women of the West series this weekend! Expect a bang from start to finish, with everyone’s secret favorite western — Johnny Guitar starring Joan Crawford — opening the series tomorrow night on 35mm. From Anthology:
Women have always been present in the genre as supporting figures: wives, sisters, preachers’ daughters, teachers, prostitutes, etc. But this series highlights Westerns that focus on a female protagonist, foregrounding the importance of women both to the Western genre and to the history of the American West itself. Spanning the early days of cinema all the way to the 21st century, and encompassing a number of films written and directed by women, this series aims to construct a narrative indicating the varied roles women played in shaping this country and more broadly the ways that the film industry has told stories of our western foremothers: the sharpshooters, hustlers, entrepreneurs, bandits, and all-around resilient women who worked as hard as men to maintain normalcy amid an inhospitable landscape.
August 31-September 16th. See the full calendar.
Above, the theatrical release U.S. one sheet for Kelly Reichardt’s Meeks Cutoff with art by Marlene McCarty. The film plays September 1st, 15th, and 16th.