Maggie Greenwald’s The Ballad of Little Jo** and Michael Curtiz’s Mildred Pierce** are both prominent examples of strong female characters in film. At a mining camp in Ruby City, she meets Percy (McKellen) who takes her under his wing. Though he seems slow-witted, Jo is not happy at having company forced upon her, and is afraid he will discover she is not a man. ", The Ballad of Little Jo was nominated for the 1994 Independent Spirit Award for best female lead (Amis) and best supporting male (Chung).[4]. Mary (Heather Graham) even sees Jo as a potential husband. Based on a true story, "The Ballad of Little Jo" offers a glimpse of how difficult it was to be a woman on her own in the wild west. He goes back to her homestead, and as he tears the place apart in anger, comes across the letter from her sister, and a picture of her as she lived as a woman. The Ballad of Little Jo* Grew up with the '50s TV cowboys who I enjoyed as a child and later enjoyed Clint in his spaghetti westerns. 2. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Jo collapses while fetching water, and Badger finds her in bed, near death. The film stars Suzy Amis, Bo Hopkins, Ian McKellen, David Chung, Heather Graham, Carrie Snodgress and Melissa Leo, and was written and directed by Maggie Greenwald. Feminization of Asian (American) Men in the U.S. Mass Media. Cast: Cast: Suzy Amis, Bo Hopkins, Ian McKellen, David Chung, Rene Auberjonois, Carrie Snodgress. She assists a traveling salesman (René Auberjonois) who subsequently tries to sell her services as a whore to passing strangers. Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2000. 25. Asian males in American Largely ostracized by the town's people since the incident with the prostitute, Percy promises Jo he will not share her secret if she finances his journey out of the territory. Percy recommends Jo for a job at the stable, and teaches her about how to survive in the frontier. As a single woman traveling alone, she is viewed with suspicion, or as sexual prey for any man. The Ballad of Little Jo (1993) Mark Franklin November 26, 2016 1990s Suzy Amis is Jo Monaghan, a woman shunned by her family after having an illegitimate child. Delivery/packaging of DVD was as expected. Seeing it as her only protection, Josephine scars her face, and begins to dress as a man – thus becoming "Jo.". Badger is furious at the betrayal by his friend, and because Jo "made a fool out of me." I liked it so much that I took my wife to see it and then my daughter (18 years old at the time). There was also Baby Ben, but \"he was too little to come outside\". The photography is awesome, the actors/actressess are great!! Her backs were no where near as bad, so decided to leave them alone.. She did great, stood ground tied … For 2003 Big Idea film, see, Chiung Hwang Chen. . The Ballad of Little Jo was inspired by a true story. It does not, however, fit into the stereotype of Western genre films. The Ballad of Little Jo* A feud begins to brew between the sheep herders and cattlemen who are moving into the territory. The Ballad of Little Jo is the third musical by Mike Reid and Sarah Schlesinger that we’ve produced at Two River Theater . Decided to trim Jo’a front feet today! Based on a true story, this is the tale of Josephine Monaghan, a young woman of the mid nineteenth century who is thrown out of her parents' home after being seduced by the family's portrait photographer and giving birth to his child. Jo intervenes, and Badger insists the "chinaman", Tinman Wong (David Chung), go to live with Jo to help with the homestead. I thought you'd amount to something.". Disgraced, a 19th century society girl journey's west disguised as a man. Amazon.com: The Ballad of Little Jo: Suzy Amis, Bo Hopkins, Ian McKellen, David Chung, Heather Graham, Rene Auberjonois, Carrie Snodgress, Anthony Heald, Melissa Leo, Sam Robards, Olinda Turturro, Ruth Maleczech, Declan Quinn, Maggie Greenwald, Anne Dillon, Brenda Goodman, Fred Berner, Ira Deutchman, John Sloss, Maggie Greenwald: Movies & TV ", The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 76% approval rating with an average rating of 6.6/10 based on 50 reviews. Beautiful countryside in the movie. Journal of Communication Inquiry. She is expelled from her family and home in disgrace, and with no other resources, she leaves her newborn son under the care of her sister and heads West. Love the story, love the music. David Mansfield. On the road, Josephine discovers that her options are very limited. Time Out says. But Percy nurses a deep suspicion of women, which he later demonstrates by slashing the face of a prostitute who refuses to give him oral sex. This was especially true in the mining camp scenes. This is a masculine quality that goes beyond her ability to "pass," so Jo dons a dress once again in a feeble effort to step back into a more traditionally feminine role. Bob narrates that a long time ago, way out in the West somewhere, on a ranch known as the Okie-Dokie corral, there lived a group of cowboy brothers. The Ballad of Little Jo. Jo is not swayed, and meets with the representative from the cattle company, Henry Grey (Anthony Heald) to tell him she will sell. As a western, it is in its use of the genre that the film's feminist perspective is articulated. This page was last edited on 18 March 2021, at 20:31. His life was the subject of the 1993 film The Ballad of Little Jo. Even though there is some violence in this, it is representative of the times to make it more believable. For a movie that I wasn't prepared to like, this little, unknown `ballad' turned into a treasure-trove of surprises. This film really makes you think about what women may have gone through during the settling of the west. The plot jumps to many years later, after Tinman Wong has died. The revelation of Joe's sex became a sensationalized national news story after his death in 1904. A moving relationship between her and a Chinese man who is harassed. One day in town, Jo comes across a mob about to lynch a Chinese laborer for trying to "take our jobs." The Ballad of Little Jo Cast Size Cast Size 3f, 2m Duration Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours) SubGenre Subgenre Adaptations (Stage & Screen) Audience Target Audience Adult Based on a true story, this is the tale of Josephine Monaghan, a young woman of the mid-19th century who is thrown out of her parents’ home after being seduced by the family’s portrait photographer and giving birth to an illegitimate child. As Grey prepares the papers inside, Jo watches his wife who, through the warped glass, is visually reminiscent of Jo when she was a woman of society. I think it is good for ages 12 and up. Josephine quickly learns from several bad experiences that being a … A local girl, Mary, (Graham) has her eye on Jo. However, Mary ends up wedding her cousin, Lucas Brown, soon after Jo returns from her first winter as a sheep herder. At last, Ballad of Little Jo available in UK. Film, Action and adventure. This was a completely different approach to the western genre. The difference here is that she had to disguise herself as a man so she wouldn't be raped or killed. Director, Maggie Greenwald. The story of a woman who goes through life in the Wild West disguised as a man, THE BALLAD OF LITTLE JO coolly subverts the traditionally macho western by … I love everything about it, a must see and a must have to add to your lesbian/coming out/eunique collection! David Mansfield. But Tinman easily discovers the truth about Jo, and in doing so, reveals he is far more intelligent than he has pretended to be—he, too, has been masquerading for his own safety. She keeps as much distance as possible. Even dressing up as a man was a hanging offense at the time. Ballad for Little Jo (End Title) David Mansfield. A couple of freezes during the film worried me for a few seconds but that may have been down to my DVD player. Blind to the truth, most hope the two will court. Originally from Boston, Josephine lived in a tough Idaho mining town for nearly 20 years, disguised as a man called “Jo.” Jo drops her guard and the two begin a love affair. Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2005. Tinman recovers, and on election day, Badger and Jo ride to Ruby City but are met by several of Grey's masked gunmen. Clipping found in The News and Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina on Oct 22, 1993. One of the brothers named Reuben greets the viewers with \"'Allo, little doggies!\" After that, the rest of the brothers were introduced, who are all named Simeon, Levi, Izzy, Zeb, Gad, Ash, Dan, Natty, and Jude. Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2017. "[9], The film has been criticized for reinforcing a feminized image of The Western Cattle Company wants to buy up all the land in the area, and they kill anyone who does not comply. Suzie Amis is a much under rated actress. The Ballad of Little Jo is a taut, unconventional adventure that takes aim at the glorious macho westerns of the past. The story line believable!! Based on a film of the same name and set in the late 19 th century, The Ballad of Little Jo is inspired by the remarkable real-life story of a woman named Josephine Monaghan. Tinman argues that it will be impossible for her to go back being the society woman, urging her to keep the homestead, and stand against the cattlemen in the upcoming election. For five years she works as a shepherd, braving the deadly winters alone to the worry of her employer, Frank Badger (Hopkins), who has taken a liking to the "young man" he nicknames "Little Jo." The Ballad of Little Jo tells the story of Josephine Monaghan (Suzy Amis), a society woman who is forced to leave her home and family after she gives birth to an illegitimate child. The letter is from Jo's sister, and Percy having opened it, now knows he is a she. Jo has witnessed the brutal murders of too many of her friends, and the violence that will be necessary to win this kind of fight goes against her gentle nature. Badger comes along, and is furious when Grey arrives with his wife so that Jo can sign the final papers for the sale of the homestead. As Little Jo, she is hardly a convincing cowboy. All stand around the preparation table in shock, all except Mrs. Addie (Cathy Haase), the saloon owner, who laughs and laughs. Greenwald presents a woman who disguises herself as a man until the day she dies, while Curtiz presents a woman who … There was also one more brother, named He is furious at being made a fool of by a woman and "a whore at that," referring to the mention of her son in the letter. [11], This article is about original 1993 film. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 16, 2015. Based on a true story, this is the tale of Josephine Monaghan, a young woman of the mid-19th century who is thrown out of her parents' home after being seduced by the family's portrait photographer and giving birth to an illegitimate child. Back in 2012, our Red Bank audiences didn’t know what to expect when we ushered them into our black box theater to hear a new, completely unknown (not based on a blockbuster movie or novel) chamber musical called She scars her face to give a reason to hide it and heads out west. 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