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With: Suzy Amis, Bo Hopkins, Ian McKellen, David Chung, René Auberjonois, Carrie Snodgress, Heather Graham, Anthony Heald, Melissa Leo, Sam Robards, Olinda Turturro, Jeffrey Andrews, Cathy Haase, Peadair S. Addie Sr., Ruth Maleczech
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Written by: Maggie Greenwald
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Directed by: Maggie Greenwald
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MPAA Rating: R for sexuality and some violence
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Running Time: 121
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Date: 08/20/1993
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The Ballad of Little Jo (1993)
West Blend Girl
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
One of the few (only?) feminist Westerns, The Ballad of Little Jo may strike one as preposterous, but we are reminded that it's based on a true story, and there's something about Suzy Amis's performance that really works. She plays Josephine, a woman who is disgraced after having an illegitimate child in the late 19th century.
She heads West and quickly discovers that, as a woman in a frilly dress, she's seen mostly as a sexual object, with little agency of her own. She scars her own face, cuts her hair short, and begins going by "Jo." She eventually takes a job tending sheep, which allows her to be alone for many months of the year, though her boss, Frank Badger (Bo Hopkins) takes a liking to her and considers her a pal.
Maggie Greenwald directs with a serene beauty and elegant pacing, bringing to mind such films as Brokeback Mountain. David Chung co-stars as Tinman Wong, who is forced to tend sheep with Jo, discovers her secret, and begins an affair with her. Ian McKellen plays a scary misogynist, a man so menacing he makes even Magneto look nice.
Kino Lorber released this on a great-looking Blu-ray in 2023, including a commentary track by Greenwald and cinematographer Declan Quinn, an interview with Amis (14 minutes), and a batch of trailers for various Westerns. Recommended.
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