The Ballad Of Little Jo

The Ballad Of Little Jo

It’s hard to believe that the Old West was a pleasant place. It was full of violence, filth, starvation, disease, alcohol and sexually transmitted diseases and swarmed with all kinds of vermin. It wasn’t a good place for women even schoolmarms or hookers like you see in Westerns.

The main character in the film “The Ballad of Little Jo” is learning this truth for herself. After being kicked out by her angry parents for having an illegitimate child, Little Jo has fled to the West as many outcasts like her have done before. But it is obvious to the cowboys along the trail that she isn’t a schoolmarm because she wears a dress, bonnet and parasol which are big red flags. She gets treated badly and mistreated until she accepts a ride from someone who then sells her into slavery. Once free again, Jo knows there’s no other option but to do one thing.

She walks into a shop and buys some men’s clothing; from that point on Josephine becomes Jo.

Suzy Amis plays this vital role in the movie but honestly I can’t really believe that she could pass for a man at all.

Jo pulls down her hat brim low over her eyes and speaks in deep voice while slapping backs often when wearing chaps but it is clear enough that there is not enough testosterone present here. However Amis (who played an addled older sister in “Rich In Love”) works magic somehow so we accept him as male despite our doubts when things get going.

Maggie Greenwald wisely eschews traditional storylines as writer/director instead focusing on everyday life experiences during those times spent living out west . Ruby City where little jo finally settles down looks more like hell than anything else with its saloons filled with prostitutes frequented by smelly bearded men who never seem to venture outside except maybe church once/week if at all.

Little Jo buys herself some land just outside town where she raises sheep. Her closest neighbor is Frank Badger (Bo Hopkins), who lives up to his name; he’s terrifyingly mean but not completely evil either and may suspect more about Jo than he wants admit even if only internally sometimes Other townsfolk include Percy Corcoran (Ian McKellan), an Englishman exiled from society who acts friendly towards others while sober yet turns into wild animal whenever intoxicated ,and thinks sex means getting drunk then beating prostitutes afterwards.

Until one day when Tinman Wong stumbles upon a Chinese man being taunted/abused by locals surrounding him ,little jo keeps strictly personal business strictly personal. At first insistence from badger regarding hiring said individual as cook/laborer goes unnoticed by longing glances cast towards beautiful face hidden beneath layers of grime covering features belonging to said cook/laborer until eventually it doesn’t take long for tinman wrong figure out what most likely happened last night between Josephine legs.

And thus reveals itself true subject matter behind this movie which deals primarily with cross dressing among female characters during their attempts at survival within male dominated societies characterized by rampant racism against non caucasians such as Asians living peacefully together side by side without any problems whatsoever except maybe occasional language barrier preventing effective communication from taking place due lack knowledge possessed regarding different dialects spoken around world today.

I think “The Ballad Of Little Joe’ reminds us how many real life stories there were based upon actual events occurring throughout history book written about these particular incidents involving various individuals involved including Maggie Greenwald himself said director/writer responsible creation masterpiece film feature length duration approximately two hours long run time total minutes elapsed since beginning production process until final cut released theaters nationwide across America North South East West everywhere !!!

During a part of the film, Jo is openly addressed as ‘dude,’ implying she may be seen as a gay person.

Frank Badger may even think Tinman Wong would be a good match for her which he is but not in ways that Badger can imagine.

Watch the ending of the movie closely.

It’s pretty crude and rough around the edges but it fits with what has come before, where men of bad breeding lived and worked together in desperate poverty both physical and mental, so far locked into their roles that they hardly knew each other at all.

Watch The Ballad Of Little Jo For Free On Gomovies.