Vagabond vs. Easy Rider
"Film, unlike theatre, is the absent spectacle-the spectacle of absence. In this respect, therefore, it would seem to provide the perfect vehicle of expression for women as filmmakers and makers of feminist films." (Hayward 287)
In Vagabond, there is a seemingly weak and weary woman who cannot depend on herself when it comes to fulfilling the basics of life. She needs others to get food and to get from one place to another and is almost completely dependent upon other people, if not men, to sustain her life. Wyatt and Billy from Easy Rider have it easy compared to Mona. They not only have a nice ride full of money, but they are two men who are purely out for a fun and carefree roadtrip to find themselves without knowing it. They can depend on themselves and if not, they can woo most girls into getting them what they need. Although both films take place on the road, wide and open, these two movies are completely opposite in message. Vagabond has a struggling woman as the main character but even though she is struggling, she is not as misused as other female characters we have seen on previous movies. The camera does not look at her in a perverted way or anything even close; if anything it shows the condition she is in to help guide the story and create a sense of sadness about her character. In the other movies we've seen, the woman are either submissive and willing to bow down to most of men's needs, or they are looked upon as a stupid, airy sex toy on a bike. At least in this film Mona has some sense of being a female without all the little perks that some men hand out to women still today on a day to day basis. In the same sense, though, maybe the director is making a more obvious hint that although women have defeated the sexual submission in films, there are still the obvious daily feats that they have to face before they can really get on top. Maybe the director is appluading the fact that women have become more accepted but is booing the fact that women (and I'm talking about at the time these films were made) are still shot down and dependent on everybody else, seemingly. Billy and Wyatt would have nothing to complain about if they ever saw Mona on their trip.