Westward the Women
“These are women. Good women. Great women.” Yes, there are plenty of ways this celebration of the greatness of women seems, three quarters of a century later (writing in July 2026), dated and a bit hokey. But this unusual film is also a genuine celebration, and, about three quarters of the way through, it started to affect this viewer a great deal.
True, I watched it at a rather complicated moment in my life, and that undoubtedly made a difference to my experience and the emotions associated with it. Nevertheless, suddenly and unexpectedly, it began to function for me as a powerful allegory: there is no greater task, involving no greater responsibility, with no rewards and risks more unpredictable, than to make it possible for women (and not just one woman, a bunch of them) to go where they need to go, to do what they need to do, to be who they need to be, and where that includes, and perhaps above all, as selectrices (plural of selectrix: “you can look us over but don’t think you’re going to do the choosing”).
The very idea of such a task may seem almost anathema to the contemporary spirit, but…well, there are so many things I can’t tell you here. Perhaps one day, but, in truth, so much of the real adventure of life is destined to remain untold. All I can say now is that the tears began to pour out like a waterfall. And Denise Darcel: quite a woman indeed, and she is exactly the girl you’d put in the front seat of the plane, as told in the remarkable VJ Day story about her and American pilot James Helinger Sr.: https://www.chaoticsynapticactivity.com/2005/08/15/the-adventures-of-jim-sr-part-iii/ Westward!
True, I watched it at a rather complicated moment in my life, and that undoubtedly made a difference to my experience and the emotions associated with it. Nevertheless, suddenly and unexpectedly, it began to function for me as a powerful allegory: there is no greater task, involving no greater responsibility, with no rewards and risks more unpredictable, than to make it possible for women (and not just one woman, a bunch of them) to go where they need to go, to do what they need to do, to be who they need to be, and where that includes, and perhaps above all, as selectrices (plural of selectrix: “you can look us over but don’t think you’re going to do the choosing”).
The very idea of such a task may seem almost anathema to the contemporary spirit, but…well, there are so many things I can’t tell you here. Perhaps one day, but, in truth, so much of the real adventure of life is destined to remain untold. All I can say now is that the tears began to pour out like a waterfall. And Denise Darcel: quite a woman indeed, and she is exactly the girl you’d put in the front seat of the plane, as told in the remarkable VJ Day story about her and American pilot James Helinger Sr.: https://www.chaoticsynapticactivity.com/2005/08/15/the-adventures-of-jim-sr-part-iii/ Westward!
Mini Review: “These are women. Good women. Great women.” Yes, there are plenty of ways this celebration of the greatness of women is dated and a bit hokey. But about ¾ of the way through it started to affect me a great deal. True, I watched it at a complicated moment in my life, and that undoubtedly made a difference. Nevertheless, suddenly and unexpectedly it began to function for me as a powerful allegory. So much of the real adventure of life is destined to remain untold. And Denise Darcel: wow. Westward!