The Ballad of Little Jo (1993)

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 ... See full summary »

Director:

Maggie Greenwald

Writer:

Maggie Greenwald

Stars:

Suzy Amis, Bo Hopkins, Ian McKellen

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Suzy Amis	...	Josephine 'Jo' Monaghan
Bo Hopkins	...	Frank Badger
Ian McKellen	...	Percy Corcoran
David Chung	...	Tinman Wong
Heather Graham	...	Mary Addie
Rene Auberjonois	...	Streight Hollander
Carrie Snodgress	...	Ruth Badger
Anthony Heald	...	Henry Grey
Melissa Leo	...	Beatrice Grey
Sam Robards	...	Jasper Hill
Olinda Turturro	...	Elvira
Ruth Maleczech	...	Shopkeeper
Jeffrey Andrews	...	Sam
Cathy Haase	...	Mrs. Addie
Peadair S. Addie Sr.	...	Mr. Addie

Storyline

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. Josephine quickly learns that young, female, pretty, and alone are a bad combination for life in the wild west. In her desperation to survive, Josephine disguises herself as "Jo", a young man, and struggles to make a life for herself in a dingy frontier mining town. Can "Little Jo" live and love without revealing his/her secret?

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Plot Keywords:

mining | western town | interracial relationship | main character dies | teacher student relationship | 

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Taglines:

In the Wild West, a woman had only two choices. She could be a wife or she could be a whore... Josephine Monaghan chose to be a man.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality and some violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 August 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ballada o malym Jo

Filming Locations:

Carbon County, Montana, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$514,451 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Joco, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Little Jo shoots his(her) first wolf, the wolf has a rope tied around his leg and it's being pulled on to make him lie down.

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Quotes

P.D. Smith, Ruby City Mortician: Mr. Badger!
Frank Badger: Yeah, what? What the matter?
P.D. Smith, Ruby City Mortician: It's about Little Jo!
Frank Badger: Well, speak up, man! What about him!
P.D. Smith, Ruby City Mortician: He was a woman!

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Connections

Referenced in Siskel & Ebert: Bad Girls/The Inkwell/Naked in New York/Brainscan/Surviving the Game (1994)

User Reviews

a little slow, but excellent nonetheless

This is a non-action-oriented Western about a woman who, for years, masquerades as a man. At the beginning of the film, she is thrown out by her father after she gives birth to an illegitimate child, so she travels west. However, along the way, she is attacked and decides to disguise herself as a guy so she'll be left alone. While this might be seen as a strongly feminist or gay-positive movie (featuring a very alternative lifestyle, indeed), the movie did not seem preachy or agenda-driven. Instead, it is a smart film that takes a very slow and leisurely pace to the ultimate conclusion. I would have preferred the pace and mood to perhaps be a little less somber, but considering how intelligent the film was, I will certainly forgive this.

Particular standouts are Suzy Amis as Jo and Bo Hopkins. I always felt that Hopkins was a bit of a light-weight (particularly considering the parts in the 1970s), but he proves himself to be an excellent actor. It's a real shame neither of these actors got much work after the film debuted--they certainly deserved it.