Thursday, February 4, 2010

The Women (1939)

The Women
Director:  Geoge Cukor
Writer(s):  Clare Booth Luce (play)
                 Anita Loos (screenplay)
Release Date:  September 1, 1939

Synopsis:  Be careful what you say in private. It could become a movie. Some gossip overheard by Clare Boothe Luce in a nightclub powder room inspired her Broadway hit that's wittily adapted for the screen in The Women. George Cukor directs an all-female cast in this catty tale of battling and bonding that paints its claws Jungle Red and shreds the excesses of pampered Park Avenue princesses. Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Joan Fontaine, Mary Boland and Paulette Goddard are among the array of husband snatchers, snitches and lovelorn ladies.

Flick Facts:  
*     There are over 130 roles in this movie, all played by women. 
*     Phyllis Povah, Marjorie Main, Mary Cecil and Marjorie Wood originated their roles in the play, which opened on 7 September 1937 and had 666 performances at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in New York.
*     In addition to its all-female cast, every animal that was used in the film (the many dogs and horses) was female as well. In addition, none of the works of art seen in the backgrounds were representative of the male form.
*     Myrna Loy and Greta Garbo were the only top-tier female stars at MGM who did not star in this film, although Loy was considered for the role of Crystal Allen.
*     Although uncredited, F. Scott Fitzgerald contributed to the writing of the screenplay.
*     The film debut of actress Butterfly McQueen (best known as Gone With thte Wind's Prissy)
*     Director George Cukor was fired as director of Gone With the Wind a month prior to the scheduled start of filming of The Women.

She Said, She Said:

*       "Don't confide in your girlfriends.  If you let them advise you, they'll see to it in the name of friendship that you lose your husband and your home."
*     "You know, the first man that can think up a good explanation how he can be in love with his wife and another woman is going to win that prize they are always giving out in Sweden." 
*     "There's a name for you ladies, but it isn't used in high society . . . outside a kennel." 

         
While The Women can, and should be, a cringe-inducing nightmare for feminists, for those of us who appreciate sharp wit and classic old movies, The Women is a precious gem of a film, released in that cinematically overabundant year of 1939.  The mere fact that absolutely no males appear in the film at all, including the animals (and it's rumored that even books appearing on a bookshelf are those written by female authors only) qualifies this as a chick flick.  But what truly cements The Women its place in chick flick heaven is that this is a movie about men.  Nothing but men.  But from the female perspective. 

In a nutshell, Mary Haines has been happily married to Stephen for ten years.  She lives in the country (that would likely be Connecticut, since "the city" is New York) in  her lovely country home with ten year old daughter Mary (it was 1939, people), some horses, a dog named Sheba, a cook and a maid.  Yep, life looked pretty good for Mary.  Until her gossipy friend Sylvia (Mrs. Howard) Fowler overhears from chatty manicurist Olga that Stephen is stepping out on Mary.  Worse, Stephen is doing his cheating with perfume salesgal Crystal Allen.  In short order, Mary throws Stephen out, Stephen goes running to Crystal, Mary gets a divorce in Reno, Stephen marries Crystal, both Mary and Stephen realize they are miserable and end up together in the end.

Sounds incredibly elementary when it's broken down like that but this movie is chock full of witty cracks, barbs and stupendous supporting and character actresses.  Is it dated?  Sure.  How many of us can imagine staying at home, with a chef, a maid, a gardener and our most taxing event of the day getting a nail appointment?  Watching this movie, though, you can imagine!

Best parts of The Women:  The dialogue and the actresses.  I've already commented on how sharp the dialogue is - - this was when the censorship code was in effect so both Clare Booth Luce and Anita Loos made incredible use of the double entendre and hidden meanings.  The actresses, with support from director George Cukor, did a first rate job of pulling them off.   Rosalind Russell, as Sylvia, absolutely ran away with the show.  Not an easy feat when you've got Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Paulette Goddard, Joan Fontaine and Marjorie Main, among others, up there with you.   Oh, and let's not forget about the Technicolor fashion show halfway through.  Definitely worth popping the popcorn on its own.

Worst parts of The Women:  Two, and for completely different reasons.  First, the character of Peggy O'Day.    She might have been true to her times but she came across as weak and a bit sniveling.  She's going to leave her husband because he won't let her have a job?  But then when she decides to go back, she's going "to do everything John says"?  Yuck.  Second, Norma Shearer.  Not that Ms. Shearer's portrayal wasn't good - - it was.  Unfortunately for her, this is the performance she's primarily remembered for . . . playing the wronged, almost saintly wife.  (Which also plays into her critic's rebukes that Shearer only became a star due to being Mrs. Irving Thalberg and the roles he bought her).  It's certainly not her best performance and a far cry from the amazing roles she had in the late '20s and early '30s but Shearer was well suited for the role.

Spawns and SequelsThe Opposite Sex (1956) was a musical remake with June Allyson taking over the Mary Haines part and Joan Collins stepping into Joan Crawford's heels.  Not even adding male actors to the film could save this stinker.
The Women (2008) went back to the tried and true formula -- no music and no men and some big names in the key roles. However, as cute as she's been in the past, Meg Ryan (herself a frequent chick flick flyer) just couldn't pull off Mary Haines and the whole film came across like a deflated balloon.

The Final WordThe Women  is one of my absolute favorite films of all time.  I have seen this movie so many times I have actually worn out a VHS tape of it.  No matter how many times you watch it, it still retains its freshness and humor.  And boy do I wish I could have been in that theater in 1939 when it premiered. 




The Women  may be purchased at major movie sellers, as well as at Amazon, at the following links.
http://astore.amazon.com/psychstate0e-20/detail/B0008ENICU
http://astore.amazon.com/psychstate0e-20/detail/B000063K2W
http://astore.amazon.com/psychstate0e-20/detail/6304056958

The 2008 remake of The Women may be purchased at major movie sellers, as well as at Amazon, at the following links:

http://astore.amazon.com/psychstate0e-20/detail/B0017ANAZO
http://astore.amazon.com/psychstate0e-20/detail/B001J6NZGU

The Opposite Sex may be purchased at Amazon, at the following link:

http://astore.amazon.com/psychstate0e-20/detail/6301980727



7 comments:

  1. I have been been wanting to see this for quite a while. Great review! Fab pictures!

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  2. I will be watching this one this week :)

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  3. The animals are female too? Wild!

    Here's my mini review: http://vintagewhimwham.blogspot.com/2010/05/classic-movie-women.html

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  4. Q: What other Shearer films would you recommend?

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  5. Hi Juju!
    So glad you were able to catch The Women. Wasn't it fabulous?
    I personally prefer Shearer's earlier films versus her later ones. I would recommend "The Divorcee" (she won the Academy Award for this performance and the film is an early appearance for Robert Montgomery), "A Free Soul" (an early appearance by Clark Gable and he shoves Norma around), "Let Us Be Gay" (featuring the incredible Marie Dressler),"Strangers May Kiss" (this one may not be available on DVD but the others are) and "Smilin' Through" (with Leslie Howard, an unashamedly romantic piece).

    If you loved Shearer in The Women, you will adore her in these early roles in which she is very "modern" (for the times) and determined. These roles make her one of my favorite classic movie actresses.

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  6. Totally!

    YAH recommendations. Ok so I added The Divorcee and A Free Soul to my Netflix list. But they don't carry Let Us Be Gay or Strangers May Kiss. Boo! I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for those.
    Thank you SOOOOO much for your recommendations :)

    Side note: I loved how Miriam turned out to be a real friend and more than meets the eye.

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  7. Let Us Be Gay JUST came out on DVD. I happened to stumble on it in an old movie catalog. I had previously only seen it on TCM and I had taped it off there years ago. Hopefully it will be added to the Netflix/Blockbuster roster soon.

    Juju, you may want to see if Netflix carries "Forbidden Hollywood: Volume 2". You will find The Divorcee and A Free Soul there, as well as Night Nurse (with Barbara Stanwyck and Clark Gable, playing another heavy), Three on a Match (early Bette Davis) and Female (with the little remembered but fantastic Ruth Chatterton as a female boss who makes every use possible of her male employees). All these movies were made prior to the Production Code and were considered very racy. They are all fantastic, and makes me wonder what future movies would have been liked had the Production Code never come into play.

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