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The Women Reviews
If I could give this less than a half a star I would.
The historical significance is better than the actual film.
It may have its flaws, what with the shrieking worsened by old low-quality sound, the few scenes that could be shorter, and the aged views and beliefs on genders. But everything else surpasses those drawbacks, beginning with the perfectly-picked all-women cast and their performances, to the smooth transitioning of a play and its choreographies into cinema, to the high-end wit and comedy, to the direction and even the technicolor fashion show which has been criticized over the years as being a waste but now could act as a time capsule of the outfits of yesteryear. Yes it could've been shorter, but its duration means more time enjoying a movie so unique that there possibly will never be another one even close to The Women.
This movie has one of the best casts ever - Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, Paulette Goddard, Rosalind Russell, Mary Boland, Joan Fontaine, Hedda Hopper and Virginia Weilder just to make a few. These women carry the movie perfectly and acting is perfection. Some people disagree and say that Norma Shearer acts in a 'silent screen' type of way - but I cannot agree with that. I think she did an excellent job especially when she had the crying scene on the sofa (I don't think I have ever seen anybody cry that well before). Mary Haines (Norma Shearer) discovers that her husband is having an affair with money-hungry perfume sales girl Chrystal Allen (Joan Crawford). Aided and abetted by her cousin Sylvia Fowler (Rosalind Russell) and her army of girlfriends, Mary sets out to win back her man...and teach Chrystal a lesson or two in the process! The movie runs at a rapid pace, and never leaves you bored. The dialog is incredibly witty, it very much surprised me. There was also physical comedy - the hilariously done (and no stunt doubles too!) cat fight between Rosalind Russell and Paulette Goddard. I found the fashion show a bit dragging and too long, but it was still fun looking at all the wonderful classy fashions of that era. This hilarious comedy about women and their men can appeal to people who are not necessarily fans of old movies. 'The Women' is a wonderful catty, witty, hilarious movie that can be enjoyed by many.
A generous cornucopia of female gossip, cattiness, bitching, alliances, nurturing, revenge, with nary a man in sight. It's delightful with lots of energy and wonderful writing. One can't help wondering if the all-female cast and writers had great fun with this.
It was a fabulous movie!! It was made 80 years ago but (except for the attire) it nearly could have been made today. The acting style was a little more stylized, but to me it was beautifully well done! This is the 3rd time I have seen it. I'm sure I'll see it again in a couple of years. I completely agree with what was written next to the stars
Fueled by an amazing female cast and utterly hilarious, this Cukor's comedy is one of the rarest and witties of the 1930's. It is somewhat a satire about superficial women living in a fools paradise.
Shrieking harpies! Gaggling geese! Cawing crows! I was shocked at how irritating and almost unwatchable this film is; taken from a play that obviously has not stood the test of time (it's completely forgotten and never produced). The style it's directed in by George Cukor--fast talking, immediate cue pick-ups, animated mugging--is not clever or winsome--merely irritating in this treatment. Norma Shearer comes off well, as does the girl who plays her daughter, and Joan Crawford is charismatic and interesting, but the whole affair does not work; to be fair, maybe it once --sort of-- did in it's day-- maybe it was thought brave and shocking to show an all female cast of "socialites" being loud, aggressive, vulgar, and ugly. Now it just seems weird. It also has the unfortunate generic title of "The Women" (and, btw, doesn't hold a candle as a movie to "The Men" from the early 50's); if this film were truly reflective of most Women, the earth's population would quickly fall off to zilch. The film is also overly long by about 30 minutes. . . . Alright . . . the above was written with ten minutes left in my viewing; I will say the end was slightly winsome and made me give it a single additional star. Still, obnoxious overall and hard viewing. Buyer beware.
This is not the way typical Inormal) women behaved in 1939 or today. Long stretches of pure boredom should be edited out, as should the color sequence of a "fashion show". The color could have been used better in almost any other scene. As such, it drags the action of the film down to a crawl. The women are terribly misogynistic and have a dislike for the female sex and for women in general. The moral is to swallow your pride and go back to your husband -- no matter what he's done. That's the only way you can be happy. Maybe that was so in 1939. But this is a far cry from being a feminist masterpiece.
SPOILER ALERT!! One of my favorites. The final few seconds when she leaves the ladies' room and runs to meet her ex and the expression she had when she saw him was the only bad part of the movie....way too melodramatic for me. It still doesn't keep me from giving it a five star rating.
The Women is an excellent film. It is about the lives and romantic entanglements of various interconnected women. Norma Shearer and Joan Crawford give amazing performances. The screenplay is well written. George Cukor did a great job directing this movie. I enjoyed watching this motion picture because of the humor and drama. The Women is a must see.
A lot of crackle and fizz and some great home truths are uttered here. But also a lot of bloody talking which was hard to keep pace with. By then end it i peters out a bit.
Just watched this movie for the umpteenth time...cannot agree to any of it's humor or storyline. It is IMO just stupid...Rosalind Russell's character is awful ..over acted and ridiculous. It is all so overblown and absurd!!! IMO it is beneath Joan Crawford for doing it. Norma Shearer looked awful in it... it just got on my last nerve.
A fun one, for sure. About divorce, when it was still a new phenomenon, but also about infidelity and forgiveness. Lots of good one-liners, but the dialogue is delivered in that way-too-fast style popular back then. No real "acting" to speak of, just people reading a script, but a pretty great script here. The protagonist and her young daughter have great on-screen chemistry. Of course, the best thing is that there are absolutely no men in this movie. Of course, the only substantive thing the women talk about are the men, but in all 2+ hours of film, it's all women. Quite an achievement and a great premise for the 1930's!
The concept and execution is very much of its time. (Other timely examples of comedy of manners include The Philadelphia Story and Trouble in Paradise.) The film featured all of MGM's biggest female stars: Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Paulette Goddard, Rosalind Russell, and Joan Fontaine. The story focuses on Mary Haines (Shearer) a wealthy wife and mother who discovers that her husband is cheating on her with a perfume girl (Crawford). Mary then decides to divorce him, goes to Reno to get said divorce (since this is 1939), and the rest of the film features partner switching, infidelity, scandal, and intrigue as other female characters face the same issues as Mary and her daughter. Though the casting gimmick makes for an interesting watch, and the film does focus on basic issues that women have, it's not revolutionary. The women all depend on men. Their issues all stem from men. Their livelihoods, interests, careers, and aspirations are constantly linked to the men around them, even though they are completely unseen. Even when the women are alone, men are their only obligation. Perhaps Clara Boothe Luce and screenwriter Anita Loos were trying to slipin some commentary about the lack of agency in women's lives. A more likely explanation is that executives thought a film solely about women wouldn't interest anyone unless it was solely about finding and keeping men. The one scene that is supposedly solely intended just for women viewers is a fashion show, which is the only color section of the entire film. Director George Cukor hated it so much that he tried to have it cut from the film. It definitely feels forced and kind of patronizing, since the entire sequence is a lengthy 10 minutes, and it does nothing for the plot. It's as if the film doesn't trust women to be entertained by wit and humor, and decided we needed a palette cleanser, which is obviously ridiculous. What the original has over all subsequent remakes is a sense of poise and sophistication. Norma Shearer wins because she is a woman of substance, who cannot be replaced by the sultry Joan Crawford. Shearer was clean and concise, and she was known as an actress for her historical roles up until the advent of Turner Classic Movies. Any remake is going to be subpar, because this is a film very much of its time, and we no longer possess the same views on sexuality, marriage, equality, or feminism that we did in the Depression era 1930s. Of course, this didn't stop the 2008 remake from happening.
Absolutely crackles with wit and sass. One of the greatest movies of all time and Cukor's best work. I can watch this movie again and again while always finding some new nugget of enjoyment.
If you're having a little trouble following all of the chatter in the beginning of the movie, with what seems like too many characters and too much talking, just bear with it. The movie settles down nicely, and deals with the age old problem of infidelity. It has the interesting distinction of having a completely all-female cast, as well as quite a bit of star power. Norma Shearer is sweet and natural as always, and Joan Crawford plays her husband's mistress perfectly, with just the right amount of deviousness. Add Rosaline Russell and Joan Fontaine among others, and have them parade around in both high fashion, so well put together, as well as in exercise clothing at the spa, and wow, it's just a pretty film to watch. Oh, and while most of the film is in black and white, there is a fantastic six-minute fashion show in the middle which breaks into full color. The film had to conform to the dreaded Code, but it treats the subject of adultery more bluntly than I would have expected for 1939. When Shearer's character finds out about it, it's interesting to watch her mother's advice, which boils down to ignoring it because most men stray, including her father. I also loved Cukor's shot of Russell telling Shearer what to do, her bossy image appearing in 3 mirrors behind the stricken Shearer. There are some silly scenes here and there, the film gets a little sidetracked now and then, and I wasn't a big fan of the ending, but it's well worth watching.