The Women (A or 4/4 stars)
Well, I have to admit it. I had a blast watching 'The Women', a big, soapy, sudsy, gossipy melodrama directed by the great George Cukor & containing an all-female cast of charmingly egotistical Hollywood starlets. It's one of those fun, voyeuristic movies where the "supposed" backstage drama within the all-star cast virtually spills over into what she see ON the screen during the plotlines {haha}. Knowing that the fluffy 2008 remake of this film was a bomb with critics, I just assumed that this original movie must not have been far off (yet, forgivable for the time it was made, 1939), but I would be wrong. I loved this.
Based on a stage play, this comedy centers on a group of chatty & catty society women who spend their days at the beauty salon & attending high-fashion shows. The sweet & wealthy Mrs. Mary Haines (Norma Shearer) finds her marriage in deep trouble when social-climbing shop girl Crystal Allen (Joan Crawford) digs her claws into Mary's husband (whom we never see; there is a nary a man onscreen for the entire film). Naturally, this situation becomes the latest talk amongst Mary's gaggle of gossipy "friends", especially the head of the tell-talers, scandal-worshipper Sylvia Fowler (the enormously entertaining Rosalind Russell). But she's one to talk; as she eventually finds herself on a train to Reno & headed for Mary's potential fate ... divorce from her own husband. However, in a very old-fashioned, 1930s way ... Mary casts feminism aside, swallows her pride, & attempts to win her adulterous husband back from Crystal's venomous talons. Perhaps some "jungle red" nail polish will help {see the movie for this reference}.
The cast is aided by a snappy, wildly humorous script (by vet female screenwriter, Anita Loos). For every put-down & insult, there is a witty comeback to silence the initial comment. And the characterizations are a hoot -- Joan Crawford is snake-like; exhibiting strong sexual confidence & showing absolutely no remorse for stealing a man from his wife. You can't stand her, but that's the point. Whether lying through her big teeth on a telephone or barking orders from a bathtub or sashaying around in a ridiculous turban, she nails the villainess role. Rosalind Russell gets to show off her multi-faceted thespian chops with her typically lightning quick line deliveries, fantastic face pulls & deft physical comedy. I perked up every time she entered a scene; knowing that something hysterical might happen.
And Norma Shearer - who I'd always heard about but never saw in a movie yet - is truly great in her portrayal of good-girl Mary who is desperately trying to hold it together for her mother, daughter, friends, & her own sanity while everyone knows that she's been betrayed by hubby, Steven. She appears tough, but boy, can Shearer turn on the waterworks at any moment -- it's remarkable, really. The one thing I notice about this actress is that: while she's not your typical beauty in the conventional sense, there's something very appealing about her; which explains how she was the queen of MGM's motion pictures throughout the '30s.
The rest of the cast is wonderful: young Joan Fontaine (SO pretty) as the confused, demure Peggy; Paulette Goddard - who had just lost the lead role in Gone With the Wind - as Mary's mischievous new gal pal; Mary Boland as humorous, serial-marrying society dame, the Countess de Lave; the list goes on & on & on - 130 female speaking parts! Technically speaking, the film impresses, as well. The cinematography (including a Technicolor interlude where we see Adrian's designer fashions in all of their vibrancy), production design, & musical score all aid the b*tche -- eh, I mean -- women we see onscreen.
I was surprised to find out that this film received no Oscar noms anywhere! It had the best pedigree in the world. It was a box office hit. And it received good reviews. I suppose the fact that it was released in one of the strongest years in cinema history had something to do with that. As mentioned, the behind-the-scenes cattiness is a hot talking point. i.e., Shearer & Crawford's real-life rivalry (MGM's #1 and #2) contributed to the drama. Oh, how I wish there were a Making of … behind-the-scenes documentary of this film, haha. Overall, I just really enjoyed 'The Women' as frothy entertainment.
Based on a stage play, this comedy centers on a group of chatty & catty society women who spend their days at the beauty salon & attending high-fashion shows. The sweet & wealthy Mrs. Mary Haines (Norma Shearer) finds her marriage in deep trouble when social-climbing shop girl Crystal Allen (Joan Crawford) digs her claws into Mary's husband (whom we never see; there is a nary a man onscreen for the entire film). Naturally, this situation becomes the latest talk amongst Mary's gaggle of gossipy "friends", especially the head of the tell-talers, scandal-worshipper Sylvia Fowler (the enormously entertaining Rosalind Russell). But she's one to talk; as she eventually finds herself on a train to Reno & headed for Mary's potential fate ... divorce from her own husband. However, in a very old-fashioned, 1930s way ... Mary casts feminism aside, swallows her pride, & attempts to win her adulterous husband back from Crystal's venomous talons. Perhaps some "jungle red" nail polish will help {see the movie for this reference}.
The cast is aided by a snappy, wildly humorous script (by vet female screenwriter, Anita Loos). For every put-down & insult, there is a witty comeback to silence the initial comment. And the characterizations are a hoot -- Joan Crawford is snake-like; exhibiting strong sexual confidence & showing absolutely no remorse for stealing a man from his wife. You can't stand her, but that's the point. Whether lying through her big teeth on a telephone or barking orders from a bathtub or sashaying around in a ridiculous turban, she nails the villainess role. Rosalind Russell gets to show off her multi-faceted thespian chops with her typically lightning quick line deliveries, fantastic face pulls & deft physical comedy. I perked up every time she entered a scene; knowing that something hysterical might happen.
And Norma Shearer - who I'd always heard about but never saw in a movie yet - is truly great in her portrayal of good-girl Mary who is desperately trying to hold it together for her mother, daughter, friends, & her own sanity while everyone knows that she's been betrayed by hubby, Steven. She appears tough, but boy, can Shearer turn on the waterworks at any moment -- it's remarkable, really. The one thing I notice about this actress is that: while she's not your typical beauty in the conventional sense, there's something very appealing about her; which explains how she was the queen of MGM's motion pictures throughout the '30s.
The rest of the cast is wonderful: young Joan Fontaine (SO pretty) as the confused, demure Peggy; Paulette Goddard - who had just lost the lead role in Gone With the Wind - as Mary's mischievous new gal pal; Mary Boland as humorous, serial-marrying society dame, the Countess de Lave; the list goes on & on & on - 130 female speaking parts! Technically speaking, the film impresses, as well. The cinematography (including a Technicolor interlude where we see Adrian's designer fashions in all of their vibrancy), production design, & musical score all aid the b*tche -- eh, I mean -- women we see onscreen.
I was surprised to find out that this film received no Oscar noms anywhere! It had the best pedigree in the world. It was a box office hit. And it received good reviews. I suppose the fact that it was released in one of the strongest years in cinema history had something to do with that. As mentioned, the behind-the-scenes cattiness is a hot talking point. i.e., Shearer & Crawford's real-life rivalry (MGM's #1 and #2) contributed to the drama. Oh, how I wish there were a Making of … behind-the-scenes documentary of this film, haha. Overall, I just really enjoyed 'The Women' as frothy entertainment.