The Women (1939)

“The Women”, as the title suggests is what they called a “woman’s movie” in Hollywood’s classic era, so much so that forty-five minutes in, there is a fashion show and its five minutes are in color, contrasting with the rest of the film’s black and white two hour and eight minute running time (the better to show off the clothes). But it’s so much more than that. This is a great classic film that has always had a big cult following and which can be enjoyed on many levels. Essentially a comedy, it nevertheless exposes deep issues in the lives of women from their absolute dependence on men in that era to internal frictions among themselves. Admittedly these are all wealthy women leading cushioned lives, but even they have their problems, not the least of which is the boredom of their existence unless their marriage is truly good. Even then, watch out - jealous friends and gossips will do what they can to upset your happiness.It’s no accident that a popular nail polish is named “Jungle Red”. A great deal of “The Women” is conversation, sharp, witty, often cutting conversation at that. The film is so rapid fire at times you really have to see it twice to get it all; preferably one time with the closed captioning on. Much time has gone by since the filming of “The Women” and you need to appreciate that these women were really rather liberated for their day. As Norma Shearer’s Mary explains to her mother, played by Lucile Watson, “It’s alright for you to talk of another generation when women were chattels and did what men told them to. But this is today! Stephen and I are equals.” Women still lived in almost entirely female worlds outside the home, but were relatively free to come and go as they pleased, at least if they could afford to. The cast was famously all-female as it was in Clare Boothe Luce’s hit Broadway play (written as Clare Boothe in 1936). An amazing cast of big stars and up and comers was assembled for this film. It opens with clever cameos showing each actress with an animal that represents their inner character. Norma Shearer as central character Mary gives one of the best performances of her career in what would be one of her last films. She is especially good and down to earth in her scenes with her daughter, played by Virginia Weidler. No one could have been better as her nemesis than Joan Crawford’s scheming salesgirl, Crystal Allen, all venom and ice. Crawford got a considerable career boost from this film after a period of declining popularity. She was also known not to particularly care for Shearer at the studio, which added an extra element to it all. Others received enhanced careers as a result of “The Women”. Rosalind Russell had mostly played bland nice girls (as in “China Seas”) or the other woman ( in “West Point of the Air”) but here she got to show a comic persona which became her signature for years to come. Lucille Watson had frequently played maids with little or no dialog but from this time on became a notable character actor in films from “Watch On the Rhine” to “The Thin Man Goes Home”. Marjorie Main plays comic relief as a ranch manager in Reno and would play essentially the same character in many Ma and Pa Kettle films. Joan Fontaine is sweet and innocent (her usual film personna) and Paulette Goddard is stunning as Rosalind Russell’s nemesis. Mary Boland’s over-the-top Countess De Lave is a character you won’t forget, divorcing her fourth husband but always proclaiming, “L’amour, L’amour!” Even small characters like the maids, sales women and an exercise instructor have choice lines, and Hedda Hopper appears as a gossip columnist. This big production filled with so much talent and so many egos could have been a mess but it was all held together by director George Cukor. He was known as a woman’s director and had done great work before with Hepburn, Harlow, Shearer, Garbo, Crawford, Jeanette MacDonald (at Paramount) and others. He resented that epithet and notably did fine jobs with male actors, including Clark Gable (in “Manhattan Melodrama”). He took on “The Women” after Selznick dismissed him from “Gone With the Wind”. The dismissal story is so long and tangled with two competing versions that it would be too much to go into here. It’s enough to know that this is among the best of his many great films. Enjoy! EXTRA NOTE: Clare Boothe Luce was an amazing woman herself. She not only wrote for and edited magazines but wrote stories and plays as well as war journalism. She was a rare woman writing Broadway plays without a male writing partner, and writing one with an all-female cast was truly daring for her time. She went on to be a Republican Representative in Congress from Connecticut for several terms and eventually Ambassador to Italy. Her second marriage was to Henry Luce, Publisher of Time and Life magazines. Her third play, “Margin of Error”, was an attack on the Nazis’ racist ideas. She also co-authored a law allowing Indians and Filipinos to immigrate to the U.S. and called for the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act.

I remember hearing four or five years back that a remake of the 1939 classic, "The Women," was in the offing. I don't know whatever happened to the plans for that remake, but it's hard to imagine that such a film could be made today. It reinforces just about every negative and politically incorrect stereotype about women imaginable, up to and including Norma Shearer's final line about pride being a luxury that a woman in love can't afford. It also includes other statements that couldn't be made today ("She thinks that because Lulu's dark he won't be able to see her" and "It's not her fault she wasn't born deaf and dumb"). The film, according to its trailer, has a cast of 135 women. I presume that they are talking about the speaking roles because there are certainly more women on screen than that. There is not a single man to be seen anywhere; even the various animals are female. There is one scene near the beginning where a photo of a man graces the back of a magazine cover; this shot stands out like a sore thumb each time I see it, and I wish somebody had caught it and corrected it. Despite its political incorrectness, "The Women" is one of the funniest and most rib-tickling films ever made. I've probably watched it more than any other film in my collection; I've even taped the soundtrack and listened to it, a thoroughly satisfying way to enjoy "The Women" in the car, for example. Of course the raison d'etre of this spectacular film is the bitchiness of almost all the leading characters, set off by Norma Shearer's near-saintly Mary Haines. Such a character would be considered a crashing bore nowadays--her scene with daughter Mary, played by Virginia Weidler, gets this very fast-paced comedy off to an incredibly leaden start--and I have a hard time believing that she ever carried the full sympathy of the audience. Even her wise old mother, delightfully played by Lucile Watson, displays more character; fumigating the room after a party attended by most of the of the other characters, she says "How do you stand those dreadful women?" Rosalind Russell as Sylvia Fowler gets the cattiest lines and somehow manages to be able to talk a mile a minute through the whole film, even while doing strenuous physical exercises. Her two scenes with Joan Crawford are the high points of the film. Joan had to fight for the relatively short but very important role of Crystal Allen, the "terrible man-trap" who steals Stephen Haines, Norma Shearer's husband, but her hunch paid off: despite the brevity of her role, Crystal dominates the film from the time of her first appearance. And even though she gets her comeuppance at the end (an element missing from the original play by the way), she leaves in triumph, looking gorgeous and with one of the best exit lines ever written. The supporting cast doesn't have a weak link. One standout is Paulette Goddard, the most beautiful woman in the cast and certainly one of the most spirited, as Miriam Aarons, a junior-league Crystal Allen. Another is Mary Boland as the ditzy but generous-hearted Comtesse de Lave; even after her fifth husband Buck Winston has left her for Crystal, she still refers to the radio moguls who wouldn't give Buck a job on the radio as "the old meanies." But all the leads are spectacular: Joan Fontaine as the naive Peggy, Marjorie Main as Lucy, the proprietess of the Reno dude ranch, Phyllis Povah as Edith (largely forgotten nowadays, she was brought over from Broadway to recreate her role for the film), Florence Nash as tweed-suited Nancy the author, and the others. One thing I have come to appreciate more with each viewing of this film is how many actresses, many of whose names I don't even know, created truly memorable characters with just a handful of lines or less. My own particular favorite is Virginia Grey, another very beautiful woman, as Crystal's pal/nemesis Pat in the delightful telephone scene (and anybody who thinks Crawford can't act should see this scene). But others such as Olga the manicurist, Butterfly McQueen as Lulu, and the wonderful model whose tag line is "Our new one-piece lace foundation garment; zips up the back and no bones," are just three more standouts in a hugely talented supporting cast. They prove the old adage that "there are no small parts, just small actors." "The Women" is one of those films that makes me feel especially sorry for people who claim they can't watch black-and-white films. I'm not referring to the technicolor fashion show sequence when I say that this is certainly one of the most colorful films ever made.

Warner's Home Video continues it's excellent track record of restoring some of the classic films from Hollywood's Golden Age with an excellent video and audio Blu-ray of the 1939 classic "The Women" for it's 75th Anniversary. As they've proven with their recent Blu-ray upgrades of such B&W classics as "Mrs. Miniver"(1942) or Technicolor gems like "The Wizard of Oz" and "Gone with the Wind"(both from 1939), they offer both fans and collectors the very best video presentations when it comes to their vast film library which includes all the MGM films. With the release last week of "The Women" on Blu-ray, Warner's has outdone itself with this fast paced and still funny film comedy that's even more enjoyable now on Blu-ray. It's a vast improvement over the 2002 standard DVD right from the opening credits(Bitrate: 22.95). Gone are the scratches, dirt, vertical lines, and fuzzy scenes that plagued previous versions and what we get instead is a nearly flawless video that really brings out things that went missing in the standard DVD(costumes, props & set designs, etc.) There are still some problems with certain scenes that appear softer than others but this may be due with the film elements used more than anything else. For the most part, the print used for this Blu-ray is in exceptional condition and may even have been restored. So has the audio(no more hiss or other noise artifacts). This is very apparent about halfway through the film when the picture suddenly changes to a ten minute Technicolor fashion show whose only purpose I can fathom was to show off the costumes of designer Adrian but the inclusion of which slows down the picture(George Cukor, the director wanted it removed to no avail). Of course, it could have been added to give audiences watching the film time to catch their breath that's how good the screenplay is(by Anita Loos and Jane Murfin). The story, based on the popular play by Clare Booth Luce, is about the pampered, rich, gossipy(and ultimately bored) lives of some of Manhattan's high society women who will stop at nothing to get what they want(usually for themselves) even if they have to destroy one another in the process. It may have been hard for Depression Era audiences to identify with such women but under George Cukor's expert direction the whole story holds your interest due in no small part to the outstanding cast(no men, only women). Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Paulette Goddard and Mary Boland are all superb in their respective roles. The supporting cast is excellent too, with Lucille Watson, Marjorie Main, and little Virginia Weidler stealing all the scenes they appear in. But it's Norma Shearer who holds the film together with her outstanding and heartfelt performance as Mary Haines whose "perfect" life is torn apart by gossip and betrayal. An underrated actress, Shearer is a revelation and her performance should have been nominated for an Oscar that year, but was inexplicitly ignored(so was the film) in a tough year. Thanks to Warner's, a lot of her films have been released recently on DVD and viewers finally have the chance to see what an exceptional actress she was. "The Women" is 133 minutes with the Color Sequence(Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1) and contains the following subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish. Audio includes: English DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish Dolby Digital 1.0. Special features include two documentaries and the alternate B&W fashion show sequence with different footage (involving the actresses) that Cukor filmed in addition to the Technicolor sequence. Also included are the original Theatrical trailers for "The Women" and the color musical re-make "The Opposite Sex"(1956). (Please note: This Blu-ray disc is housed in an eco-cutout case so you may want to change to a more solid HD case for added protection). "The Women" may have been overshadowed by other MGM blockbusters in 1939 such as "Gone with the Wind" and "The Wizard of Oz", but it still packs a punch after 75 years with this new Blu-ray presentation from Warner Home Video. It comes highly recommended.

This is one of my favorite black and white films. I love that the cast is all women. I don't entirely I agree with the ending, but it's happy at least (the villian doesn't win). The remake of it is also good, but this original version does not have profanity, drugs, or derogatory references.

I am writing this review after recently watching a revival of the play on PBS. Not having seen the movie in many years, I ordered it on DVD afterward. First, the DVD transfer is flawless. This film is mostly in black-and-white, save an insert in Technicolor for a fashion show. The range of gray tones in these old movies can be a revelation to those who have only seen recent B/W films. The masters of the studios in lighting these movies are long since gone, and apparently their craft went with them. The DVD has not only the delightful movie trailer that went with "Women", but also the trailer for the musical remake in 1956, "The Opposite Sex". I never liked the musical, but others might. The amazing thing about "The Women" is that, if one doesn't pay attention to the trailer, it's possible to watch it and never realize that there are no men at all in the picture! As the trailer says, 135 women and no men. But of course it's all about men! This is the basic story of Mary, played by Norma Shearer, who discovers her husband is seeing another women. It follows her through her divorce and reunion with her husband. Naturally it's not that cut-and-dried. Her bitchy, back-biting friends go through many of the same travails on a cross-country route to a happy ending. Sounds boring written here, but the movie definitely isn't. Every time Ms. Shearer threatens to get too sugary, a few choice cracks by one of the other characters brings things back into line. I really can't remember another movie I've seen with Norma Shearer, so this movie defines her work for me. She is a very unusual-looking woman, hard to define as pretty, yet definitely with screen presence. Of course, being Mrs. Thalberg didn't hurt her ability to get this part, and she plays it beautifully. All of the others who support her are equally appropriate, particularly Joan Crawford as the 'other woman'. This movie was made in one of the low periods in her career, and once again placed her as an A-level actress. Mary Boland also stands out as the Countess and later Mrs. Buck Winston. In the recent PBS production on television, Rue McClanahan played this part and the resemblance to Boland was uncanny! Wardrobe for the movie was provided by Adrian at his best. Standouts for me are the gowns worn by Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer in the final scene of the movie, at the nightclub. Ms. Shearer's looks almost like something from a sci-fi film! There is no escaping that this movie, and play from which it was derived, were made pre-WW-II. The extravagance shown in this film was never revived after the War, so this gives an insight into the lives of the wealthy. In particular, homes post-War were never staffed with the number of servants shown here. Art Deco never looked better in movies than it does in this one. The beauty salon at the beginning of the movie, and the night club at the end, are creamy and curvaceous like never before, or since. A final note on casting: Marjorie Main leaps from the screen with her screeching voice and uncouth manners. Strangely, she was younger than many of the others in the movie, but as usual she was made to appear frumpy and worn-out. In some ways this appears to be a rehearsal for her part as Ma Kettle in "The Egg and I". Look closely, though, and you'll see her youth, here. This is a fairly long movie, well over two hours, but it is so enjoyable that the time isn't noticed. There truly isn't a 'slow' part to the movie, something or someone is always on the go. Nineteen thirty-nine was an amazing year for movies, seemingly one last pre-War gasp at screen opulence. "The Women" on DVD can be a welcome addition to anyone's film library, waiting for the right evening when light comedy combined with beautiful women and sassy dialogue is called for. It would be a great buy at twice the price.

This was such a cute movie! It made me go into a spiral of old Hollywood movies i loved it :)

The all female cast shines in this story of love and betrayal. Fast paced plot and dialogue moves the story at a brisk clip. Much better than the later remake.

I love the movie!! But absolutely disappointed with Amazon. I bought this movie. I paid for this movie and there’s an Ad at the end??? I know I’m not buying any more movies from this platform. I love Adrian as the costume designer and it is an excellent movie. The characters are great 😊

On a toujours dit que George Cukor était d'abord et avant tout un portraitiste de la femme par sa capacité à capturer la psychologie féminine. On ne s'étonnera donc pas que le cinéaste ait dirigé presque toutes les grandes actrices de son temps. Et c'est dans la comédie qu'il s’épanouit véritablement, se moquant sans trop d'outrance, des mœurs américaines. Fraîchement disponible après avoir été congédié du plateau d'Autant en emporte le vent, George Cukor s'impose logiquement comme le réalisateur idéal pour diriger "The Women" qui fut un des films majeur de sa carrière... un modèle d'harmonie, que ce soit dans les dialogues percutants, dans le scénario (d'une méchanceté revigorante), ou dans la pétulance des personnages féminins qu'il dissèque avec gourmandise. Sous les excès, le script est d'une grande finesse pour mettre à jour les questionnements soulevés par la situation de l'héroïne Norma Shearer toujours amoureuse mais ne pouvant surmonter l'humiliation de la tromperie. Dès le générique, on nous présente chacune des héroïnes associées à un animal qui serait le reflet de leur personnalité, allant du moins flatteur au réellement moqueur ! Norma Shaerer étant la biche... Joan Crawford, le léopard... Rosalind Russel, la chatte... Mary Boland, le ouistiti... Paulette Goddard, la renarde... Joan Fontaine, la brebis... Lucile Watson, la chouette... Phyllis Povah, la vache... Virginia Weidler, le faon... Margorie Main, la jument... On est donc bien au delà de la misogynie, dans une sorte de Vénus Beauté (institut) d'avant guerre. Les femmes caquetantes et frivoles se font enlever poches, rides, graisse... Nous virevoltons de femmes en femmes pour un total de 130 rôles plus ou moins conséquent... Car ici, pas un homme à l'horizon. On n'en verra d'ailleurs aucun durant le film. En revanche, on ne parlera que d'eux ! Ceux qui trompent, ceux qu'on aime malgré tout, ceux qu'on quitte, ceux à qui on pardonne... Ainsi c'est en misanthrope absolu que Cukor filme les médisances et les calomnies de cette Amérique engluée dans l'hypocrisie et la stupidité... où la liberté consiste à filer à Reno, la ville des divorces ! Le cinéaste parvient ainsi à ne jamais ennuyer le spectateur dans ce qui se résume à de longues conversation entre femmes... Et les répliques assassines même édulcorées (comparé à la pièce) pleuvent sans férir et rendent caduques et poussives les trois quarts des comédies américaines actuelles... Un film d'une durée de 2h15 et d'une élégance visuelle époustouflante tel cette irruption inattendue du technicolor le temps d'une somptueuse présentation de mode, aussi réjouissante qu'éphémère. Si Cukor n'est peut-être pas un grand cinéaste, il n'en a pas moins posé sa marque aux films qu'il signait, car aucun metteur en scène hollywoodien n'était aussi caractéristique que lui. A ce titre, il demeure un de ces grands marchands de rêve, d'illusion et d'ivresse... Attention... Ce DVD (zone 1) nécessite un lecteur multi-zone. Mais il existe une version (zone 2) avec le titre inscrit en français.

If you saw the idiotic remake, with Meg Ryan, you need to UNsee that, and watch the original. It's truly a masterpiece. Dated? Perhaps. BUT, there is many a home truth, and some darn slick acting throughout. It features both the reigning queen of MGM Norma Shearer and her real-life would-be nemesis Joan Crawford, both at their considerable peaks. An entire cast of women, of all shapes and sizes, with some pretty funny characters inserted along the way. Worth mentioning, Crawford's scene on the phone with her beau (Shearer's husband) which is so manipulative but so well done, it has to be seen to be believed. Not sure it was all that far from real life, as Crawford was constantly whining that Shearer got all the really prestigious roles because she was actually married to Irving Thalberg, the VP of MGM, and a truly gifted producer. There is not ONE man in this picture, and you know what? You won't miss 'em~ the women really carry this right through and it's a good time. The very first "Chick Flick", and without a doubt, one of the best. Get your girlfriends, some wine, some nibbles, and enjoy! PS there's a killer fashion show in the middle that's a HOOT.

Good Product.

Diesen raren Filmleckerbissen bekommt man nur sehr selten im Nachtprogramm zu sehen und auf DVD war er Jahre nicht erhältlich. Die größten Diven ihrer Zeit spielen sich hier gegenseitig an die Wand und parlieren gleichzeitig als Ensemble. Umwerfend komisch. In den Rollen ausschließlich Frauen. Und worum geht's ? Ausschließlich Männer... Das Remake kommt in keinster Weise an dieses Original heran. Ein echter Filmschatz.

Mit "die Frauen" schuf Clare Boothe Luce ein Theaterstück, das das Leben der Frauen in der High Society mehr als deutlich, zynisch und unterhaltsam darstellt. George Cukor hat die Vorlage brillant in seiner Filmversion umgesetzt. Jede Rolle verkörpert einen bestimmten Typ Frauen, so ist vom ahnungslosen Schaf über die dumme Kuh und die blökende Ziege bis hin zur gefährlichen Raubkatze alles vertreten. Dank des rasanten Tempos der Handlung, der mit Bosheit gespickten Dialoge und der teilweise überzogenen sentimental-melodramatischen Momente ist dieser Film bestens geeignet für einen kurzweiligen Abend. Wer also gute 2 Stunden im Kreise der mehr (oder weniger) feinen Gesellschaft verbringen möchte, ist mit diesem Komödienklassiker bestens beraten. Während Mary Haines zwischen ihrem untreuen Ehemann und ihrem Stolz hin und her pendelt, sorgen ihre Freundinnen und ihre Cousine mit allen Mitteln dafür, Verwirrungen und Intrigen zu schmieden. Gerüchte, Wahrheit, Klatschpresse - alles ergänzt sich perfekt und zwingt Mary in eine Lage, aus der sie sich zu befreien versucht. Und wenn es sein muss, auch mit dschungelroten" Krallen. Zugegebenermaßen ist das Frauenbild der 30er-Jahre heute etwas angestaubt, doch lässt man diesen Aspekt einmal unbeachtet, hat der Stoff noch immer seine Aktualität. Wer die Klatschspalten der Boulevardpresse gelegentlich liest, wird vieles davon wieder erkennen. Die DVD ist sehr schlicht gehalten, es gibt keine Extras zum Film. Die Bildqualität ist für das Alter des Films völlig in Ordnung, die Modenschau in Farbe strahlt in satteren Farben als bisher. Auch der deutsche Ton scheint bearbeit zu sein, er hat ein deutlich geringeres Grundrauschen als alle mir bekannten TV-Versionen des Films. Die einzige Ausnahme bildet eine Sequenz in der ca. 35. Minute, in der der Ton kurzzeitig für eine knappe Minute etwas dumpf wird. Ich kann jedem nur empfehlen, den Zickenterror der Aktricen mit einem Glas Sekt oder einem leckeren Cocktail zu verfolgen, die Beine hochzulegen und einfach nur zu genießen, wie die Frauen sich in der Öffentlichkeit das Leben schwer machen. La publicité!"