The Women (1939)

The greatest movie ever made..!

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Dear god this movie has a terrible moral to it (don't have pride! tell your husband it's ok he cheated just so long as he doesn't do it again...maybe!) but holy hell is it entertaining. This movie has a fantastic cast! I had to watch this movie for a history of American cinema class and I had never had the pleasure of seeing Rosalind Russell in a film before but after this class I've seen her in The Women as well as His Girl Friday and I think she is now one of my favorite classic film actresses. I think she really steals this movie with her whacky portrayal of the gossip queen Sylvia Fowler. You're not supposed to like her much because she is such a meddler but I can't help it, she just plays her so well! This movie is very enjoyable both for its lightheartedness and if anything just for the outfits!! My favorite outfit is Sylvia's dress with the randomly placed eyes on the top...ok??? This movie has a fantastic ensemble cast, every character (minus the daughter, basically) adds another layer of personality to the movie. And just when you think it can't get more over the top - there's a 5 minute long fashion show IN COLOR! But I really did find it so interesting that this movie is made without a single male actor in it. It's interesting that this whole story is told just through the women's side of things. And yet it's not really a missed presence at all. All of the actresses fill up the time and scenes just fine. It does occasionally seem odd that you never see the main character's husband not even in passing, or hearing his voice on the phone. But it's pretty easily and convincingly excused away.

I liked this movie a lot because it really showed the power of women. It was interesting how there was not one man in the whole entire movie. The plot definitely kept me watching and I thought it was very realistic and had a great ending. Lots of women feed on the drama of others and affairs have always been a thing. I thought the main Character Mary was very mature and handled each situation perfectly, a very inspiring woman! Also, I love the style that these women wore in the 1930's! Makes me wish I was a part of that time.

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.

This film was wonderful. It should the lives of women and how the change and adapt. It reflected the changing of social norms that were happening in the 30's and 40's. The main actress did a phenomenal job with her performance and her character embodies the change in how women expected to treated by men. They were not going to walked all over anymore and taken for granted. They had worth and value that and that the men in their lives better take notice or they were going to be left behind. What was truly amazing about this film was the fact that not a single male was present in body. There were male characters but you don't see their faces or here their faces. Having an all lady cast was great to better show that they were the focus of this film not the men. Men played a role but the women were the focus. The film did a great job in showing the different roles of women and developed the characters very well. The cast was great. The were quick and showed the intelligence and sass and power of a women and her words. The film was a crucial film in the history of cinema because of how successful it was of a all lady cast and in showing the change in social norms and roles of ladies.