306. The Women; movie review

THE WOMEN
Cert U
133 mins
BBFC advice: Contains very mild sex references and violence and scenes of smoking

What was it about Joan Crawford that made her a Hollywood sex symbol?
In The Women she looks awkwardly out of place as a shop assistant whose girlish charms have lured a businessman away from his wholesome wife (Norma Shearer).
George Cukor's film is notable for not having a single male role and yet, as the above poster proclaims, it is "all about men".
In other words, the women are the victims of the whims of their husbands and lovers and it is centred on the fall-out.
That would give a clear clue that it doesn't pass the test of time.
The Women, although outwardly strong, have little on their minds than pleasing men and bitching behind each other's backs.
Indeed, their tittle-tattle is sometimes so mean that it reaches the columns of the gossip pages.
Yes, these are wealthy women, whose lifestyles are financed by rich men who have less and less time for them as marriages progress.
As said, Crawford didn't impress me but Shearer did in the lead role as did Rosalind Russell as her loudmouthed but funny friend.
However, I did not laugh as much as Mrs W who, despite having previously seen The Women, was giggling along to the comedy.
She thought its technicolour mid-sequence dragged on but she still gave the movie her approval.
I was not so sure. Perhaps it is worth seeing just to see how far we have moved on both on and off screen but otherwise I struggled to engage with the tale of the lazy rich.

Reasons to watch: A 1939  classic with all-female cast
Reasons to avoid: Hasn’t passed the test of time

Laughs: Four for Mrs W only chuckles for me
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 6/10

Director quote - George Cukor: "As a director I'm not interested so much in camera angles and all that. I'm interested in human behaviour."

The big question - Why was Joan Crawford so highly rated?

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