The Women (1939)

The Women

Director:
George Cukor

Cast:
Norma Shearer
Joan Crawford
Rosalind Russell
Mary Boland
Paulette Goddard
Phyllis Povah
Joan Fontaine
Virginia Weidler
Lucile Watson
Marjorie Main
Hedda Hopper
Florence Nash


Synopsis:

Mrs. Mary Haines (Norma Shearer) is a New York elitist's wife, who finds out he is having an affair with a perfume counter girl, Crystal Allen (Joan Crawford). She finds out because two of her gossipy friends Mrs. Sylvia Fowler (Rosalind Russell) and Edith Potter (Phyllis Povah) hear a manicurist talk about one of her friend's and Mrs. Haines's husband's affair.

Mary now has to decide if she is going to break up her family and file for divorce or swallow her pride and continue on like nothing happened. The decision to ignore it is nearly made impossible because of Mary's gossiping friends and her husband's blatant flaunting of the affair. After a confrontation with Crystal, Mary is left with saving her pride or her family.

Mary goes off to Reno where she meets The Countess DeLave (Mary Boland) and Miriam Aarons (Paulette Goddard). She has opted for the divorce and is staying at a ranch run by Lucy (Marjorie Main) for divorcee's in waiting. Later on Sylvia joins Mary at the ranch because she too is getting a divorce from her husband.

Later on Sylvia becomes friends with Crystal after she marries Mr. Haines. Mary decides stay on the outskirts of the gossip crowd, but keeps in touch with The Countess who has remarried a man named Buck and with Miriam who ended up marrying Sylvia's ex-husband. Mary still hears some of the gossip but mostly keeps to herself. After she finds out that Crystal is having an affair she decides to take back what is hers and confronts Crystal one last time.

Review:

Despite most of the characters being married it is an all female cast. No men are main characters or leads in this production which for 1939 was almost unheard of. The script is well written and the actresses play their parts very well. There is a remake coming in 2008 which I am sure will be updated to fit the times. This film is a great classic so the remake has a lot to live up to.

Watching this film shows how much hasn't really changed with the female mind set. I am speaking in terms of the cattiness that is displayed by all but one character (Mary). In a way it is sure to remind every female of that one friend who they knew really wasn't but was only there to cause trouble or stir the pot so to speak. I am sure we all have that one person we know that is more tolerated than anything.

If you are planning to catch the remake of this film then you may want to see the original first with the original cast. This way if the remake doesn't measure up you won't be put off from seeing the original.