The Women (Full Screen): Amazon.ca: Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Mary Boland, Paulette Goddard, Phyllis Povah, Joan Fontaine, Virginia Weidler, Lucile Watson, Marjorie Main, Virginia Grey, Ruth Hussey, Joseph Ruttenberg, George Cukor, Hunt Stromberg, Anita Loos, Clare Boothe Luce, Donald Ogden Stewart, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jane Murfin: DVD

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Amazon.com Essential Video

George Cukor, Hollywood's legendary "woman's director," had his hands full with the all-female cast of this 1939 film adaptation of the Clare Boothe play. The story finds a group of catty, competitive friends destroying reputations at social gatherings. The dialogue sparkles, Joan Crawford's performance as a husband stealer is still a classic, the film looks wonderful in Cukor's hands, and the Technicolor fashion-show scene is a one-of-a-kind Hollywood experience. --Tom Keogh

Video Details

This scorching comedy finds Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Joan Fontaine and Paulette Goddard fighting with no-holds-barred cattiness for their own (and each other's) husbands and lovers.

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Customer Reviews

60 Reviews

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(8)
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Average Customer Review

4.8 out of 5 stars (60 customer reviews)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Women's nastier side, Feb 22 2007

By

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME) (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Women (DVD)

Ignore myths of sisterhood. Women can be nasty, catty, devious, gossipy and gleeful -- especially about each other. So expect lots of that in "The Women," a screwball comedy about divorce, remarriage, affairs and lots and lots of inner feuding. It's a practically perfect girls' movie.

The uppermost ladies of Manhattan lunch, spa, shop and especially gossip together. So when Mary Haines' (Norma Shearer) hubby takes a perfume-counter mistress Crystal (Joan Crawford), the other women try to keep it from her. But Mary finds out, and after confronting her husband with his infidelity, she demands a divorce -- and so it's off to Reno with her goody-two-shoes pal Peggy (Joan Fontaine).

She spends the next few weeks at a ranch with other soon-to-be-divorced women, including her neurotic cousin, a much-divorced countess and a vixen. And though Mary still loves her husband, he feels obligated to marry Crystal. But then Mary's daughter reveals some juicy new information about Crystal -- and Mary's pals band together to help her set things right.

"The Women" is an all-star cast, with all women. Not a man to be seen or even heard (although I can't vouch for the animals) -- even the kids are all girls. This allows the attention to remain on The Women, whether it's the naive girls, kindly matrons or the catty hens.

The original play was by Clare Boothe Luce, but Anita Loos gives it her own witty spin. And Loos -- the original chick-litter -- knew how to spin witty, sparking dialogue without breaking a sweat ("She's got those eyes that run up and down a man like a searchlight!").

The plot moves at a fast pace, with the occasional lull, where we get some barbed dialogue about marriage and infidelity. Few movies can handle catfights in a really funny manner (Sylvia biting Miriam on the leg), throw in some insights about men and women's relationships, a dash of romance, revenge, and a climactic battle that involves a broom closet.

Shearer, Paulette Goddard and Mary Boland are all great as women hardened and strengthened by having their guy stolen; Rosalind Russell is hilarious as Shearer's immature, weirdly-dressed cousin, and Joan Crawford is as slimy and vicious as her role demands. The one dark spot is Virginia Weidler, who basically has to simper and whimper -- sadly, because she was delightful in "Philadelphia Story."

"The Women" prove that oftentimes, the female of the species is more deadly -- and more resourceful -- than the male. Hilarious, witty and wonderfully catty.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The claws are out, and they're jungle red!!!, Dec 10 2003

By

gac1003 "gac1003" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Women (Full Screen) (DVD)

Mary Haines believes she has the perfect life with a wonderful husband and loving daughter. Perfect, that is, until she hears the idle gossip from the woman at the spa about how Mr. Haines has taken up with Crystal Allen, a shopgirl who sells perfume. Listening to her friends Sylvia Fowler, Edith Potter, and Peggy Day, Mary does all she can to win back her husband from the scheming arms of Crystal.

This Geroge Cukor film has one of the sharpest scripts written for the screen, and features many of the Golden Era's best actresses: Norma Shearer as Mary Haines; Joan Crawford as the conniving shopgirl Crystal; Joan Fontaine as the innocent Peggy Day; and in one of the best performances, Rosalind Russell as the fast-talking Syliva Folwer. Her rapid-fire delivery of some of the most sarcastic lines is amazing to watch, and she gives the character much comic flair. Marjorie Main pops in for a while as Lucy, who runs a ranch in Reno for women going through divorces. In a short but fantastic scene, Virginia Grey plays Pat, another shopgirl working with Crystal who can't help but try to unnerve Crystal while she's on the phone with Mr. Haines. Even columnist Hedda Hopper makes a brief appearance toward the end of the film.

Two other remarkable notes about this film: of the 135-member cast, there is not one man present in the film. And two: the film is black and white, with the exception of a fashion show sequence toward the middle of the film which is shown in glorious technicolor. It's a bit lengthy but marvelous to look at all those fashions designed by Adrian (who has quite a long list of memorable films to his design credits).

The DVD is a restored version of the film. (The difference can be seen in the alternate version of the fshion show sequence included as a bonus.) Also, there are two short films: one about the romance of the cinemal the other about using the movies to influence the fashion trends around the world. Wonderful bits of movie history. This is a great film, full of smart dialogue and great acting. A true cinema classic.

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5.0 out of 5 stars People Who Don't Give Five Stars Have No Taste!, Aug 8 2009

By

Hido "hido" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Women (DVD)

This movie is wonderful! It takes place in a different era so the ideas and stereotypes are a lot more prominent but the single idea is still clear. Woman Power! One review I was reading (from a woman) said that this movie needed a man in it! The whole point to this movie is to show women at their cattiest, their meanest, their sweetest and their most loving. This is a movie made for women by WOMEN. That's not to say a man won't enjoy it though, it's impossible. One amazon customer poor review said that it was horrible to portray women in this way. The whole purpose to this movie is to show a powerful strong protagonist woman who (in spite of being held back by the small fact she is a woman) is independent and strong. Yes, some women in the film are mean and catty but some women are also sweet and loyal! It's different personalities all coming together to make a movie that is a classic and should never have been re-done because it was horribly butchered and was a total joke. This is my favorite movie and is perfect exactly the way it is, whether your a feminist or not. It promotes strong minded women in a time when that was frowned upon.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great movie!!!
If you haven't seen "The Women," do yourself a favor and see it any way you can - I checked out the video from my local library. Read more

Published on July 11 2004 by Nancy Tannenbaum

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Chic Flick
I am a big fan of black and white movies. The movie is kept at a high tempo - never a dull moment. I recomend it to everyone.

Published on Jun 17 2004