A study of the lives and romantic entanglements of various interconnected women.A study of the lives and romantic entanglements of various interconnected women.A study of the lives and romantic entanglements of various interconnected women.
- Director
- Writers
- Clare Boothe Luce(from the play by)
- Anita Loos(screen play)
- Jane Murfin(screen play)
- Stars
- Director
- Writers
- Clare Boothe Luce(from the play by)
- Anita Loos(screen play)
- Jane Murfin(screen play)
- Stars
- Awards
- 2 wins
- Director
- Writers
- Clare Boothe Luce(from the play by)
- Anita Loos(screen play)
- Jane Murfin(screen play)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAfter Sylvia bites Miriam on the leg, Miriam's line, "Yeah, gotta be careful of hydrophobia!" is her veiled way of calling Sylvia a bitch (hydrophobia is a synonym for rabies, referring to a late stage of the disease, in which the victim has difficulty swallowing, even liquids, and simultaneously becomes very thirsty, while panicking at the idea of trying to drink water). Also, near the end a second allusion to the word "bitch" is used when Crystal says, "There's a name for you ladies, but it isn't used in high society . . . outside a kennel."
- GoofsTwo years passes between Mary's divorce and her subsequent reconciliation with her husband, but little Mary, her daughter, doesn't seem to grow at all during that time.
- Quotes
Crystal Allen: There's a name for you ladies, but it isn't used in high society... outside of a kennel. So long, ladies!
- Crazy creditsIn the opening credits, before the photo images of the actresses are shown, their characters are revealed by images of various animals.
- Alternate versionsAt the start of the Technicolor Adrian fashion show, the video and TV versions have traditionally shown a Technicolor stage in the middle of the screen surrounded by pure white (this always struck me as odd but I never thought too much about it). The original 1939 version of the scene shows the Technicolor stage surrounded by the rest of the room IN BLACK AND WHITE, using a stenciling process developed for (but ultimately unused in) Ihmemaa Oz (1939). Presumably, because the reel starts right BEFORE the transition, it was either too much trouble and expense to process the small bit of stray black and white footage for television (it would have to have been printed separately onto each release print in 1939)or, more likely, the footage has been lost. The new video and cable versions show Naiset (1939) in a reconstruction of the original version, with the Technicolor stage printed over a black and white still from later in the film. The image, as now presented, is much less jarring than the original video release. The fashion show was also shot in black and white, with the models interacting with the stars as they move throughout the boutique. After principal photography ended, MGM decided to re-shoot the fashion show in Technicolor (this color footage was not shot by George Cukor)and the models no longer interact with Norma Shearer, 'Rosalind Russell', etc. The original black and white footage, saved in the MGM vault, can now be seen as a special feature on the Warner DVD. Older television prints often showed the fashion show in black and white, but it was not this alternate footage, just the color sequence printed without its tints.
- ConnectionsFeatured in From the Ends of the Earth (1939)
- SoundtracksForevermore
(1939) (uncredited)
Music by Edward Ward
Lyrics by Chet Forrest and Bob Wright
Played at the end and sung by an offscreen chorus
Review
Featured review
Cats
"The Women" owes its appeal to the great George Cukor. Without him, it would certainly have been a different movie. Because of his direction this is a Hollywood classic at its best.
They certainly don't make pictures like this anymore. Imagine what it would have cost to have a first rate cast to fill the shoes of all these women in today's Hollywood? It would probably be so prohibitive that no one in the present climate would touch it with a ten foot pole.
"The Women", as written by Clare Booth Luce for the stage, was a delicious comedy about New York society, as it was in the late 30s. Of course, by today's standards, this is a very chaste take on that subject. Had it been done today, it would have been done entirely different and the excellent text by Ms. Luce would have probably been thrown away to satisfy the taste of contemporary audiences.
Norma Shearer was excellent as Mary Haines, the suffering wife, who has no clue of how her husband has fallen to the charms of Crystal Allen, beautifully played by Joan Crawford. Rosalind Russell, Mary Boland, Paulette Goddard, Joan Fontaine and the rest of the cast seem to be having a lot of fun while playing these women.
One thing does come clear, those women had a style and a sophistication well beyond the times they lived. It's very clear that Claire Booth Luce was well ahead of it all, as she had an understanding for what was going on around her. What a thrill it must have been to have been around New York in that glamorous era!
Women: Love them, as we cannot live without them!
They certainly don't make pictures like this anymore. Imagine what it would have cost to have a first rate cast to fill the shoes of all these women in today's Hollywood? It would probably be so prohibitive that no one in the present climate would touch it with a ten foot pole.
"The Women", as written by Clare Booth Luce for the stage, was a delicious comedy about New York society, as it was in the late 30s. Of course, by today's standards, this is a very chaste take on that subject. Had it been done today, it would have been done entirely different and the excellent text by Ms. Luce would have probably been thrown away to satisfy the taste of contemporary audiences.
Norma Shearer was excellent as Mary Haines, the suffering wife, who has no clue of how her husband has fallen to the charms of Crystal Allen, beautifully played by Joan Crawford. Rosalind Russell, Mary Boland, Paulette Goddard, Joan Fontaine and the rest of the cast seem to be having a lot of fun while playing these women.
One thing does come clear, those women had a style and a sophistication well beyond the times they lived. It's very clear that Claire Booth Luce was well ahead of it all, as she had an understanding for what was going on around her. What a thrill it must have been to have been around New York in that glamorous era!
Women: Love them, as we cannot live without them!
helpful•5711
- jotix100
- Oct 19, 2003
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- The Women
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,688,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $16,161
- Runtime2 hours 13 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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