MWsMC: Observations from "The women" 1939 film about ... Women

[@edwardcone6860]

Thank you for this encompassing description of one of my favorite movies. Don't watch it for the moral or the plot - -watch it for the in interaction among all these fantastic stars !

[@TheJames4746]

That was a great analysis

[@tomwheeler2012]

There is another parallel theme to "pride/infidelity" and it (in my opinion) is far closer to truth and that has to do with a married couple and intimacy/trust. Steven (the husband) as Mary's mother explains is getting old and wants to experience vitality, thrill, excitement of youth through a young girl's eyes. He is betraying trust/intimacy by investing in a fling. Mary is like a fish in a peaceful lake encountering a worm...bites...and gets caught. Mary invests in her friends and their boredom in everyday life (you have the archetypes of women: the naive imp, single career woman/lesbian, the gossip, etc.) Silvia finds the worm and finds ways to dangle it in front of Mary just as Silvia found the worm in the naive newlywed and dangles that in front of her). The mother isn't just saying to ignore it. The mother is saying a relationship is a foundational covenant blessed by God whose love conceived a child and together you created a family. Put your faith and energy in your marriage and family not your girlfriends. Steven tiring of his fling will realize his marriage and family are much more valuable than a fling with a trollop. A happy home will beckon him to return to that which is true and lasting. However, if the home is hostile then Steven's is going to find he has no peace with his fling and he has no peace to return to his family...it's a lose lose and will either divorce and stay single or divorce and remarry. Remember this was in an age where women didn't work en mass so female relationships were paramount. They were your social outlet to the real world..much like going to work is a man's outlet to the real world. Working men and women learn the politics of chaos and emotional manipulation to play power and strategy up the corporate ladder. In the case of the women, there is also a pecking order...the strategist and manipulator (silvia) is the power player. Silvia is redirecting the woman away from their own self-interest (family) toward pride and willfulness which puts the women in her orbit of control and manipulation as the power player. The mothers advise was prescient. If you want to preserve your marriage, then you have to put your energy and focus into your marriage family and children not friends and acquaintances.

[@tompease3022]

Reno was at the time where society people went to get a quick and legal divorce. (It was not as easy in many states) Nevada rolled back residency requirement to six weeks and legalized gambling and Reno ended up with quite a few resort divorce “ranch”(es) like the one in the movie. Mary Pickford, Rita Hayworth and Gloria Vanderbilt were a few of the celebs to get a Reno divorce.

[@MindyT135]

Lol love the quote at the end

[@kjd0902]

Yes it’s true

[@Kueytwo]

Buy what you want with your own funds if it is comfortably within your financial budget. Do not be manipulated to give your personal independence and treat yourself. No man is worth any woman accepting any form of cheating in a relationship or marriage.

[@mwsmc]

I agree. Cheating is such an extreme betrayal. But what if it is just a metaphor for other failures. If we don't help each other with our failures and help each other overcome our fallen nature. If we 'divorce' over every offense or never learn forgiveness, we are doomed to be alone and unhappy.

[@TheTdandy8]

I like how you pointed out the “pride” differences and destructive similarities. Looking at it like that made it seem like there was a message or idea other than horrible drama. It’s amazing the power a hateful person can use against others. I know this was a comedy, and maybe that is why this was amazing. To make comedy out of such dreadful things that people do and still be able to laugh. Idk.

[@Je-Vette]

I’m sure you know that it’s been remade in the early 2000’s?? With Meg Ryan, etc. basically the same story except the more recent story has removed the social status of the women and how their create The In Group

[@mwsmc]

I am aware of the 2000's remake, but I haven't seen it. I might some day, but I think the 1939 styles and the black and white add to the overall enjoyment of the film. The circle of "friends" is an interesting part of it. Thanks

[@falcon664]

@@mwsmc Don't see the remake. It is quite flat and has none of the tight interaction between the characters. The rewrite is poor. It is only OK if you had not seen the 1939 version first.

[@jonathanmcvay4499]

@@mwsmcthe remake is terrible. The Women is a period piece. Trying to put it in another era simply doesn’t work.

[@chriswilson4112]

Say you neglected to mention the advice that Paulette Goddard's character gives to Norma Shearer's "Mary". If you recall, Paulette chastises Norma, comparing the husband's infatuation with his mistress as being sick and would she leave him if he were sick...of course not. Further, Paulette says or implies this is a sexual situation and Norma should win back her husband basically between the sheets! Norma's character is a bit repelled by the coarse direction the conversation has gone but Paulette pushes it further and tells Norma that she'll win her husband back "in his arms" which is nice lady talk for in bed. Paulette DOES say though too, that sure, you're gonna make your hubby pay, but, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater either. So does the mother advise her daughter that the husband's fling isn't about not loving his wife, but rather that he's getting older and that's a difficult thing to face so his fling with another woman makes him feel virile again and young. It's Norma's character who falls victim to the black & white morality of the situation. She's the one who can't forgive, at least at first. What I like about this movie is that it allows room for people to be imperfect. So it says, sure get mad, give em hell, but don't walk away on a moral high ground because in the end you'll see that no one is perfect including themselves. Such a refreshing change of pace from today's woke nazi sensibility: The "Believe this or be crushed" approach

[@mwsmc]

Excellent points. You really get it.

[@JM-lw3nx]

This is a comedy of manners of the age that it was presented. Your sermonizing, while earnest, is rather misplaced.

[@chriswilson4112]

🙂

[@paulashe61]

Your narrative is basic and hardly express the humour plot and from a 1939 precensor perspective

[@mwsmc]

Agree. Time was one of my considerations in my analysis, clearly not exhaustive on all the details.