Women (1939)

"The ultimate women's movie of the 1930s and a treat from start to finish...  Edinburgh University Film Society
"Bitchy comedy drama...plenty of laughs...  Halliwell's Film Guide
"A brilliant adaptation of the Clare Boothe Luce stage comedy... Hilarious bitchiness all around.  VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever

Editor's Note Set in a 1930s Manhattan milieu of idle socialites and gossip, George Cukor's THE WOMEN is an opulent rendition of the Clare Boothe Luce play. While no men appear in the film, they are grist for the mill in the social circle of Mary Haines (Norma Shearer) and her catty clique of high-society wives. However, Mary's tidy world is turned upside down when she accidentally learns of her husband's philandering. Crystal Allen (Joan Crawford), a vicious vixen and ruthless gold digger, has set her sights on Mary's husband; Mary initially plays right into her hands, but soon, with the advice and support of comrades experienced in the art of woman-to-woman combat, Mary decides she won't give up without a fight. The tale's semiregressive premise has been criticized for this reason, yet this does not overshadow the host of exceptional performances and the range of complex relationships the film presents. As a fantasy of a women-only world of glamour, idle pleasures, and raw sexual competition, the film has enjoyed a cult following--owing, no doubt, in part to a hard-as-nails performance by Crawford that was credited with reviving her career.

	Hedda Hopper
	Joan Crawford
	Joan Fontaine
	Marjorie Main
	Norma Shearer
	Paulette Goddard
	Rosalind Russell
	Ruth Hussey
	Virginia Grey
	Anita Loos, et al. - Writer
	Clare Boothe Luce - Based On Play By
	David Snell - Musical Score
	Edward Ward - Musical Score
	George Cukor - Director
	Hunt Stromberg - Producer
	Joseph Ruttenberg - Director of Photography
	Oliver T. Marsh - Director of Photography

A no-holds-barred comedy about the eternal battle of the sexes (both inter- and intragender) and starring Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer, THE WOMEN is based on the play by Clare Boothe Luce and is set in high-society 1930s New York. Although no men appear in the film, they are its primary subject matter--cheating men, in particular--and hell hath no fury like a group of women scorned....!

"There's a word for you ladies, but it is seldom used in high society, outside of a kennel."----Joan Crawford (Crystal Allen)

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"[A] goldmine of razor-sharp insults and catty put-downs....THE WOMEN is unscrupulous, wicked and acid." 12/01/2004 p.181

The Motion Picture Guide 10 of 10
A nasty movie that is also a delightful one... filled with witty lines, viscious gossip and a chance

Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide 10 of 10
All-star (and all-female) cast shines in this hilarious adaptation of Clare Boothe play about divorc - Leonard Maltin