The Women
George Cuckor’s “The Women” shows us a world where men are never on-screen, but always present in how they cause emotional havoc on the women we do see on-screen. We never see Stephen Haines, or hear his voice, but how we react to him boils down to how the women in life react to choices he’s made. It’s interesting to see how those reactions seem to permeate throughout the film, and lead to a film that’s straight out of Hollywood, and the Production Code, in how it moralizes to get to a place of satisfaction for Mary Haines. I love the film, but I wonder if- were it made today- the ending would feel fake and unsatisfying now.
The crux of the story revolves around Mary Haines, Mrs. Stephen Haines, and played by Norma Shearer in a tremendous performance that is a study in theatrical performance, and calibrating emotions from scene to scene; every big moment for the character is instantly memorable, and tremendously powerful. The film doesn’t start with her, however, but her circle of “friends” in Manhattan. They are all married women, and they like to gossip. One of them- Sylvia Fowler (Rosalind Russell, in the scene-stealing performance, but one with its own core)- hears a bit of gossip while getting her nails done- Stephen Haines has been “stepping out” on Mary and their daughter with a perfume counter girl, Crystal Allen (Joan Crawford). Sylvia just has to talk about it, but the friends do not tell Mary, although she will find out on her own when she goes to the manicurist. Mary’s mother preaches patience- she cannot see Stephen falling in love with Crystal, and there’s their daughter (Little Mary, played by Virginia Weidler) to consider. After a certain point, however, Mary cannot stay silent, and her life is changed forever.
“The Women” is adapted from Clare Boothe Luce’s stage play by screenwriters Anita Loos and Jane Murfin, and it’s interesting to see how they keep the story moving with the intimacy of theatre, but expanding it just enough for the film. A big part of that, of course, is the director, George Cuckor, who- in large part, because of this- became known for his direction of actresses. He gets terrific performances from his entire ensemble, and one of the great things about “The Women” is how- even when it feels like the characters hit one note more frequently than others (see: Russell and Crawford especially), we still see them as individuals with their own emotional story to tell. I think my favorite performance along the edges of the film is Weidler as Little Mary; the moment where Mary tells her that they’re getting divorced, and her reaction, is very broad work, but effective, but I think it’s the moment she has later in the film with Crawford that is one of the most brilliantly-acted scenes in the film. That she was able, at a young age, to go toe-to-toe with an icon, is fantastic.
I want to come back to the ending. When I first saw it, I wondered whether it might be too moralizing for modern audiences, because- for me- it implied that Mary could only be happy in life if she’s with Stephen. Is that really a message that audiences now could identify with? One of my favorite movies is Nancy Myers’s “The Holiday,” and the ultimate “victory” for Kate Winslet’s character is when she realizes she doesn’t need Rufus Sewell’s character in her life- she gets closure. It’s a great moment, and I think that emotional high is what this film is aiming for with Mary. If it were just about Crystal’s comeuppance, I think that would have been enough, and the film would have ended on just as satisfying a note. This being the 1930s, however, the message needed to be about finding happiness in marriage, and her mother being right all along. Regardless, “The Women” is a terrific film about the complexities of life and love for the fairer sex, and how sometimes, living up to societal norms isn’t what’s important when it comes to living itself.
