Rating: 
Summary: chick flick from out of the past
Review: No men appear in this movie, but men are the theme throughout. With an all-star cast from 1939, including Joan Crawford in an unlikely but stunning role, "The Women" is a treat for female viewers of all ages. Claire Booth Luce wrote this gossipy, powder-room romp about "l'amour, l'amour." Besides the escapades and heartbreaks of society women there are some great scenes in the kitchen featuring the servants, and on the Reno divorce ranch featuring Lucy, a tough old customer played by Marjorie Main.
Depression-era audiences lapped up the scenes of New York City opulence, and the movie comes complete with some characters using the British-inflected accents that stood for wealth and class in movies from that time. Recommended for laughs and a girls' night in at the movies!
Rating:
Summary: Women on the verge...
Review: This is one of the best films that I have ever seen about the emergence of modern women in 20th century America. It would work nicely as a companion piece to The Graduate. I, in fact, use both films when teaching a class on the role of women in 20th century America. The ending to the film, The Women, never ceases to amaze the young girls in the class...the idea of Mary throwing open her arms and welcoming back her wayward husband is shocking to most of the young students. It is certainly a period piece and certainly well worth viewing to see how few options were open to most women of the era. Putting everything into an historical perspective, it is difficult to believe that this was filmed less than two decades after American women were given the vote and only two decades prior to the Women's Rights movement actually kicking into high gear. It really is a wonderful depiction of women who where stuck in the middle of a changing society and how they were having to adapt and change in order to move onward. As was noted in one of the earlier reviews, this film was made with an entirely female cast. I wouldn't swear to it, but I believe that I read somewhere that Cuckor was so obsessive about that fact that he even insisted that any of the animals who appear in the film also be female. That may have been Hollywood publicity, but it does make for fun viewing and an interesting anecdote.
Rating:
Summary: Smooth as silk
Review: One of the most flawless of oldies, this movie keeps a pace that is breathtaking. It doesn't baby you - you have to listen as fast as they talk. Even though Rosalind Russell (who I normally adore) can be shrill at times, the performances of Shearer and Crawford alone make this movie worth watching, again and again. It is also visually beautiful given the costume and set design You find yourself mentally coloring in the luscious evening gowns! It's smart, funny and fascinating, a little time capsule as well. Only Cukor could have pulled off dealing with these divas!
Rating:
Summary: A better look at a wonderful movie...
Review: ...a sparkling look at a real classic! However, there is NO: "Interview gallery with co-star Virginia Grey and hairstylist to the stars Sydney Guilaroff" (as stated in item description) that I can find on this new DVD. Disappointing. The two MGM shorts are interesting as is the alternate fashions show sequence (all b&W - the models walk amongst the cast members). Buy this DVD for its look rather than its features.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: I absoulutely adore this movie. It is a great chick flick. There are some very funny parts in it. The clothes are just to die for and the fashion show is fabulous. I love the ending it is absoulutely hysterical... "There is a name for you ladies, but it is not used in high society out of a kennel." LOVE IT!
Rating: 
Summary: Thankfully the world isn't filled with just women!
Review: I got this at the library and watched it, and it was sort of strange,to see just women and narry a man in sight! And none of these women were real women in my opinion, they were catty, gossipy, busybodies that were annoying...I wouldn't want any of these women for my friend, and what man would want one of these women? Except for Norma, of course. She was the only character who made the film worth watching. This film was worth a one-time watch, but I doubt I will ever watch it again. You just need a man in a movie, in my opinion. The credits were clever in that the women were each likened to an animal that represented their personality and character. I found it a plus to this movie. If you want to see an example of a very strange movie, or if you want to see how horrible this world would be without men, give this movie a try.
Rating:
Summary: Lumiere....musique!!
Review: I just purchased the DVD, and it is (save one technical flaw) quite the lavish spectacle, and gives a glowing testimony to the great sophisticated, black-and-white, all-star comedy that no one could do better than George Cukor. Interestingly, also, is the fact that despite its being a rather dated story (and featuring women of a certain social and financial station), much of its spirit, wit, and commentary of the female gender hold up very well today. (Witness the debate between Norma Shearer and mom Lucile Watson about how to submissively *hold* on to her cheating husband versus the question "what if I don't *want* to make that compromise?!!") Much of the spirit of this film is quite timeless, though I cannot imagine it ever being remade with the whiny Gen-X stars of today (which is the current rumor). The sets, wardrobe, dialogue, and especially the cast are all first rate. My one complaint: a technical flaw which is not the film's fault at all. Some of the digital restoration shows up at the start of the color fashion show sequence. You can see the computerized "masking" on-screen-- though I suspect it was purposely done to suggest a seamless transition from the b/w portion of the film into the color portion. (Look carefully at the wide shot of the stage after the show's hostess launches the start of the show.) But, hey, it's at a great price. Grab it!!
Rating:
Summary: Meow! Meow! Meow!
Review: A veritable Who's Who of great 1930s actresses--and no men!--appear in this film version of Clare Booth Luce's play. Norma Shearer plays a devoted wife whose husband is having an affair with the "salesgirl" at the perfume counter (Joan Crawford). Her "friends" know. She doesn't--at first. "The Women" is set at beauty parlors, bridge parties, fashion shows, a Nevada divorce ranch and the ladies lounge of fine restaurants. The catty dialogue and wry commentary about men and women is truly fun to experience. For fans of vintage fashion, this film is wonderful eye candy. Not only are the outfits that the main actresses wear quite fun to check out, it even features a fashion show. Crawford is wonderful as the conniving other woman, and "The Women" made me an instant Shearer fan. Shearer manages to come across as a strong, self-reliant woman throughout most of the movie, despite being the wronged wife still in love with her husband. Keep in mind while watching that "The Women" is definitely a film of its times. Enjoy it as such.
Rating:
Summary: Finally on DVD
Review: A bit about me I am 30 and I love old Hollywood glamor. And what could be more glamorous than Norma Shearer?? Well the rest of the cast looks great too. This very unique film is an all female cast (even the animals are female only. Yet this story of adultery and actually enjoyable catty women (there cattiness is cleaver and witty) is not based on only women. The men in their lives are very prominently. And though not shown on screen you will imagine these guys interacting with these women with vivid detail. I just can not describe this very cleaver film enough to do it justice. I had no idea about the all female cast when I first saw it, and I am glad I might have thought it was a cheap gimmick. Trust me it works. Only truly wonderful writing could make this seem as if there are male parts in it. You forget that there aren't, and might not even notice it was a female only cast if I hadn't told you. This film is marvelous and glamorous and you would want to be as beautiful as Mary Haines (actress Norma Shearer) herself. Gorgeous clothes and wonderful lives... the way Classic old Hollywood Studios can make us wish desperately that they were our lives. This is a film to be seen over and over. It is very funny, cleaver, and a sheer delight. I am not a girly girl type of gal I prefer Sci Fi and Action films, but my one weakness is well made classic films. And this is definitely one! Buy your copy, I did. :o)
Rating:
Summary: Well, I usually avoid black and white, but this one is good
Review: The story is interesting and I definately would watch it again several times. I am not a fan of old movies, but this film has lots of catty remarks and relationship twists to keep me interested. The acting is good.
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