The women 1939 - It's all about men!

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IMDB rating: 8,0

Director: George Cukor
Main Cast: Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Mary Boland, Paulette Goddard, Joan Fontaine

"Based on the Clare Booth Luce play of the same name, this MGM comedy is famous for its all-female cast and deft direction by George Cukor. The themes explored in Clare Boothe Luce's play were so modern in 1939 that audiences found the film audaciously relevant, yet so timeless and universal that The Women could be successfully revived on Broadway in 2001, starring Jennifer Tilly, Kristen Johnston, and Cynthia Nixon. The film crackles with a sharp-toothed sarcasm even on a modern viewing. George Cukor's deft pacing and evident facility with actors (or, we should say, actresses) make The Women both a scathing and hilarious indictment of the institution of marriage. No less important, in fact probably more so, is the film's portrayal of the women's mercenary competitiveness. The ruthlessly casual deceptions they practice on each other are authenticated by the playwright's gender, as well as that of her adapters (Anita Loos and Jane Murfin). The Women recasts the discourse of high society as an exercise in the Darwinism of the animal kingdom, starting with an opening credits sequence that assigns an animal role to each character, from sly fox to gentle lamb. The opening shot says it all, as two dogs aggressively (and metaphorically) yap at each other as their pampered owners restrain them, all against a cacophony of background gossip. The women's ironic commentary on the regimen of exercise and beautification they must maintain to keep their men takes over from here, as does the rapid repartees and the almost incidental backstabbing. Casting the film entirely with women works beautifully, never straining the logic or staging, and the handful of leads each share the credit with Luce and Cukor for a fully realized farce on the warfare of feminine politics and societal advantage.
Snappy, witty dialogue, much of it courtesy of veteran screenwriter Anita Loos, helps send this film's humor over the top. So do the characterizations - Crawford is as venomous as they come, and this was Russell's first chance to show what she could do as a comedienne. And don't discount Shearer - her portrayal of good-girl Mary is never overpowered by these two far-flashier roles. Do keep an eye on the supporting players, though, especially Mary Boland as the Countess DeLage. The role was based on a cafe society dame of that era, the Countess DiFrasso, who had a wild affair with Gary Cooper; that romance is satirized here." - www.allmovie.com

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Blessed event 1932 - Lee Tracy as a lost joy of the pre-code era

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IMDB rating: 7,2

Director: Roy Del Ruth
Main Cast: Lee Tracy, Mary Brian, Dick Powell, Allen Jenkins, Ruth Donnelly

"Blessed Event is one of several early-1930s films inspired by the meteoric rise to fame of gossip columnist Walter Winchell - and like most such films, its title is based on a Winchell tag line.
Lee Tracy plays a glib-tongued reporter who is conducting a feud with popular singer Dick Powell (making his film debut). Along the way, Tracy offends a powerful gangster, and in so doing becomes entangled with chorus girl Mary Brian.
The original Broadway stage version of Blessed Event was written by Manuel Seff and Forrest Wilson--and reportedly inspired by the career of Ruby Keeler, who rose to stardom thanks in part to the patronage of a New York mobster.
There never was anyone quite like Lee Tracy, the machine gun-mouthed character actor who managed a brief starring career in pre-Code movies, of which Blessed Event arguably gives Tracy the chance to shine in all his diamond hard glory. Tracy was an odd choice for stardom, a guy who wasn't blessed with male model looks and who had a persona that was perfect for self-centered egoists who don't mind a little love but only if it doesn't get in the way of old number one. It's the kind of character that can be repulsive, but Tracy's total self-absorption and, equally important, his incredible timing and precise delivery of a one-liner make him somehow appealing. He's a force of nature, and one that won't be denied; moreover, he's a peculiarly American one, taking the concept of individualism to an extreme. Tracy also is someone who requires an amoral atmosphere in which to thrive. After the Production Code really came in, the kind of stories, situations and characters that could best contain him lost their power. But Blessed has none of these worries, blithely dealing with unwanted pregnancies, homosexuality and other subjects soon to be forbidden, and allowing the audience to cheer on a go-getter who tramples anyone in the way of getting what he wants. Tracy is perfectly complemented by Roy Del Ruth's rapid-fire direction and by a script that gives him plenty to get his mouth around; his electric chair monologue is really astounding." - www.allmovie.com

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