{"id":38370,"date":"2014-05-29T05:37:48","date_gmt":"2014-05-29T09:37:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=38370"},"modified":"2023-01-02T05:43:53","modified_gmt":"2023-01-02T10:43:53","slug":"the-women-1939-blu-ray","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2014\/05\/29\/the-women-1939-blu-ray\/","title":{"rendered":"The Women (1939) [Blu-Ray]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Director George Cukor\u2019s 1939 classic \u201cThe Women\u201d is a pretty superb and remarkable film, and that\u2019s because it features a primarily female cast. There isn\u2019t a male cast member in the entire cast of seasoned performers, and while this might be cause for wonder in regards to the context of the story, the narrative really doesn\u2019t need men. Cukor\u2019s film is about women both old and young, and how they deal with the world and each other. Men are really irrelevant in the grand scheme of the social structure of the female and how their bonds with one another craft their future. While primarily depicted as a comedy, it\u2019s also very much a sad drama about how women deal with their issues of infidelity and insignificance. Their issues and problems are real, while the consequences of infidelity and divorce really create a tidal wave of heartbreak and trauma that lasts throughout the narrative.<\/p>\n

True the movie is funny, especially in its rapid fire dialogue and its wonderful cast\u2019s ability to create instant chemistry, but it also presents fleshed out and empathetic characters we root for. And occasionally root against, in the case of antagonist Crystal. Norma Shearer is a stand out as protagonist Mary Haines, the wife of a wealthy businessman who begins to hear about possible infidelity among her group of friends. Choosing to ignore the gossip and rumblings among her well intentioned social circle, Mary begins to investigate and grows ever more suspicious when Stephen begins to stay late at work more frequently. Mary is given an insight in to her situation by her mother, who discusses her past with her own husband and how difficult and complicated matters of infidelity can be to handle. Mary chooses to confront the mistress, and meets the very sly and cocky Crystal (Joan Crawford) who is unapologetic about her rendezvous with Stephen and poses a threat to Mary as Stephen\u2019s true object of affection.<\/p>\n

Should Mary divorce and break the status quo, or keep up the illusion of a solid marriage to maintain her wealth? Worried for the future of her family, and the emotional welfare of her daughter, Mary is forced to make a tough decision and contemplate divorce from Stephen, while the news of the affair spreads among the women. One of the more particularly interesting sub-plots involves Mary\u2019s daughter, and how she chooses to deal with her dad\u2019s affair, and Sylvia, all the while choosing to keep strong for Mary, as she goes through the emotional wringer, and meets a variety of quirky female characters that allow her to reflect on her own private turmoil. \u201cThe Women\u201d is a classy and timeless dramedy that depicts its all female cast as human, and very unique individuals that help and hurt one another like any social structure, and revels in Mary\u2019s gripping dilemma and its ultimate resolution. It\u2019s very much worth the hype and deserving of its Blu-Ray treatment.<\/p>\n

The extras for the new release are from the 2005 DVD, and features \u201cFrom the Ends of the Earth,\u201d the ten minute 1939 promotional short for MGM and its large list of upcoming films. \u201cHollywood: Style Center of the World\u201d is a fluffy eleven minute short from 1940 about the American style scene, and how Hollywood has defined fashion. \u201cOne Mother\u2019s Family\u201d is an adorable animated MGM short about a hen who goes for a walk with her large group of chicks, all of whom have to dodge hazards like passing cars, geese, and a nasty hawk.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlternate Fashion Show Sequence\u201d is the different take of the mid-way fashion show filmed in black and white instead of color, differing in that the models interact with the cast in the black and white version as opposed to the color where it\u2019s mainly a long fashion pageant. \u201cScoring Stage Sessions\u201d is the audio for the movie, and finally there is the original trailer for \u201cThe Women,\u201d and a trailer for \u201cThe Opposite Sex,\u201d the 1956 musical remake.<\/p>\n