Analysis of the Film The Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis of the Film The Women - Essay Example Although the characters of the film were from upper class Manhattan who were supposed to be independent from men compared to most of their female counterparts during their time, their lives and their perceive importance is still tied up to men. The story revolved around the cat chase between Mary Haines (played by Norma Shearer) and her philandering husband Stephen (who was not seen in the film) who has to battle it out with the gold digging counter girl Crystal Allen (played by Joan Crawford). Yes the women in the film were assertive only that their assertion revolves around men that were never seen in the entirety of the movie. Given the theme of the movie, it would be appropriate to discuss the following aspect in the film; Status, relationship, and emotional life. Status and motivation Status is stressed in the analysis because given the status of women in the film (Mary Haines and company), they could be anything they wanted if they chose to be. They were wealthy. Yet, even with their financial independence, their sense of victory, particularly the character of Mary who has to battle it out with Crystal was centered on men. ... Basically, the ethos of the film was still women using their sexuality to win a man despite the absence of lewd representation. The men on the other hand were portrayed to be a â€Å"catch† especially in the case of Crystal who is in the quest of hunting married men who could support her. The film stereotyped women as dependent to men and Crystal’s gold digging tendency is the extreme side of it while Mary only highlighted it by equating her worth and victory as a woman to winning her man. Relationships Relationships were a central aspect of the film The Women. It showed how women in the 1930s put so much importance in the relationship with their men that their value as a person is tied with it. This is not to downplay the importance of relationship only that in the film, The Women’s worth seemed to be tied up with them. This transcends to their personal worth which is the case of Mary to their economic well being in the case of Crystal. Whatever angle it is look ed at, it still portrayed dependency. This was highlighted in the characters of two main protagonists Mary and Crystal whose circumstances only aggravated the portrayal of women. In the case of Mary, women are stereotyped whose lives revolve around men. This was aggravated with the discourse of the film where they are always involved in gossips, an unproductive activity that suggests that they have nothing better to do. It also diminishes their status, despite their wealth and financial independence because it communicates that they cannot be productive. With Crystal, women are stereotyped to be dependent to men who cannot fend for themselves that they have to find a man who will support her. Her portrayal as a gold