Classic Shebug Film: 'The Women'

How did I kick off Boxing Day? By sleeping an epic amount of hours to rival Sleeping Beauty herself, to the sounds and colours of intense lucid dreaming. Ah, it was the exact tonic I was searching for- so much for my earnest plans to go for a jog… I’m sticking to a gentler path of rest and relaxation that will include curling up to watch one of my all time favourite films: Peter Curkor’s 1939 Shebug Classic, ‘The Women’.

Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer star in this fast paced comedy about a happily married woman who lets her catty friends talk her into divorce when her husband strays. Rosalind Russell and Joan Fontaine also form part of the stellar cast.

The witty lines flow fast, and deliciously crisp; some are words of wisdom not to be missed. The original audiences 73 years ago must have walked out fairly scandalized after hearing such vivid and daring repartee from the amalgamation of reigning screen goddesses of their time.

The film was shot in black and white with the exception of a madcap fashion show done in full colour.

Between the clothes, the outrageous hats, the jewellery, the stylish interiors, you will be whisked off to another era suffering - and recovering, from bites given by the same pest society faces today: Shebugs.

The blatant, underhanded tactics that occur as the story unfurls will cause your fists to curl and your eyebrows to shoot upwards. Interestingly, only one man makes a very brief appearance the entire time: the doorman. 

So do get comfortable and enjoy this sampling of one liners!