I know we are all aflutter about this Friday's release of the Coen Brothers new sure-to-be-a-hit movie Burn After Reading. However, I'd like to give you another reason to go to the cinema this weekend–your feminist duty. Though the previews give you no hint of this, there is something very special about The Women. This movie boasts an all-female cast, literally. Not a single Y-chromosome appears on screen for the entire one hour and fifty-four minutes. As I'm sure you realize, this is quite a feat.
The Women is a remake of the 1939 film based on the 1936 play by Clare Booth Luce. An intimate examination of women's relationships, the original was penned with much disdain for the pampered lives of society women. I can only hope that this update truly is refreshed from a modern (or perhaps post-modern) perspective. I can definitely appreciate how an almost universal experience, like the two-timing husband, can serve as a pivotal moment to illuminate the many strengths and weaknesses of female friendships. If handled without sensitivity though, it could come across as an extended cat fight, a dramatized stereotype claiming that women's lives revolve around men.
Dianne English (writer/director/producer) has been trying to get this movie done for most of the nineties. The studio is probably thinking that now may be the perfect time for a release such as this. Coming off the great success of the Sex and the City full-length feature as well as Mamma Mia, movies for women don't seem as silly anymore, do they? However, The Women runs the risk of losing its impact, giving off the appearance that it is simply jumping on the bandwagon. And without a genuine, compelling campaign to support it, I'm worried The Women may get lost in the shuffle. The ads scream out to us, pleading "Get your friends together to celebrate...The Women." It almost comes across as desperate, which is why I am here now, pleading to you. Do get some friends together. Do go see The Women. You can even go with me if you're in the Chicago area. Then tell me what you think. After all, sexism is a hot topic right now. I believe it is our duty to remain a part of the conversation.
