What Every Woman Knows

This film preserves Helen Hayes in one of her most celebrated roles, and Brian Aherne and the rest of the cast are quite fine as well. Indeed, Lucile Watson is a particular delight as the Comtesse de la Briere. The first half of the film hews closely to J. M. Barrie's play, yet it never feels "stage-bound" in the least. It has been opened up for the film quite effectively and none of Barrie's humor or clear-eyed sentiment have been lost. However, in an apparent attempt to simplify some of Barrie's plot devices, the last half of the film has been changed considerably from the play; and not to its benefit. Indeed, the rest of the script is pretty much a mess and makes nonsense of Barrie without improving the story in the least, as well as vitiating the entire thrust of the drama. Still, the film is worth seeing for Miss Hayes' excellent performance and Mr. Aherne's very capable one.

Splendid fare! Delicious dialogue! Pay no heed to comments from twerps with attention deficit disorder, this is a fine and engrossing story, a story for grownups and definitely not a victim of old-fashioned techniques. The only thing "old-fashioned" about this movie is the wealth of interesting, true to life characters down to the last bit player. Helen Hayes is a joy and Lucile Watson perfection, as usual. Brian Aherne as the golden boy is looking tall and handsome, his Scottish accent so unforced that I was surprised to realize it was indeed Brian Aherne. This movie, playing in another room of the house, pulled me in and sat me down. I knew it must have been adapted from a stage play, but couldn't guess the playwright. Ah, Mr. Barrie, thank you for this entertaining, feminist movie -- feminist in the true, classic (non Feminazi) sense of the word.

Maybe you have to be Scottish to completely appreciate this, but I've always loved this film. It is great to see Helen Hayes not playing the victim in a film role for once - although she played them well, and Brian Aherne, always a good actor, is a vivacious hunk at age 32, perfect for the role of a man who thinks he is more than he really is.

The story starts out with Maggie Wylie's (Helen Hayes') brothers pacing the floor worrying about what is to become of their baby sister given that she has reached the age of 27 and is unmarried with no prospects. They end up making a deal with a burglar (Aherne as John Shand) to finance his education IF at the end of five years he marries Maggie if she is still single and willing. You see, Shand was a student who ran out of money and has been breaking into the Wylie home every night to read the books they have in their extensive library - and nothing else.

Shand agrees, but manages to waste the money, never gets his education, and the five years is up. A bargain is a bargain to a Scot, and although he wants to run for a seat in Parliament he decides to go for a job in the local foundry instead so he and the still unmarried Maggie can be wed. Maggie insists he go for the Parliament seat instead. He does and wins, due a great deal to Maggie's help.

Now Maggie very much knows that John does not love her, although she seems like she has loved him since he first stood up at a town meeting - prior to the burglary discovery - and insulted the entire town, AND her brother -something the all too outwardly passive Maggie seems itching to have done, but is glad to have John do it instead.

The complication in all of this is two crises collide. John (and Maggie) believe the nation's troubles can be averted by going off the gold standard, but John would have to threaten to resign his seat to make a meaningful stand, AND a beautiful woman of poise has actually captured John's heart - and Maggie knows about it. How does this work out? Watch and find out.

The funny part about all of this is how really clueless the men are in this film which is almost feminist in nature. Maggie's brothers are so concerned about her marital status when none of them are married themselves and are well into what was then called "old bachelorhood". To top it off all three are buffoons. Maggie seems to know this and loves them anyways. The same could be said of Shand, since Maggie is his strength and he seems blind to that, not that he treats her rudely.

I recommend this one. It is very quirky and fun for an early post production code film.

In this unusual comedy, Helen Hayes (reprising her Broadway role) plays an old maid who takes care of everyone in her family. She's a running joke to never get married, and Dudley Digges, Donald Crisp, and David Torrence ridicule her. When a young, handsome newcomer arrives in town, he immediately gets invited over for dinner, with hopes by her brothers that he'll marry the spinster. Helen is taken with him, but what does she have to offer? Her brains and her money. He's an ambitious fellow, but she's got what it takes to be the woman behind the man. So, she makes him an offer of marriage in exchange for a humungous dowry and strategy for his career.

Why would she do all this? Because he's Brian Aherne! Six feet, four inches of ridiculously handsome, Irish, curly-haired, passionately tempered Brian Aherne! Brian has to think about her offer, and since Helen is smarter than him, she lays out her argument in such a subtly cunning way, he eventually sees the wisdom in it.

This is a very clever, timeless movie. It's funny and smart, and as the title implies, will make every woman in the audience chuckle. Brian may be gorgeous, but he's not too bright. Helen knows how to get around him, and she's perfectly willing to teach the audience, too!

Helen Hayes never had great success in the movies, but this is the best of her film performances that I've seen so far. Her Scottish accent is convincing, she's charming, and she conveys Maggie's underlying strength with great subtlety.

Brian Aherne is charismatic as the young politician Maggie is attracted to; he allows us to see through his egotism to the vulnerability and insecurity just below the surface.

The beautiful and talented Madge Evans is fine in the "other woman" role. Supporting stalwarts Lucile Watson, Donald Crisp, Dudley Digges, David Torrence, and Henry Stephenson are all well-cast, and turn in wonderful performances.

I had no idea what to expect from this film, but I found it highly enjoyable, with gentle humor, light drama, and romance that won't send your blood sugar into orbit.