Les femmes mènent le monde

Big June Allyson fan when I was a kid, crush and all. The girl next door, after all...but not next door to me. And now, years later, I can see why the crush: she was a doll! That wonderful voice and sweetness of heart. But now, of course - Lauren Bacall has a voice of a different octave, touched with her unique wry delivery. She's a grown-ups dream. So - you all know the story line - 3 men (and their wives as representatives) are up for a position of significance with Clifton Webb the decision maker. Cornel Wilde (Allyson), Fred MacMurray (Bacall) and Van Heflin (Arlene Dahl) are the contenders. Blatant technicolor and wonderful scenes of New York City - where I happen to be from - gloriously displayed and minus the chronic scaffoldings that adorn every street these current days. With their very different personalities, they vie. If you like just a few of these actors, you'll be happy enough. If you like a good story line and are not especially discriminating, you'll be happy enough. A few good scenes - the dress shopping spree with Bacall and Allyson, the last couple of moments of the show down, etc. - are all there is, basically. Clifton Webb, thankfully, toned down the typical superiority that he constantly indulged in. It was 1954 after all and it shows all over the place.

Initially skeptical about "Woman's World" (1954), especially since it was directed by Jean Negulesco, whose previous work hadn't impressed me, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this romantic drama. The film's great merit lies in its impeccable cast. June Allyson, commonly perceived as bland, delivers a hilarious and touching performance as the naive Katie, while Lauren Bacall and Arlene Dahl exude elegance and charm as the sophisticated wives of Ralph (Fred MacMurray) and Ernest (Van Heflin), respectively. Clifton Webb, with his imposing demeanor, commands the screen as the acerbic Mr. Pendergast. MacMurray and Wilde overflow with sympathy in their roles, while Heflin demonstrates his versatility as an actor.

The plot revolves around Katie's "mishaps" and the "schemes" of the ambitious Carla (Dahl), while their husbands vie for the coveted position of company president. Despite the focus on the women, it's a shame that the three husbands are relegated to the background in the story.

Tension mounts as we try to guess which of the candidates will be chosen. The narrative holds some surprises, and I confess I guessed the outcome correctly.

"Woman's World" is a light and enjoyable film, ideal for those seeking quality entertainment. The chemistry between the actors, sharp dialogue, and Negulesco's competent direction (which excels here) ensure a rewarding cinematic experience. I recommend it to all lovers of classic romantic comedies and films with stellar casts.

Very good cast highlight this film. Also great fashions. Arlene Dahl steals the film as an ambitious, scheming wife. All in all-worth seeing!!

Slick, superficial CinemaScope stuff from Hollywood's early-'50s panic attack: How ya gonna keep 'em down at the flicks after they've seen TV? Fox tried to with big screens, splashy colors, and half a dozen or so stars crammed into one entertaining soap-opera premise. There's no cinema-making genius going on here, but the movie is overwhelmingly entertaining, both for its look and its morality. A consumerist's paradise, it's so stuffed with cars and gowns and doodads that you're seized with an overwhelming urge to go shopping after you've seen it. (The cars, in particular, are '50s-futurists designs from Ford/Lincoln/Mercury, and they're knockouts.) And the morality is so utterly of its time: The onscreen drinking and smoking are nonstop, the gender premises (men seek power, women seek men) are unquestioned, and the subtext is clearly that money and power are fine, but holding on to your man is what really counts. And to do that, you'd better learn to be a dear little klutzy wifey like June Allyson instead of a calculating harlot like Arlene Dahl. Of the women, Allyson's wife-waif act becomes monotonous, and while Dahl is luscious to look at and seems to be in on the joke of how one-note her character is, she's not really much of an actress. So Bacall, her crisp-sophisticate act honed to a fine sharpness, comes off best by default. The men are all OK, but New York is the real star.

Watching how the actors are strategically placed on screen while performing their chores in WOMAN'S WORLD made me recall how seldom close-ups were used when CinemaScope was new. Instead, medium shots are used almost extensively so that the screen is filled by someone standing far left and the other far right. Occasionally the camera does move in a little closer for an over the shoulder shot, but it's obvious that CinemaScope was new and lensing a film in Wide Screen was not an easy matter.

The performances are all interesting, with LAUREN BACALL and ARLENE DAHL coming off best, while JUNE ALLYSON is forced to play a klutzy housewife with too many slip-ups to be tolerable. CLIFTON WEBB is the auto executive who wants to examine the wives of men he's considering for a top job at his auto plant. The men are well played by VAN HEFLIN, CORNEL WILDE and FRED MacMURRAY.

If you liked films like EXECUTIVE SUITE, all about climbing the corporate ladder, you'll enjoy this one--and furthermore it has sumptuous settings enhanced by color photography. Women will enjoy all the costumes and men will stay tuned to see which man Webb chooses for his open executive job.

Witty dialogue helps with Lauren Bacall handling her lines with the kind of skill she always brought to these kind of roles. Arlene Dahl shows a little more skill than usual as an actress with a strong confrontational scene with Webb.

Worth a look, but don't expect anything deep.