The Woman Inside

this movie breaks new ground for terrible. i bought this for a dollar at a thrift store in south Florida and if i ever return to the area, i will return this movie to the shelf it was on. i used to watch it with friends just to laugh at the clumsy performances, incredible dialogue ("it's all so precious and right," "you're weird, weird! sick-weird!") and preposterously ham-handed treatment of the issues surrounding "transsexuality" but now, in 2005, it's just unacceptable. the only redeeming quality to this film is it's datedness- (the disco-strings montage of Hollywood landmarks as seen from a taxicab window, in particular, is priceless) but beyond that it's just a painful movie to watch. please don't even bother with this film. it's a garbage film.

Despite the bad reviews this film got I actually like it. It does start out slow but gets better. I thought Gloria Manon was great as Hollis/Holly, and I must admit I did think she was a real transsexual at first.

I also had the same reaction that another reviewer had being a transsexual myself. Although, I must correct her that not all of the people in the transgender support group were transsexuals. Several of them were actors, like actor/comedian Jackie Vernon. I'm sure the other one was an actor also because they both looked like men in drag despite supposedly being post-op transsexuals that were living their lives as females. I will admit that was rather funny. I laughed out loud when I saw their "group.' No wonder Holly never went back.

Like the other commenter, I too was put off when I met transsexuals that made the transition later in life, like those in the support group. They came off as phony and only pretending to be a woman than actually having a natural feel for it. As they said in the movie, I don't think they were 'classic transsexuals' but heterosexual transvestites instead. Maybe why they used male actors.

I do wish more would have been explained, however, like how was Hollis/Holly's aunt able to live on her own in their house in Hollywood when Hollis was off fighting in a war? She claimed she had to start selling their furniture so she could eat, but how much furniture could she have had really. She does mention she never had a job, so those furniture sells must've gone a long way...

Also the way it ended with Holly in San Francisco but I never heard her say she was going to S.F. to have suddenly ended up there.

Always I was so glad I finally got to see this movie when I've wanted to see it for so long. But as someone on YouTube said, "I only wish making the transition was that easy," as Holly makes it seem. Ain't that the truth.

Although the Woman Inside is not a perfect film, it is really quite extraordinary for its time. The music and the direction are dreadful, some of the performances are quite good. Ms. Manon's performance as Hollis/Holly was quite powerful and courageous and definitely before its time. Ms. Blondell's performance was also quite good. I feel that this movie is an excellent commentary on the tortured lives of some people.

Its a nice movie about this whole Gendertopic and there is a great story about the Guy who made the Soundtrack. His Son just released a music project with the same name "The Woman Inside". Very interesting.