What Every Woman Knows

"What Every Woman Knows" is a wonderful comedy and drama based on a play of the same title by J. M. Barrie. Helen Hayes was just two year off of winning the best actress Oscar for her role in the 1931 drama, "The Sin of Madelon Claudet," and Brian Aherne was in his twelfth consecutive leading role dating back to the silent era and since his only non-leading first film in 1924.

MGM pulled together a cast from across the United Kingdom and Ireland for this film. Besides actors from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England, supporting cast members were born in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the British West Indies. Among the most familiar to long-time movie fans will be Lucile Watson as the Contessa, Henry Stephenson as Charles Venables, Donald Crisp as David Wylie and David Torrence as Alick Wylie. Madge Evans, as Lady Sybil, is the only American in cast list.

All give good performances. Torrence and Crisp as Maggie Wylie's brother and father, are very good, and Lucile Watson is humorous and good as La Contessa la Brierre. Aherne gives a good take as an outspoken John Shand who puts on airs as he makes something of himself, "by himself," he thinks for a while. But this is a movie that Helen Hayes excels in as Maggie Wylie. And, she plays the part of Maggie Wylie superbly - as the plain, wise and clever, caring and loving, and honest and humble sister and wife.

I recall an old saying from way back when, that behind every successful man is a surprised woman. There have been less humorous versions of this - of great women behind great men. Well, Maggie Wylie in this film lives and shows an example of that general truism.

Here are some favorite lines from this film.

Alick Wylie, "What is charm, exactly, Maggie?" Maggie Wylie, "Oh, it's, it's a sort of bloom on a woman. If you have it you don't need anything else. And if you don/t have it, it doesn't much matter what else you have. Some women - a few, have charm for all, and most have charm for one, and some have charm for none."

James Wylie, "What you need, John Shand, is a clout in the head."

David Wylie, "Are you takin' the book to your bed, Maggie?" Maggie, 'Yes. I don't want hm to be knowin' things I don't know myself."

Charles Venable, "Countess, it has been marvelous seeing you again - positively marvelous." La Contessa la Brierre, "Thirty years and he hasn't stopped lying."

Countess, "He can't be worthy of you. No man could. Why do you do it?" Maggie Wylie, as Mrs. John Shand, "I'm six years older than he is. I'm plain and I have no charm. I shouldn't have let him marry me. I'm trying to make up for it."

Lady Sybil Tenterden, "Countess, uh, do leave us, won't you?" Countess, "Not I - far too interesting."

Maggie Wylie, as John's wife, "It's nothing unusual I've done, John. Every man who is high up loves to think he's done it all himself. Every woman knows that. It's our only due."

Maggie Wylie, {Oh, John, if I could only make you laugh."

The moral of this story originally from J.M. Barrie is supposed to be that what every woman knows is that a man only thinks he makes it to the top on his own, whereas she's always helping behind the scenes, which sounds sweet enough. However, the message that came across all these years later is pretty odious; it's that what every woman knows is her place, subordinate to a man in literally every respect.

God love Helen Hayes, she's so adorable and does everything she can here, but it's crazy just how much her character idolizes her husband (Brian Aherne) and stands by him even when he strays. He's only married her as part of a deal, you see, despite her clearly being beneath him and lacking in looks and charm (she herself says this several times, argh...!). What every woman knows, the film tells us, is that men are the driven ones in life, and if their passion also leads them to other women, well, you need to simply accept this and keep on loving them for the gods they are. Even the other woman (Madge Evans) acts ridiculously. Aside from everything else, I almost lost it when Aherne's character had the gall to pluck a cigarette out of Hayes's mouth after they were separated, without a peep from her or any real awareness on the part of the film.

It's really too bad too, because the pair made a cute couple, with him towering over her (6'2" and 5') and she in her little curls. The character of a common guy rising to be a Member of Parliament debating issues of class and things like the gold standard along with his plucky and intelligent wife could have been far more interesting and endearing. The film is not helped by the comic relief of her family either, including a clod of a brother, though the wise middle-aged woman (Lucile Watson) provides moments of relief. A star each for Hayes and Watson, and that's about it.

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.

"What Every Woman Knows" is an odd sort of romance. It involved two people who were in a one-sided relationship. The woman loved the man, and the man just tolerated the woman.

Maggie Wylie (Helen Hayes) was a plain Scottish woman who couldn't find love. Her father and her two brothers were determined to help her get married even if it meant making a man contractually obligated to do so. And that's what they did.

They entered into a bargain with a young rabble rouser named John Shand (Brian Aherne). They would pay for his schooling for five years and in return, he'd have to marry Maggie should she want him. Maggie was well aware of this bargain, and she didn't mind it at all. After the five years were up, Maggie wanted to marry John, and he agreed to marry her per his word, even though he didn't love her. It was a rare movie in that a man was obligated to marry a woman instead of the other way around. That gave it a different sort of feel.

There have been plenty of movies in which a woman goes through with marrying or being with a man out of a sense of duty, but very few men have ever had to be in that situation. I've always felt a little sorry for the women, I didn't feel sorry at all for John Shand. Maggie gave him the option to be free of her, but he was too principled to back out of an agreement he benefited greatly from.

In some ways it was sad watching Maggie sweat and toil for John's benefit in hopes that he would one day love her as she loved him. John was such a serious man that it seemed he would never love anybody. Such a sentiment was put to the test when Lady Sybil Tenterden (Madge Evans) entered the picture.

Free on Odnoklassniki.

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.