SHE DONE HIM WRONG (Lowell Sherman, Paramount, 1933)

When I watch a film from decades past that I haven't seen before, I often come away with a sense of awe at just how much has changed in our world. SHE DONE HIM WRONG (Lowell Sherman, Paramount, 1933) is a great example of such a film. Obviously there are great cinematic changes, from the quality of the acting to technical details such as editing, cinematography and sound. One of the co-stars to the film, the great Cary Grant, is remarkably young and looks much different then the Grant we later became accustomed to. This film though belongs to Mae West and here is where the difference between 1933 and 2011 are most apparent.

First, let's look at West herself. Her physicality and sexuality are what made her a sensation but what struck me while watching is the fact that she would have difficulty achieving such status today. She is a big girl, she has curves. In today's anorexic at all cost society a girl of such size has a much harder time rising to such prominence. Much like Marilyn Monroe twenty years later, West exudes extreme sexuality with everything she does on screen from the double entendres to the way she moves through the frame or in how she deals with men. To these two, men are toys to be played with at leisure.

Also striking me is the role of Lou (West) and how she is such a dominant female figure. Set in the 1890's she controls all in her realm and she does so with her sexuality. For a woman exert such control in contemporary film she either must be a bitch or a shrew. Rarely does sexuality meet cunning in powerful female representations on film which helps make West role even more powerful. Though one thing hasn't changed and that is how Lou succumbs to a strong male character in the end as he saves her from harm. Nice to see that Hollywood believed a woman needed a man ultimately way back then too.

I really liked this film. Mae West was a revelation as was such young Cary Grant. The film is rather short, which makes viewing much easier. Definitely a must see at some point if you love film as I do.