Complicated Women

The people who are saying that this documentary was in any way exaggerated or inaccurate are themselves inaccurate. This film is historically documented and completely true to the spirit of the pre-Code era. And lest anyone think the film pandered to a modern sensibility, keep in mind: It had three ninety year old ladies in it, and was narrated by 66-year-old JANE FONDA, not Courtney Love. The fact is, the pre-Code was an extraordinary period for women's films -- something that becomes more not less evident after one has seen two hundred or three hundred pictures from this period. And it was not extraordinary only for what it showed or dared but for the points the films made -- for those points that were intrinsic to the MESSAGES of the films -- which go way beyond a flimsy gown or anything that could be edited into tameness. If anything this documentary needed more time -- three or four hours -- to do justice to the range of pre-Code women's films. Still working within the constraints, this was a splendid achievement and yet another laurel for Turner Classic Movies.

So, there was a period in Hollywood when the lid was pretty much off, when not all girls were virgins or dependents like those of the 1950's. That, of course, was the now legendary pre- Code period from 1929 to 1934. This independently produced documentary does a good job of profiling the different independent girl types from that freewheeling time. From prostitutes to femme-fatales to executive types, the array is colorful and challenging, with illustrating snippets from the films themselves, plus cameo commentary from a few of the surviving actresses (Karen Morley, Frances Dee, et al.).

Glimpsed among actresses of the time are such independent types as Kay Francis, Joan Blondell, Greta Garbo, and Norma Shearer, plus many others. Men are strictly marginal, though a few are recognizable in the longer shots. Of course, the emphasis is on sex and seduction, subjects that became taboo once the Code kicked in. So it's fascinating to view the explicitness from a time long before the twin bed and closed mouth kissing of the next 30- years. Most of all, however, it's the notion of liberated, independent women that comes across, as commentator Molly Haskell points out. In short, these are movie images that come much closer to real female sexuality than the censored Hollywood period that followed. For years these pre-Code films were not shown on TV because of their content. Thus, their existence may come as a surprise to many viewers, making this a revealing little documentary in more ways than one.

This film is a wonderful introduction to the women of the so-called "Pre-Code" movies--movies that were made through about the middle of 1935. They were called "Pre-Code" in that they were made before the rigid Production Code was enforced and the films abounded with sexuality, violence and topics of questionable taste for the time. This documentary focuses not on this overall topic, but specifically on women of the films and their smoldering sexuality. Because of this it is NOT indicative of the general topic of Pre-Code films but on a narrow aspect of the movies.

The documentary is great because I was shocked how well-preserved some of these old leading ladies were and listening to their stories about the era was extremely fascinating. I also liked all the old clips, though I felt that many times important films were omitted from discussion or clips. For example, while the very tawdry nude swimming scene from TARZAN AND HIS MATE was mentioned and shown several times (a very spicy scene even by today's standards), very little mention was made of equally famous films with similar content, such as THE BARBARIAN and THE SIGN OF THE CROSS--the two bathing scenes in these films are amazing for the early 1930s. Also, the film seemed to indicate that the Pre-Code era was from the beginning of talkies until 1934, whereas there were MANY films in the silent era that featured copious amounts of nudity or sexually liberated females. Both these quibbles, though, are very minor, as only to film nuts like me will even notice or care!

Complicated Women is the documentary companion to Mick LaSalle's book about women in the pre-code era. The time from the first talkies through to the enforcement of the Production Code is known as the pre-code era, a great time for movie making. Subjects ranging from marital infidelity, prostitution, abortion, nudity, drug use, and other shocking subjects littered films. The public either loved them or hated them, and thanks to groups like the Catholic Legion of Decency, these subjects were censored. However, this documentary praises these films for their modernity and shows clips from films like The Divorcée, Queen Christina, Downstairs, Torch Singer, Mary Stevens MD, The Smiling Lieutenant, Men in White, Female, A Free Soul, Baby Face, Midnight Mary, The Story of Temple Drake, Red Dust, Faithless, Grand Hotel, Gold Diggers of 1933, Ladies They Talk About, I'm No Angel, Tarzan and His Mate, and more.

The only problem with this documentary is that it skips around a lot. There are headers for each section, but they all begin to blend together.

The film incorporates interviews with many great sources like Mick LaSalle, Molly Haskell, Mark Viera, and several actresses of the era.

Terrific little documentary on pre-code movies, and more specifically the role of women in them, but this subject cannot be done justice to in a mere 55 minutes (it's too short). One omission I noticed: Clara Bow. Ironically, the most telling moment of the entire program may be a scene from a POST-Code film at the very end! *** out of 4.