Review of Female (1933) by Veronique K — 14 Apr 2008

"female" is directed by michael curtiz in his early days in warner bro. before he thrives at errol flynn swashbucklers. it's casted with ruth chatteton and george brent as the leads, and it's a story about a businesswoman's convert to her femininity by a dashing masculine hunk with conventional maschismo.

The flick is shot at pre-code area, naturally it has its indulgence of sexual insinuations to some degree... it could be very feministic when it comes to the plots of chatterton's female boss seducing her male employee as sex-mates at night for fun then dismiss them next day in the morning. it might be considered gritty at that time, but it might also reflect the primitive gender revolution at 1920s by terming the feminism as refusal of womanhood and being phallic to emulate the men. but eventually this flick is stil reversed back to the bourgeois track of female virtue since the real man who is not willing to compromise just appears to tame the shrew.

George brent is often casted as the ideal man who softens tough females like bette davis and barbara stanwyck(babyface) in warner's flicks. he does have a mass angular bone structure and a georgeous face as gears of romantic lead, espeacially when he smiles with his radiant dimples.