Just recently I saw the movie "Thirteen Women" co-starring Myrna Loy. I was so impressed I wanted to see her in other films. I found "Emma," but she only played a bit part. Then I found this movie. This wasn't the best movie to show off.
It was very common in movies in the '30's for women to hook up with a man for his money; whether she took the role as his wife, girlfriend, or mistress. Becky (Myrna Loy) was such a woman. Neither age nor marital status mattered to her, she would use her looks to move in on a man if he had the right sized pocketbook.
I'm saying she would move in on men as though they were helpless victims in the scenario when that is far from the truth. All of the men she hooked up with were more than willing participants and needed no coaxing at all to pounce on Becky.
Becky was reminiscent of the Red-Headed Woman (Jean Harlow), but unlike the Red-Headed Woman, Becky (Myrna Loy) wasn't able to land on her feet.
"Vanity Fair" is a cautionary tale about lust and greed--the lust of the many insatiable men and the greed of the women who would entertain them for the right price. These lusty men just may land a very unfaithful bride while the greed of the women may cause them to ruin a good thing.
While I didn't like Becky, I didn't hate her either. When an acquaintance coolly pointed out that she only wanted one thing from a man, she retorted that men only wanted one thing from her and she was just making them pay for it.
My problem with "Vanity Fair," besides being too much like "Red-Headed Woman," was the acting and staging. It was done very much like a highschool play in which each actor just sat or stood still waiting for their turn to speak. It makes the performance very mechanical and unappealing. I don't blame the actors, because they all did it, which means the director must be blamed. So, instead of saying this was a poorly acted movie, I'll say it was a poorly directed movie.
Free on YouTube.
It was very common in movies in the '30's for women to hook up with a man for his money; whether she took the role as his wife, girlfriend, or mistress. Becky (Myrna Loy) was such a woman. Neither age nor marital status mattered to her, she would use her looks to move in on a man if he had the right sized pocketbook.
I'm saying she would move in on men as though they were helpless victims in the scenario when that is far from the truth. All of the men she hooked up with were more than willing participants and needed no coaxing at all to pounce on Becky.
Becky was reminiscent of the Red-Headed Woman (Jean Harlow), but unlike the Red-Headed Woman, Becky (Myrna Loy) wasn't able to land on her feet.
"Vanity Fair" is a cautionary tale about lust and greed--the lust of the many insatiable men and the greed of the women who would entertain them for the right price. These lusty men just may land a very unfaithful bride while the greed of the women may cause them to ruin a good thing.
While I didn't like Becky, I didn't hate her either. When an acquaintance coolly pointed out that she only wanted one thing from a man, she retorted that men only wanted one thing from her and she was just making them pay for it.
My problem with "Vanity Fair," besides being too much like "Red-Headed Woman," was the acting and staging. It was done very much like a highschool play in which each actor just sat or stood still waiting for their turn to speak. It makes the performance very mechanical and unappealing. I don't blame the actors, because they all did it, which means the director must be blamed. So, instead of saying this was a poorly acted movie, I'll say it was a poorly directed movie.
Free on YouTube.