The first impression after or even while watching the movie is close to stunning - the film respects with its directness/ straightforwardness and honesty. The participation of charming/ handsome, even though not extremely beautiful, characters, the general tone of sexy indecency and the good build up of the plot really raise the movie high.
I see on IMDB here that the overall rating is 7.1 out of 10. I personally gave 8 but I can admit I see 2 relatively big problems in the film.
The one is in the eternal controversy between the abstinence (including in Christian sense) and submission to the temptation. I am not completely convinced that in the 20ies of 20th century we may have a male professor to an entirely female class in the college. If we have a division of classes on sex basis then it is hardly understandable to send a clever and handsome 30+ aged professor to teach in psychology 20+ aged female students, even in front of his wife. Of course, it is then only natural that there will be at least a sparkle between one/ some of the students and the attractive self-confident professor.
Here comes the obviously superior and advantageous position of the professor and his wife towards the inferior one of the curious young student, who volunteered to be their assistant. And we are in front of the question - how much we have the inducement, the seduction, the temptation, and use and, why not - the abuse of the situation. The age difference between the professor and the student is 11 years (in real life) - yes, it is human to make errors, it is human to be attracted, to be tempted, to seduce, to like, to love, to surrender, to comply, to submit... But can we ask on what price? Don't we just have another evil mind, another 'smart ass' professor who simply conquers a much younger girl?
In this line, initially Betty (the spouse) declared she is not sexually jealous but... the tables turned already on the first meeting with the young attractive girl. Yes, people, including women, can easily change their mind, but don't we speak again for the personification of the interests and the urge to dominate and... practically ab/use the situation and even the other people?
There is a well presented confrontation in the movie between the 'normal'/ expected/ standard behavior and the personal choice of the main characters, basically Olive (Dotsy). The latter tried to follow the societal norms but she got largely discouraged in this and practically induced/ seduced to ''the other'' side by the elderly, more experienced and obviously smarter couple. A very good scene was when the Olive's fiancée tried to limit her contacts with the 'patrons' and Betty confidently announced that he cannot just give a ring to the girl and then hold her in the box of the marriage. It is a very nice statement, seeming to be in favor of the rights of women and personal freedom but... practically it sounds only as a justification to keep the beautiful young girl for other purposes, ''for us'', simply because we like/ love her and we are aware of her hesitation... A good episode of the movie is that Olive decided to be true to her boyfriend and she annulled the engagement turning the ring to him.
The second problem I saw in the film and something that surprised me a bit was the general notion professor Marston to be presented as a feminist. Let's not forget that the film director is a woman. Honestly, I am myself pretty curious to see a prominent man standing on clear feminist positions. I can admit that for the first part of 20th century to raise questions for the free choice of women, for their education, what is 'normal' in general, is probably a big feminist step forward. On the other hand, to make children to 2 women, to keep them or at least one of them - 11 years younger - in a well-induced submission sounds like a set of tricks of a clever and sufficiently handsome 'smart ass'. Ok, a man who succeeded in selling out his controversial comic strip full of kinky sex, but who got a heavy disease (cancer) and left 2 women and 4 children relatively early in his life.
Just let me generalize again - I cannot easily see a feminism in a harem-type domicile of one man and two women, a man making children on his choice with either of the women, etc. The love/ sexual story between Betty and Dotsy (Olive) exists in the movie and adds a lot of color to it but is denied or at least put under a serious question by the real granddaughter of the professor, so... if feminism is in the female-to-female love... it as if goes against the feminism... Sorry!
As a conclusion, let me say it is indeed a very interesting movie, raising a lot of question and, for good or a bad reason, also the question whether we see the story of a genial man and ''his wonder women'' or the story of a lucky dominant smart ass who succeeded in making children to a few seemingly loving women in his short life...
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