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Red-Headed Woman (1932)

1932 • 1h 19m • NR
On October 4, 2026
#46006
46006th by Pulse movie online
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CinemaSerf on Red-Headed Woman

7/10 · Sep 18, 2022

Jean Harlow portrays Lil, a woman with definite aspirations who becomes intrigued by her boss, Bill (Chester Morris). She decides to disrupt his marriage to Irene (Leila Hyams), and he proves to be somewhat weak, though genuinely fond of his wife; still, he’s easily controlled by his former assistant. After successfully breaking up the marriage, Lil's interest shifts, and businessman Gaerste (Henry Stephenson) and chauffeur Albert (Charles Boyer) find themselves targets of her attention. The plot itself isn't particularly noteworthy, but the role reversal is quite effective. Harlow embodies the outwardly frivolous yet surprisingly clever woman who knows what she desires and isn’t hesitant to employ charm and deception to obtain it. Katharine Brush's book also highlights how helpless men can become when confronted with a confident woman capable of easily manipulating and outsmarting them. The humor arises gradually, not through overt laughter but as a subtle undermining of traditional male roles and societal norms. It manages to cover a lot of ground within eighty minutes; the supporting cast, including Lewis Stone and Una Merkel, provides some enjoyable moments, and the ending delivers a satisfying resolution. Harlow’s performance is outstanding, overshadowing everyone else. Her character possesses spirit, courage, and calculation, but remains free from outright cruelty, and while I didn't particularly care for Lil as a person, I did find her admirable by the film’s end.

Source on TMDB