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Smart Woman

Name: Smart Woman
Director: Gregory La Cava
Released: 1931
Duration: 68 min

Representation Score

3.1/10

Limited

1931

Director

Gregory La Cava

Runtime

68 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Smart Woman disrupts traditional gendered power structures by empowering the female protagonist. Her tactical response to her husband's infidelity provides a refreshing departure from the submissive wife archetype common in early cinema. However, the film lacks diversity in representation. It remains confined to a homogeneous social framework, offering little representation of racial, ethnic, or LGBTQ+ identities. Ultimately, the film's progressive elements are limited to its gender dynamics, while the broader social landscape remains traditional and narrow.

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Category Breakdown

Does Smart Woman have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film focuses solely on a heterosexual marital conflict and does not depict any non-cisgender identities or narratives that challenge the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender.

How does Smart Woman portray gender?

Good

The protagonist challenges the passive wife stereotype by taking a leading role in driving the story. She uses her intelligence and strategic thinking to handle her husband's infidelity.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Smart Woman?

Minimal

The film likely reflects the homogeneous casting standards of 1931. There is no indication of racial blending or non-Anglo-Saxon representation.

How does Smart Woman represent religion and culture?

Fair

The story is rooted in traditional high-society structures. It explores moral relativism through social maneuvering rather than critiquing Western institutions.

Does Smart Woman include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no visible or invisible disabilities depicted or used as plot devices in this narrative.

Present on Screen

The female protagonist demonstrates significant influence and intellectual competence.
The narrative challenges traditional hierarchies by empowering the wife against infidelity.

Limited or Absent

The film lacks racial and ethnic diversity in its casting and setting.
There is no representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-cisgender narratives.
The social scope is limited to traditional, homogeneous high-society structures.

Official Synopsis

A society man's loving, devoted wife, upon learning that he has been unfaithful and is planning to leave her for the other woman, strategically pretends to be having an affair of her own. The woman's friends gladly assist in the deception.

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