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5.1/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.1/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Morals for Women remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you're into the kind of movies where people speak in paragraphs and everything is framed as a massive life-or-death choice, then sure. Dig in. If you want something with actual grit or a story that doesn't feel like it’s lecturing you every five minutes, maybe skip this one.
It’s the classic 'good girl forced into bad choices' setup. Bessie Love is doing a lot of heavy lifting here with just her eyes. It’s impressive, really, how she conveys desperation while everyone else is just kind of standing around waiting for their turn to talk.
The pacing is… well, it’s a product of its time. There’s a scene about halfway through that feels like it lasts an eternity. I think they really wanted us to feel the weight of her decision, but it mostly just made me check my watch. Twice.
The dialogue is so stiff you could use it to hammer nails. Every line sounds like it was written to be carved into a stone tablet for future generations to learn from. It’s not subtle. It’s not even trying to be.
It reminded me a little bit of the vibe in The Wine Girl, though maybe with slightly less charm. Both films are obsessed with these rigid, old-fashioned ideas about what a lady should or shouldn't do. It gets exhausting after a while, honestly.
The ending? Let’s just say you can see it coming from the first ten minutes. It’s a total happily-ever-after pivot that ignores all the messy reality they spent the previous hour building up. Maybe they ran out of film. Or maybe they just wanted to go home.
It’s a strange little artifact. Don't go in expecting a masterpiece. Just take it for what it is: a very loud, very earnest, and very old story about how love magically fixes every bad decision you've ever made. 🙄