MovieChat Forums > Woman of the Year (1942) Discussion > Horrible treatment of the child

Horrible treatment of the child

posted 10 years ago by parisel
2 replies | jump to latest

I just watched this movie and couldn't believe that their treatment of the child was considered alright, even in 1942. To build up his hopes, dump him off like a bag of trash at the orphanage.

They could have mitigated it a little at the end by saying something like. "let's see if Chris will give us another chance."

That was the most depressing comedy I've ever seen. Really disappointed with Hepburn and Tracy. And he didn't get top billing from me.

I guess it's like looking at clouds. You see one thing and I see another. Peace.

[–] Zuider_Zee 9 years ago

Not to mention the fact that the Hepburn character was willing to go off and leave the child alone and unattended so she could receive an award!

[–] practicepiano 8 years ago

I just watched this movie and couldn't believe that their treatment of the child was considered alright, even in 1942. To build up his hopes, dump him off like a bag of trash at the orphanage.

They could have mitigated it a little at the end by saying something like. "let's see if Chris will give us another chance."

It wasn't considered all right -- it was clearly meant to show us how mindlessly selfish Tess had become. Her treatment of Chris was the thing that made Sam give up and leave her.

Sam was stuck in the middle, and, while a plotline that had him keeping Chris and raising him alone might have been possible, it seems unlikely. It seems to me he was being resigned and realistic when he did so - he had left Tess; he knew he would be alone, working, probably depressed, and he and the child couldn't even communicate.

I think a line about "Chris giving them another chance" would have been in terrible taste, and more likely to make me think the characters had not learned from their experience.