7 Women (1966)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Norah Lofts (short story "Chinese Finale")
Janet Green (writer) ...

Release Date:

24 March 1966 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A Story of Flame and Fury, Faith and Fear, Love and Adventure

Plot:

Legendary director John Ford's final film involving seven dedicated missionary women in China circa 1935 trying to protect themselves from the advances of a Mongolian barbaric warlord and his cut-throat gang of warriors.

Plot Keywords:

Mission | Missionary | China | Warlord | Bandit

Cast

Anne Bancroft	...	Dr. D.R. Cartwright
Sue Lyon	...	Emma Clark, Mission Staff
Margaret Leighton	...	Agatha Andrews, Head of Mission
Flora Robson	...	Miss Binns, Head of British Mission
Mildred Dunnock	...	Jane Argent, Andrews' Assistant
Betty Field	...	Mrs. Florrie Pether, Charles' pregnant wife
Anna Lee	...	Mrs. Russell, Mission Staff
Eddie Albert	...	Charles Pether, Mission Teacher
Mike Mazurki	...	Tunga Khan, Bandit Leader
Woody Strode	...	Lean Warrior
Jane Chang	...	Miss Ling, Mission Staff
Hans William Lee	...	Kim, Mission Staff
H.W. Gim	...	Coolie
Irene Tsu	...	Chinese Girl

Also Known As:

Chinese Finale (USA) (working title)
Seven Women (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Mandarin

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

West Germany:18 (f) | Argentina:16 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The last movie that John Ford directed.

Quotes:

Dr. D.R. Cartwright: [to Tunga Khan, Bandit Leader] So long, ya bastard!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Le fantôme d'Henri Langlois (2004)

Female doctor in a male's world

I have to admit that the ending of this film really stunned me. In the first part we see a female doctor, very determined, ready to work in the harsh condition. It is hard to her to be female doctor, she couldn't even get the decent office back in her country. The title of the film is "7 women", but actually there are 8. Why? It seems that the main character is excluded. Is that for the fact she wears man's clothes, drinks and smokes and most importantly that she is a doctor? In our society it is considered a compliment when the woman is told she was like a man (brave like a man, determined like a man, has brain like a man..) even today. But, despite her man's clothes she looks more appealing than the rest of women in their all women clothes who look like dry broomsticks.

From today's point of view it is inappropriate for the doctor to smoke so much and even get mad when is told not to, but as we know in the past women were not allowed to smoke, not for health reason, but only for the fact they were women, we could see it as her rebellion against this attitude.

For all the above the ending came as surprise. I think that Ford made for the main character a typical female destiny. Something like that: Dear ladies, you could try to be like a man, but in the end you couldn't avoid your female destiny. Is this a bottom line of the film? Later we see her dressed like a geisha. How sad to see her in that outfit when we know how she loves to wear man's clothes for practical reason. If the main character was a man,I am sure Ford would intend for him typical man's (male's)ending. He would fight to the last drop of his blood even if it would be hopeless. What is the point of her sacrifice? She saved 8 lives, but with her determination and skill as a doctor she could have saved 8 thousands lives if she had stayed alive. Also it was not pleasant to see Chinese depicted as brutes with disgusting eating habits who mumble instead of talking. Obviously some see the world like this: We are in the middle and the rest of the world is made of savages, brutes who constantly fight with each other. I'm sure this wasn't Ford intention; he just followed the pattern. Nevertheless, it is a good film, which makes you think.