Official Synopsis:
"Why Don't You Come Up Sometime and See Me?"

Screen legends Mae West and Cary Grant heat up the screen in the racy comedy She Done Him Wrong! Nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award, this classic from the pre-code Hollywood era follows a brash saloon singer (West) with a penchant for troubled men - especially the mission director (Grant) who wants to reform her. The unabashed queen of the double-entendre shines in her first starring role, in what has been called "Mae West's best film" (Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide).
  
Our Take:
She Done Him Wrong was made in the last year before the Production Code was in full-effect and it shows.  Mae West is as sexually provocative as always and her dialogue simply sizzles.  There is also an attempted suicide thrown in for good measure and a whole lot of innuendo.  The film moves at a brisk pace, which is no surprise considering that at a mere 65 minutes, it is the shortest Academy Award Best Picture nominee in history.

The film’s success hinges solely on the actors on the screen.  Mae West steals the show, as this is entirely her picture; she even worked on the screen adaptation.  West’s deep voice and masculine sexual attitudes take hold in the film and set the screen on fire for the great majority of its short running time.  Cary Grant plays a supporting role and even at this early stage in his career, his unbelievable suave screen presence is quite noticeable.  Grant is the only character to share the screen with West in the film that she does not entirely eclipse.

In what has become a welcomed trend, Universal again has brought a film out on DVD for the first time as part of its Cinema Classics series.  This release contains the following, in addition to excellent picture quality:

* Exclusive Introduction by Robert Osborne (2 minutes)

* She Done Him Right (8 minutes) – A cartoon short.

She Done Him Wrong pushed the boundaries of censorship and resulted in the meatier 1934 Production Code.  That unfortunate side effect aside, this brief but entertaining pre-Code film is simply a must-see for all Mae West or Cary Grant fans.

RECOMMENDED!

Overall Picture:
Movie: B+
DVD:   C+

- Matthew Orlando
Staff Writer