There truly has never been someone like Mae West – both in front of the camera and behind it, she was a revolutionary figure who not only changed the way Hollywood wrote female roles but opened doors for many very gifted women in the industry. We don’t even need to research her life to understand all the incredible work she did since even just watching one of her films proves that she is not someone who should ever be underestimated. Unfortunately, she was also very selective with the roles she played, and instead of selling herself to the studio system in a way that controlled what kinds of films she appeared in, she was adamant about her independence, even once she was enrolled to work for a particular studio. Her body of work is quite small but impressive in how she mastered her craft and one of her most distinctive works is She Done Him Wrong, a hilarious crime comedy in which West plays a beloved cabaret singer who is well-known, particularly amongst the male population, but who unintentionally gets embroiled in a plot that involves theft, murder and conspiracy, which she was not prepared to have become part of her daily life. Told through her interactions with various male suitors that made their way in and out of her boudoir daily, each one bringing with him new information that “Lady Lou” uses as a way to take advantage of the situation, the film is a terrific work – it may be slightly rough around the edges and doesn’t have the most concise manner of exploring certain issues, but it is nonetheless a remarkable piece of cinema that captures a very specific tone, not only present in Hollywood at the time but within society as a whole – and the blisteringly funny narrative is all the more reason to celebrate She Done Him Wrong as one of the more original comedies of its era, as well as noting just how magnetic a screen presence we had in our lead.

Few people were more suited to a period than the West fit into the Pre-Code era, almost as if they were made for one another. She Done Him Wrong is one of the landmark films from this period, being a famous example of how filmmakers were able to take advantage of the more liberal level of censorship, just before the introduction of the Hays Code only a couple of years later. It was a brief moment in time, but one in which some of the most inventive and captivating works were produced, this being one of the most notable. In theory, there doesn’t seem to be anything inherently controversial about this film, even if we try and adopt the perspective of someone in the early 1930s – the story centres on a nightclub singer becoming involved in a criminal plot against her wishes. However, from the first moment, it is extremely clear that She Done Him Wrong is a film formed from fragments of ideas that West had roughly explored previously in her stageplay Diamond Lil, which was a close forerunner to this film, albeit without some of the major details that became the foundation of the story (and we have to note that this was one of the instances where West didn’t have direct involvement in the writing of the film, with Harvey F. Thew and John Bright being tasked with taking the play and reconfiguring it for the screen – mercifully, the best aspects are those that were brought over from West’s witty play), and the racy elements are quite clear, especially in how the main character is developed, being unquestionably controversial, but in a way that is empowering and very entertaining. West always made sure to take advantage of all the material she was given, and this film is one of the many examples of her exceptional work in practice, especially in the small but interesting moments in which we see a steadfast disappearance of morals and values, which are subsequently replaced by a wonderfully risque style.

There are several reasons to appreciate and admire West, who is someone who more than earned her place within the history of Hollywood, being an actor and writer who dedicated her life to pursuing her craft in the way only she knew, which was to remain true to herself, never allowing anyone to dictate how or why she existed within the industry, which was especially notable considering how any performer was seen as being at the beck-and-call of the studio, with the idea of a woman being more than willing to stand toe-to-toe with executives being truly impressive. Her performance in She Done Him Wrong is some of her best work – some even consider this her finest performance (my taste veers towards My Little Chickadee for this title, but this film is not far behind), and this is primarily because this is the most memorable distillation of her screen persona – she had mastered the kind of “brassy broad” that would become so iconic, as well as widely imitated over time. She was also one of the rare Hollywood stars who had an iconic persona but was also a genuinely great actor – watching one of her films, you can tell that she was doing quite a bit to differentiate between them, even if the general characteristics remained the same, which was a common practice at the time, and one of the many aspects that make her performances so incredibly captivating, because we may know what to expect in general,  but it’s the small surprises that ultimately make the most significant impact. She Done Him Wrong also features a terrific early performance from a young and impressionable Cary Grant, who was still mostly untested as an actor, but yet still carried himself with that same debonair charm and deep sincerity that we have always known to be entirely indicative of his gifts as an actor, and the primary reason why he has remained arguably the best actor during the Golden Era of Hollywood. Grant and West have extraordinary chemistry and bring this film to life in surprising and unforgettable ways.

Outside of West’s magnetic performance, She Done Him Wrong has drawn a lot of attention based on its format, with the structure being slightly unorthodox and always very entertaining in a way that can feel deeply compelling, even in its smaller moments. Part of this comes in how the film playfully subverts genre – it has early traits of the screwball genre (which was still about a year away from being fully established, so this is more of an ancestral work that pioneers some of the ideas, rather than an entry into the genre on its own), but it layers on a very memorable crime storyline that is a radical departure from the grittier, more unsettling gangster pictures that were also emerging as a result of the laissez-faire opportunities present in the Pre-Code era, and then logically a healthy dose of melodrama since it seemed foolish to not at least contain some element of convention, even if it was for something decidedly quite rebellious. It isn’t enough to contain these genres, but rather the film needed to do something valuable with these ideas, and She Done Him Wrong is certainly not afraid to be slightly more experimental from time to time, which is all part of its incredible appeal. It is hilariously funny (it would be difficult for West to not illicit sincere laughs whenever she is on screen, by the nature of her magnetic and inherently humorous persona), but it also has grand gestures of emotion that are deeply heartfelt, as well as a tangible sense of tension that governs the entire story in quite an interesting, captivating way. The shift between tones is handled exceptionally well, and director Lowell Sherman (one of the most unheralded filmmakers who would have been a defining figure in Hollywood had he not died prematurely only a year after this film) does well in handling all the different ideas embedded in this film, which is a masterfully-constructed comedy with a lot of heart and humour.

She Done Him Wrong may seem like it fades into a sea of lovely but inconsequential comedies from the era – and for the first few moments, it appears like just about any other conventional film, designed to slightly stir the pot while still maintaining a certain level of elegance and humour to the proceedings. This is until we realize the true scope of the material being shown here – there is a level of sincerity with which Sherman approaches the shifting genres, and he humanizes these characters even beyond what West set down in her original play, which formed the foundation for this terrific and deeply charming comedy with a jagged edge and genuine sense of curiosity. It’s a lovely film with a satirical edge, and while not all of its ideas are necessarily going to be executed perfectly, there is still a sense of extreme optimism and incredible poignancy that drives this film and makes it extremely entertaining. It has a lot of heart, which is important (since the story itself is very simple and not particularly notable), and while we will always have this associated with West’s persona more than anything else, there is still a lot of value throughout the film, which makes She Done Him Wrong one of the more effect comedies of this era. It is daring enough to be exciting, but not too scintillating where it feels like it is just generally stirring up chaos where it isn’t necessary. Deeply captivating and always on the bleeding edge of decency, this film is a triumph, and one of the very best examples of how to take a straightforward premise and turn it into an insightful, funny and deeply heartfelt film, which is always a wonderful discovery when looking at these iconic works from the past, which prove how history is alive and how some films are not solely restricted to a bygone era in terms of ideas and execution.