The Truth About Women (1957)

When his son in law (Derek Farr) complains to him about women, the father in law (Laurence Harvey) tells him about his experience with the opposite sex including an outspoken suffragette (Diane Cilento), an Arab harem girl (Jocelyn Lane), a married Frenchwoman (Eva Gabor), an American heiress (Lisa Gastoni), a painter (Julie Harris) and a Swedish nurse (Mai Zetterling). While its viewpoint on women veers toward the outmoded, this sophisticated anecdotal comedy falls short of what it could have been but the film has a rich color palette and the actresses (all gowned by Cecil Beaton) bring their game. What any of them see in Harvey is beyond me but that probably has more to do with my personal distaste for the actor than any appeal he may have for the ladies. The director Muriel Box doesn't dwell on any segment long enough to wear out its welcome but the stories range from farcical (the Gabor segment) to bittersweet (the Zetterling segment). With Christopher Lee, Marius Goring, Ernest Thesiger, Roland Culver and Ambrosine Phillpotts.