“What is a woman’s greatest duty? To have children, then to have more children, always to have children! A woman who refuses, who seeks to control or suppress her maternal destiny, no longer deserves any rights. That woman becomes nothing.”
-Paul Smith, Feminism and the Third Republic: Women’s Political and Civil Rights in France 1918-1940 [1]
Women in France, as well as Germany, Great Britain, and the United States, started to gain political recognition during the 1920s, but only as domestic workers. Women who were mothers were viewed by the law as domestic workers, and they received legal benefits because of this title. However, women who were not mothers did not receive legislative protections. This historical detail makes relevant the fact that there is not a child on screen in the film The Smiling Madame Beudet. At this point in history it was nearly a requirement for women to have children; the fact that Madame Beudet is not a mother places her another degree further from the ideal woman of this time. Madame Beudet’s non-standard character and rejection of this era’s cultural norm is also observed through her interest in art, her disobedience to her husband, and the free will she pursues so fervently. While these facets of her character are certainly important and contribute greatly to her appeal, her lack of children serves a greater purpose. It is a more bold statement that exemplifies her disregard for what is expected of her, which makes her such an admirable character. [2]
Elizabeth Smith and Haleigh Bauer