“Professor Marston and the Wonder Women” is a smart, quiet, beautiful, exciting and, in many ways, educational in a good way.

I never heard of William Marston before seeing this movie and I learned that not only did he and his wife Elizabeth discover the early prototype of the lie detector but they also created the systolic blood pressure test. She was a graduate of Harvard, his equal in every way. Professor Marston was not only a psychiatrist but he would eventually become the comic book writer and originator of Wonder Woman. Marston, along with research by Elizabeth, come up with the theory of DISC that stated all human behavior can be either dominance, inducement, submission or compliance, either each by themselves or variations, combinations of all 4.

Actually with all this that is not what the film is really about but about a student in in the class he teaches at Radcliffe where his wife is an observer. As soon as he sees a new student, Olive Bryne, whose aunt is Margaret Sanger and her mother left her in a convent school to devote her life fighting for women’s suffrage, becomes infatuated with her. She becomes the husband and wife’s graduate assistant with Elizabeth and William falling in love with her and she falling in love with them.

To say any more than that they start a life together would give away too much of the film. They are all strong, independent thinkers who look at all aspects of their relationship to make a success of the life they want to lead under the eyes of the society of the 1930s and 1940s let alone for years after. In today’s worldthey would be just as vilified if found out.

The film opens with children and their parents burning copies of Wonder Woman comics and then segues into Marston being interrogated by psychologist Josette Frank of the Child Study Association of America not only about his living conditions but about all the perversion in the Wonder Women series from B & D, S & M, homosexuality between women to use of ropes, leather and other accruements of the sexual world.

“Professor Marston and the Wonder Women” is rated R for strong sexual content including language and brief graphic images. If you are expecting a porno film, sorry but this is not it. The brief images last about 2-3 minutes showing William, Elizabeth and Olive experiencing the sexual aspect of their love with very little nudity and not any frontal nudity. Yes, there is a scene in a Greenwich Village specialty shop that delves into various possibilities of how people can experience love and or sex.

The Director-screenwriter Angela Robinson does superb work in both categories and certainly deserves recognition when award time rolls around.

Talking about awards Rebecca Hall, as Elizabeth Marston, can give a look or say a word that would stop anyone in their tracks and gives a not to be forgotten performance. Bella Heathcote, as the young, sparkling, bright, blond student equals Hall’s performance in a different way. Luke Evans, as Professor Marston, has to work hard to keep up with the women and he does. All 3 give indelible performances.

In supporting roles Connie Britton as Josette Frank, JJFeild as the owner of the specialty shop along with Oliver Platt as Marston’s editor hold their own in a movie filled with excellent performances all around.

Angela Robinson’s screenplay covers a lot of territory including many unconventional subjects without demeaning the characters, the story or the audience.

“Professor Marston and the Wonder Women” is a must see movie which, in many ways, is as relevant today as it was at the time the picture takes place.

Movie trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r991pr4Fohk