lugonian A WOMAN'S FACE (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1941), directed by George Cukor, (not to be confused with Cukor's 1941 similar titled TWO-FACED WOMAN (MGM) featuring Greta Garbo), stars Joan Crawford in possibly her most superior role, and definitely her last great motion picture for her home studio of MGM. Not exactly an original premise considering how it's a Hollywood remake to the 1938 Swedish movie that starred Ingrid Bergman. This newest edition, from the play "Il Etait Une Fois" by Francis DeCrosisset, set in Sweden, might have acquired the natural services of Swedish born actresses as Bergman (reprizing her original screen role) or that of MGM's own Greta Garbo. According to legend, Crawford wanted this particular role at the risk her own career. The risk proved favorable, releasing Crawford from her formula material of the past to stronger/ challenging roles that were to follow. A WOMAN'S FACE didn't offer Crawford an Academy Award nomination for her fine work, but it did earn her admiration as a respected actress, an honor she worked long and hard to achieve by this point.The narrative opens at the Royal Swedish courthouse criminal division where Anna Holm (Joan Crawford) is being escorted down the corridor by a prison matron to face a murder trial. Witnesses including that of a waiter, Herman Hundvik (Donald Meek); Bernard Hundvik (Reginald Owen); Vera (Osa Massen), her husband, Doctor Gustav Segert (Melvyn Douglas); housekeeper, Emma Kristianstotter (Marjorie Main); Consul Magnus Barring (Albert Basserman), and housewife, Christina (Connie Gilchrist) are sworn in to answer questions and individually tell their testimonies to the judges (Henry Kolker, Robert Warwick, Gilbert Emery) before passing sentence. Told through a series of flashbacks, the story of Anna Holm is slowly revealed: Anna, hideously disfigured on the right side of her face in a fire at the age of five, wants nothing more than to become part of the human race. A prisoner of her own misfortune, her bitterness turns her to a life of crime. Owning a rural tavern with a team of assistants, Anna encounters Torsten Barring (Conrad Veidt) hosting a dinner party for his guests, consisting of Mrs. Vera Segert and her lover, Eric (Charles Quigley). Barring's charming manners finds Anna becoming fascinated in this scoundrel, enough to go against her policy by giving him credit for his patronage. Finding some revealing love letters belonging to Mrs. Segert has Anna coming to this rich woman's home attempting to blackmail her. As Vera's husband unexpectedly returns, Anna, in an attempt to escape, sprains her ankle. Being a noted plastic surgeon, and taking notice of her face, Segert, rather than notifying the police and having her arrested, he talks her into performing surgery on her face. The successful operation now has Anna walking out of the hospital, becoming part of the human race. Resuming her relationship with Barring, Anna becomes part of his diabolical plot in having a member of Barring's family murdered in order to collect an inheritance. He arranges her employment in the home of Magnus Barring as a governess to his little nephew, Lars-Erik (Richard Nichols). As for the surgeon, he starts to wonder if he created a Galatea or a Frankenstein monster.What makes this stylish production fascinating is how slowly it begins (courtroom proceedings, questioning and flashback recollections), building up to intense moments (bucket ride over the mountains) and race against time climax via sleigh ride, mostly done either with little or no music underscoring. What's even more fascinating is the manner of how Crawford silently uses her face to tell her story. Performing with little make-up and unfashionable hair-style in a realistic manner, her classic moments consist that of her outbursts at the sight of mirrors, and a lighted lamp shining directly onto her face by the laughing Mrs. Segert. Crawford's well constructed transformation during the second half presents the other side of her character, and how beauty is in the eyes of her beholder, the plastic surgeon (Douglas). Even little Richard Nichols flatters his new governess by telling her, "You couldn't be mean. You're too pretty." Crawford's "Weaving Dance" with the evil Veidt is another film highlight.Produced very much in European-style of dark lighting, super-imposing from one scene to another; low to mid-angle camera shots, Director Cukor refrains from having his players, especially the rowdy hill-billy type Marjorie Main, unrecognizable in pulled-back hair, glasses and flat hat, from speaking with Swedish accents. Also seen in minor support are George Zucco (Defense Attorney); Henry Daniell (The Public Prosecutor); Gwili Andre (Gusta); and William Farnum (The Court Attendant).Not as well known as Crawford's Academy Award winning performance of MILDRED PIERCE (Warners, 1945), A WOMAN'S FACE, as good as Crawford is as Anna Holm, and not to take away from her credibility, it makes one wonder of how good, bad or indifferent it might have become had Greta Garbo assumed the title role instead. Distributed on video cassette in the 1990s, A WOMAN'S FACE, available on DVD (with two separate radio broadcasts of the same story featuring Bette Davis and Ida Lupino) as part of the Joan Crawford collection, can be found broadcast occasionally on Turner Classic Movies. (****)

Hot 888 Mama . . . then A WOMAN'S FACE argues that a woman is "made" by her face. When orphaned, Anna Holm's face is badly scarred by burns. The grown-up Anna is a heartless Sociopathic racketeer. As soon as a pioneering plastic surgeon slaps Joan Crawford's looks on BOTH sides of Anna's visage, she quickly transforms into super-governess Ingrid Paulson, gun-wielding protector of endangered young boys. This is one of Crawford's better film efforts. You can almost swear that you are watching Ingrid Bergman from time to time (not so shocking, when you know this is a remake of a Bergman picture which Crawford no doubt viewed before reprising Ingrid's role). The plot of A WOMAN'S FACE has about as many twists as that of THE MALTESE FALCON, and tough Scandanavian bad girl-turned-Crimefighter Anna seems somewhat of a beta version for THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. There are no "chestnuts roasting on an open fire" during her climactic Christmas-time sleigh ride: she opens fire more like Annie Oakley. The earlier cable car scene is something Hitchcock should have envied. Telling this story in courtroom flashbacks totally works like source material for ROSHOMON, as Anna feeds her face with just desserts.

ramito-1 Yes, Joan is great, and she looks quite luminous in several scenes. However, If you were hoping for the evil, scar-faced she-devil promised by the stills and advertising, don't hold your breath.By the time you slog though the Nordic'regional' costumes and 'folkloric' dances midway through the film, you'll wonder why you thought this film was going to offer you any noir-ish thrills. Maybe as long as you are not led-astray to think you are getting a film with any real noir-qualities besides being black and white, perhaps you won't be as disappointed as I was.For me, the shift off to the hokey winter wonderland pretty well kills off any depth the film may have seemed to promise, as well as any realism or momentum to keep me interested.But wait! Just when I was wondering how the VERY promising premise of the film could go so wrong, there is a high-speed sleigh-ride chase. Now *that's* different. Over-all, I see this film as an opportunity missed...

Box134 An exciting cast, an excellent story, excellent acting. Joan Crawford is perfect as a malevolent blackmailer who has a change of heart after her facial disfigurement is repaired.The story progresses in an interesting way, with the plot unfolding during a murder trial. Each witness builds the story line, and the script has many unexpected plot twists, making this film anything but predictable.This film is a good example of how skillful film makers create special effects without high-tech gadgetry. It's wonderful that we have films like this to show us what real movie-making is like.