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Woman's Face [VHS]

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To the point: Joan once said her performance in A Woman's Face has led her in winning an Oscar for Mildred Pierce. Directed by George Cukor A Woman's Face was indeed a film that shows that Joan was not only a star but an dramatic actress.

from an audience point of view.
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I've always thought the period from 1939 to 1942 was an extremely interesting time in Joan Crawford's career. As one of the three Queens of MGM along with Greta Garbo and Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford was long regarded as MGM's resident "shopgirl", most often seen in vehicles where her character by sheer grit and determination usually clawed her way to the upper levels of society. By 1939 Joan was inevitably outgrowing those type of parts and being the total career strategist that she was she began taking more risks with the type of roles she tackled. "A Woman's Face", coming along in 1941 was one such "non traditional", role that she undertook at this time and it resulted in one of her finest efforts up to that date and contains without a doubt some of the best acting of Joan's long career at the studio of studios, MGM. Under the always sure direction of the legendary director George Cukor who she had just had another success with in "Susan and God", Joan totally submerges herself in the character of the embittered and horrifically scarred Anna Holm with amazing dramatic results that helps create a riverting story of sadness and bitterness redeemed by love and understanding.

Based on the earlier Swedish film "En Kvinnas Ansikte", starring a young Ingrid Bergman which in turn was based on the celebrated play "II Etait Une Fois", by Francois De Croisset, the new effort keeps the locale and the same main characters with more of an American flavour to it with some of Hollywood's major lead and supporting actors filing the roles. We are first introduced to Anna Holm (Crawford), during a court case where she is on trial for the murder of Torsten Barring (Conrad Veidt). Told in flashback we see her living a lonely and loveless life in Stockholm. Horribly scarred by a childhood accident Anna leads an embittered existence where she has allowed her own frustrations to be taken out on all those around her. She turns to becoming the leader of a ruthless blackmailing ring that operates by extorting money out of unfortunate individuals who find themselves in potentially embarrassing situations. Basing their centre of operations at a country roadhouse Anna comes into contact with scheming aristocrat Torsten Barring, who happens to be short of both cash and any scruples about how to get it. He senses Anna's hunger for affection and he begins flattering her into believing she is an interesting and desirable woman. Of course he has ulterior motives for all this attention as he has plans to use Anna in his deadly scheme to murder his young nephew Lars Erik (Richard Nichols), who stands in the way of him receiving the family fortune on the event of the death of his ageing father Consul Barring (Albert Bassermann). In the meantime Anna continues to ply her trade of blackmail when her focus falls on wealthy Vera Segert (Osa Massen), the careless wife of prominent plastic surgeon Gustaf Segert (Melvyn Douglas). Attempting to exhort money from Vera over some careless love letters from Vera that have fallen into her possession Anna sprains her ankle trying to escape from the Segert's house and comes into contact with Gustaf. When he sees the terrible scar on her face Gustaf begins to take an interest in Anna and after showing her examples of how he has completely removed just as hideous disfigurements from others urges her to undergo surgery to remove her disfigurement. Anna agrees to undergo the surgery and the operations are a total success with Anna for the first time experiencing the feeling of being an attractive woman. However what has been repaired on the outside of the body is still no solution to the damage caused on the inside and Gustaf really wonders whether he has changed much at all and whether Anna is in fact a "Frankenstein or a Galatea". Wanting to show off her new appearance Anna goes to Torsten's apartment where her newfound beauty only fires his plans further towards obtaining his family fortune. He pursuades Anna to take a job as governess to Lars Erik and then stage an accident that will remove the claimant. Anna however grows attached to the infant and begins to see the wrong direction her life is taking her in when there is an opportunity to begin anew. When she is pushed into committing the murder Anna cannot go ahead with it and encouraged by the now besotted Gustaf she draws back from Torsten and his murderous scheme. Infuriated by Anna's betrayal Torsten now makes an attempt during a sleigh ride to murder the boy himself but in the frenzied pursuit Anna ends up shooting Torsten to save Lars Erik. Put on trial for murder a vital letter written by Anna to the Consul warning him about Torsten's intentions is revealed by jealous house keeper Emma Kristiansdotter (Marjorie Main)which shows that Anna acted in good intent. Gustaf now can see she was innocent of any wrong doing and agrees to stand by her for whatever happens in the future.

Certainly the second half of "A Woman's Face", does dissolve into melodrama but it is melodrama of the best kind and both portions of the story complement each other perfectly. George Cukor did a masterful job here with his direction of Joan Crawford and reportedly worked with her repeatedly to wear down any "actressy", mannerisms that Crawford might have normally brought to the proceedings. Certainly Joan displays an almost wistful quality in her acting when her new face is unveiled and she continually touches her face to see if it is actually hers. A normal person's natural anxiety and fear during the removal of her bandages also registers in Joan's facial expressions and deportment during that crucial scene where the audience waits with baited breath to see the results of her surgery. The earlier scenes when Anna is still a scarred and embittered blackmailer are some of Joan Crawford's finest pieces of acting. Here is no actress playing a villian, her Anna is a fully dimensional and embittered character taking her vengeance out on an uncaring world. Many other performers also shine in "A Woman's Face", in particular Conrad Veidt who made a speciality of these types of nasty individuals such as he plays here. Melvyn Douglas, a frequent Crawford leading man has the far more conventional leading man part here and really can't help but pale beside Veidt's more colurful charactersiation. Supporting performers Reginald Owen, Donald Meek and Connie Gilchrist really register as Anna's villianous pack of cold blooded blackmailers and Marjorie Main turns in an unexpectedly fine dramatic performance, very different to her better known work as a comedian, in the role of the jealous housekeeper who ends up holding the vital evidence that could save Anna's life when she is on trial.

Given that it was considered one of MGM's major productions for 1941 the credits both in front of and behind the camera for "A Woman's Face", are first rate. I'm always amazed at the individual expertise in areas like set design, lighting and costume back in Hollywood's heyday and "A Woman's Face", is no exception with Cedric Gibbon's excellent Swedish set design and the legendary Adrian excelling in one of his last assignments at MGM with his authentic costume designs for the principals. Joan Crawford never really had as excellent an acting role in her remaining two years at MGM but her Anna Holm is a fitting tribute to her often underestimated talents as a dramatic actress. If you see only one Joan Crawford melodrama from her MGM years make sure it is George Cukor's riverting tale of murder, deceit and love in "A Woman's Face".

Anyone who doubts Joan Crawford's acting ability should watch the first half of this wonderful George Cukor film (second half dissolves into standard MGM melodrama fare). She is heartbreaking and constantly compelling. One wonders what could have happened to her career if she had been used more for her talent than her looks. Conrad Veidt is her spine tingling costar. A dynamic and dastardly duo!

Yes, under Cukor's direction Joan Crawford and the other players give performances of their lives but what keeps me coming back to this film is also its stunning black and white cinematography.

Cukor matches Joan Crawford's moral, social and, er, facial transformation with his own generic transformation. The film, despite its underworld milieu and courtroom framework, begins as ripe melodrama; it closes as a finger-disfiguringly tense thriller. Crawford plays one of the most remarkable female characters in Hollywood's history - how many female ganglords, blackmailers, thieves and women of easy virtue get not only to morally redeem themselves, but get the man too? Behind it all, Cukor shapes a fierce, ironic social critique, and pulls off some of his most remarkable shots, my favourite being the hall of mirrors Joan admires herself in after the operation.

This film contains a superior Joan Crawford performance, and one in which her fans should appreciate. It took courage for Crawford, who was, in 1941, the glamour girl of 49 movies and the idol of autograph hounds to be the face in A WOMAN'S FACE. When you come to know her as Anna Holm on the screen, she is a sullen slattern, the brain trust of a ring of sniveling criminals, a sort of female "Sea Wolf" who beats, bullies and blackmails her victims. The reason for this behaviour you discover in a series of flashbacks from a Swedish courtroom, where, heavily veiled, Anna stands trial for murder. From the testimony you learn that when she was 5, her brilliant, drunken father had set fire to her room. From then on she has been disfigured by a ghastly scar that criss-crosses her right cheek from mouth to eye and is only rarely revealed by M-G-M. Shunned by a horrified society, she has sought refuge in music, painting, poetry and alcohol only to find final solace and revenge in a life of crime. All this changes when she meets Conrad Veidt...........M-G-M's remake of the 1937 Swedish film - which starred Ingrid Bergman - unfortunately loses its brisk forward-moving psychological narrative and dissolves into an overexposure of melodramatic sweetness and light. But, in 1941, most critics were impressed by Crawford's savage, snarling performance & gave her a four star rating, calling A WOMAN'S FACE her fortune!

In the 1940's Joan's career really started to unravel. She was no longer the sweet little working girl. Joan wanted to branch out and show her true acting capabilities, and "A Woman's Face" was her first shot at that, and one of her most ambitious feature presentations.

In this gorgeous black and white film, Joan played Anna Holm, otherwise known as Ingrid Paulson. Anna lived with a severe facial scar that left her disfigured. Joan looked completely different as Anna because she was no longer glamorous or dressed to the nines. Even when she played the poorest working girl, Joan always looked devastatingly beautiful. In "A Woman's Face" she relied on her natural talent of acting to shine through by letting the viewers see a unique and diverse piece of her.

Here are Miss Crawford's personal comments about this film: I have nothing but the best to say for "A Woman's Face." I finally shocked both the critics and the public into realizing the fact that I really was, at heart, a dramatic actress.

The apparent self-hatred that Anna feels is very evident. This woman can hardly even look in the mirror, let alone allow anyone to look at her face. She is in constant pain. Because, like an old newspaper the world just threw her away and discarded her without a second thought. Anna would think nothing of conning anyone because she hates everyone, but most of all, she hates herself.

Anna soon has a new lease on life, thanks to Dr. Dr. Gustaf Segert (played by the legendary Melvyn Douglas) who performs surgery on her face and transforms her into the beauty that we are all more familiar with. But she gets mixed up with her lover, Torsten Barring, (Conrad Veidt) who only wants to use her and take advantage of her for his own dishonest gain.

This is one of those rare movies that Joan made where her true acting really shines brighter than anything else. It was also a rather unique picture because Joan's character was so corrupt, yet so vulnerable. I consider this role a pivotal part for Joan, just as Sadie Thompson was in Rain and Harriet Craig was (movie same title.) Because all of these women were so perpetually abused and all of them had so much hostility. But, "A Woman's Face" is altered from the others, because the transformation of Anna was perhaps more subtle and mysterious.

The director of the film is the renowned George Cukor (Camille & Two Faced Woman) and the film is 105 minutes in length. Like the majority of her movies, throughout her fifty year career, this movie was produced by MGM. And, like the majority of her films today, "A Woman's Face" is distributed by Warner Home Video.

Some people can't believe that someone who's barely out of their teens would be infatuated with a woman who made movies half of a century ago. There is so much about Joan that fascinates me. She just gave so much of herself. She gave everything she had when she made a movie. Joan was the quintessential example of what a true movie star was (and should be.) And besides, there aren't any stars of my generation who have the talent, determination, stamina, drive and sheer will-power that Joan Crawford always possessed.

This is probably Crawford's BEST. Crawford plays a woman who is disfigured due to a childhood fire as a child. Because of this, she eventually starts a ring that exploits others for their weaknesses and blackmails them. When she targets a woman of a doctor who is carrying on with a younger man and goes to her house to shake her down and on the way out, falls over and meets up with the husband(Melvyn Douglas), who is also a plastic surgeon dealing with scarred faces and offers to do her face. She accepts, takes the surgery, and she is transformed outside with a flawless face. Yet she is still hanging with unsavory folks like Conrad Veidt, who tells her about his family where the young grandson is the sole heir of a great fortune and by her playing the governess she can help do away with the youngster. Well, she gets the job, but loves the little one and can't do the job, but eventually, she does an act and goes to trial where the movie starts up at. Very interesting case study and good movie. Kudos to TCM for bringing this movie to the viewers. Done originally in 1937 with Ingrid Bergman.

Mediocrity served up competently. Joan Crawford plays a blackmailer by trade with a heart of brimstone - all because of a hideous scar on her face. She meets Conrad Veidt, an even nastier character, and they scheme to murder Veidt's little nephew in order to get his inheritance.

But then Crawford meets a doctor (Melvyn Douglas) who performs an operation on her face and makes her beautiful. She goes back to Veidt, who wants to pick up where they left off, but Crawford is a "changed" woman - inside and out. When Veidt tries to murder the nephew himself, Crawford shoots him, which brings about her trial for murder.

The whole plot of the movie is told in flashbacks at the trial as each witness comes before the judge and tells what he knows - an interesting idea, despite being somewhat stagey. Crawford, Veidt, and Douglas all perform admirably, and George Cukor's direction is good, as far as it goes. The "mediocrity" mentioned at the beginning of this review centers on the material, the story itself, which seems rather tired and mild, and no one (not Cukor or any of the actors) comes forward to go beyond it. Thus the movie feels like just another day at the office. Not a flop by any means, but it could've been much sharper. Certainly it's worthy enough to be issued on DVD!

Yes,this is Joan Crawfords best movie.It is even better than "Mildred Pierce", and Joan always insisted she deserved at least a nomination.Many people say Joans Nemises,Bette Davis was a better actress.However aside from 2 or 3 roles she did, I disagree.Not only do I think Joan was/is an underrated actress, she more than pulls out all the stops she had stored up from being at the best movie studio in the world for the past 15-odd years.Joan morphs into a character part here folks;not just a pretty movie star reciting her lines while the camera is rolling, but an actress.I dont want to give away too much; but Joan really took a gamble on her career to play such an unsympathetic/shocking(for the time)and unsavory part.The nasty piece of work she embodies here rivals any movie"villian" you have ever seen,and celebrated director George Cukor consistently keeps a tender quality that showcases Annas(Joans character)more humane side...In the past Joan had played not-so nice characters, but never one like this...this is a very meaty part for an actress of any time period, and you can tell she had been starving for a role like this.This is a first-rate production with a stellar cast(Melvyn Douglass,Marjorie Main,Conraid Veidt),all MGM staples that made whatever roles they had been assigned glow & sparkle with talent and grace.The costumes,scenery,(fim-noir)production value are all first-rate as well and the suspense of the pivotal third act scenes rival any Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece.It is too bad MGM ignored marketing this film in 1941 and stuck Joan with the very worst scripts before and soon after this film in an effort to"oust"her.Had this quality continued,she would have been another katherine Hepburn with 4 oscars.