A Woman's Face
Encyclopedia
A Woman's Face is a 1941
drama
film directed by George Cukor
, starring Joan Crawford
, Melvyn Douglas
and Conrad Veidt
. It tells the story of Anna Holm, a facially disfigured blackmail
er, who because of her appearance despises everyone she encounters. When a plastic surgeon corrects this disfigurement, Anna becomes torn between the hope of starting a new life and a return to her dark past.
Most of the film is told in flashbacks
as witnesses in a courtroom give their testimonies.
The screenplay was written by Donald Ogden Stewart
, based on the play Il Etait Une Fois by Francis de Croisset
.
Another version of the story, a Swedish
production, was filmed in 1938
as En Kvinnas Ansikte, starring Ingrid Bergman
.
, the film is shown in flashback
s in the course of a trial in which a young woman with a half-hidden face, Anna Holm, is charged with murder.
The events, as described by the witnesses, begin years before when aristocrat Torsten Barring hosts a party at a tavern
. The guests include Vera, the faithless wife of noted plastic surgeon Gustav Segert. When the tavern refuses to extend his credit, Torsten meets the proprietress Anna — whose face is badly scarred from a fire 22 years ago caused by her father. Torsten treats Anna as if she is beautiful and charming rather than scarred and unpleasant. Anna is suspicious, and Torsten implies that he may need her help in the future.
Anna is leader of a gang of blackmailers. She obtains letters proving Vera is having an affair and demands money. Gustav comes home unexpectedly and, thinking Anna a thief, wants to call the police, but Vera convinces him to let her go. Gustav becomes intrigued by Anna's scars and offers to perform plastic surgery on her.
Anna is subjected to twelve operations. Within two years, she turns into a beautiful woman no longer ridiculed by strangers. After leaving Gustav's Swiss
clinic, she returns to Torsten, who is amazed by her new physical beauty. She assures him that in spite of this, she has not yet joined the side of the angels.
Torsten obliquely tells her that his uncle, Consul Magnus Barring, who is very old and very rich, is leaving everything to a four-year-old grandson. But, if something happens to the grandson, Torsten will inherit instead. Anna is horrified by what he is driving at, but is compelled through love for Torsten to agree.
Using the name "Ingrid Paulson," Anna is hired as a governess
on Torsten's recommendation and goes to live at the Barring chateau
. She becomes fond of the kindly Consul and his sweet-natured grandson, Lars-Erik. Torsten soon joins them, but party guests include Gustav, who recognises "Ingrid" as Anna. Thinking that she has softened and changed her name to start a new life, Gustav does not reveal her true identity.
The next day, Anna accidentally leaves Lars-Erik too long under a sun lamp. Her genuine distress makes Torsten suspicious of her resolve to kill the boy. He gives her an ultimatum that Lars-Erik must die before the next night and she reluctantly agrees.
The incident, however, causes Gustav to become suspicious, especially after seeing Anna with Torsten at the nearby falls
. Anna takes Lars-Erik for an open cable car
ride across the falls. Halfway across, she loosens a bolt and the boy comes perilously close to falling to his death. Anna pulls him back to safety and hugs him, overcome with remorse. Seeing this, Gustav decides that she has changed for the better.
On the Consul's birthday, Anna gives him a miniature chess set. A multiple sleigh ride in the snow is organised. Anna suddenly sees Lars-Erik in the same sleigh as Torsten. Panicking for the boy's safety, she gets Gustav to pursue them, confessing to the whole plot and how she now hates Torsten. When they reach the sleigh, Torsten won't stop so Anna takes out a gun and shoots him. They save the boy and Torsten's body slips into the falls.
Anna stands trial for Torsten's murder, during which the whole story is made public. Gustav testifies under oath that he is in love with her. But the court is not fully satisfied that she killed in order to save the life of the boy. Anna reveals that she placed a suicide note confessing to the scheme inside the chess set that she gave to the Consul. His housekeeper, Emma Kristiansdotter, who resented the new governess, stole the note without reading it -- she assumed it to be a love letter and part of a scheme by Anna to seduce and marry the Consul for his money.
While the judges adjourn to consider their verdict, Vera tries to reconcile with Gustav, but he has become aware of her numerous infidelities. He coaxes Anna into professing her love and he proposes marriage, after which the court attendant says that the judges are ready to give their decision, suggesting that Gustav might want to come along as well.
observed, "Miss Crawford takes a radical step as a screen glamour girl to allow the makeup necessary for facial disfiguration in the first half...[Crawford] has a strongly dramatic and sympathetic role...which she handles in top-notch fashion."
1941 in film
The year 1941 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Citizen Kane, consistently rated as one of the greatest films of all time, was released in 1941.-Top grossing films :-Academy Awards:...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
film directed by George Cukor
George Cukor
George Dewey Cukor was an American film director. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO and later MGM, where he directed What Price Hollywood? , A Bill of Divorcement , Dinner at Eight , Little Women , David Copperfield , Romeo and Juliet and...
, starring Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford , born Lucille Fay LeSueur, was an American actress in film, television and theatre....
, Melvyn Douglas
Melvyn Douglas
Melvyn Edouard Hesselberg , better known as Melvyn Douglas, was an American actor.Coming to prominence in the 1930s as a suave leading man , Douglas later transitioned into more mature and fatherly roles as in his Academy Award-winning performances in Hud...
and Conrad Veidt
Conrad Veidt
Conrad Veidt was a German actor best remembered for his roles in films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari , The Man Who Laughs , The Thief of Bagdad and Casablanca...
. It tells the story of Anna Holm, a facially disfigured blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
er, who because of her appearance despises everyone she encounters. When a plastic surgeon corrects this disfigurement, Anna becomes torn between the hope of starting a new life and a return to her dark past.
Most of the film is told in flashbacks
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
as witnesses in a courtroom give their testimonies.
The screenplay was written by Donald Ogden Stewart
Donald Ogden Stewart
Donald Ogden Stewart was an American author and screenwriter.-Life:His hometown was Columbus, Ohio. He graduated from Yale University, where he became a brother to the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity , in 1916 and was in the Naval Reserves in World War I.After the war he started to write and found...
, based on the play Il Etait Une Fois by Francis de Croisset
Francis de Croisset
Francis de Croisset was a Belgium-born French playwright and opera librettist.His opera librettos include Massenet's Chérubin , based on his play of the same name, and Reynaldo Hahn's Ciboulette .He married, in 1910, Marie-Thérèse Bischoffsheim, the widow of banking heir Maurice Bischoffsheim and...
.
Another version of the story, a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
production, was filmed in 1938
1938 in film
The year 1938 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*January — MGM announces that Judy Garland would be cast in the role of "Dorothy" in the upcoming Wizard of Oz motion picture. Ray Bolger is cast as the "Tinman" and Buddy Ebsen is cast as the "Scarecrow". At Bolger's insistence,...
as En Kvinnas Ansikte, starring Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films. She won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and the Tony Award for Best Actress. She is ranked as the fourth greatest female star of American cinema of all time by the American Film Institute...
.
Plot summary
Set in SwedenSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, the film is shown in flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
s in the course of a trial in which a young woman with a half-hidden face, Anna Holm, is charged with murder.
The events, as described by the witnesses, begin years before when aristocrat Torsten Barring hosts a party at a tavern
Tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
. The guests include Vera, the faithless wife of noted plastic surgeon Gustav Segert. When the tavern refuses to extend his credit, Torsten meets the proprietress Anna — whose face is badly scarred from a fire 22 years ago caused by her father. Torsten treats Anna as if she is beautiful and charming rather than scarred and unpleasant. Anna is suspicious, and Torsten implies that he may need her help in the future.
Anna is leader of a gang of blackmailers. She obtains letters proving Vera is having an affair and demands money. Gustav comes home unexpectedly and, thinking Anna a thief, wants to call the police, but Vera convinces him to let her go. Gustav becomes intrigued by Anna's scars and offers to perform plastic surgery on her.
Anna is subjected to twelve operations. Within two years, she turns into a beautiful woman no longer ridiculed by strangers. After leaving Gustav's Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
clinic, she returns to Torsten, who is amazed by her new physical beauty. She assures him that in spite of this, she has not yet joined the side of the angels.
Torsten obliquely tells her that his uncle, Consul Magnus Barring, who is very old and very rich, is leaving everything to a four-year-old grandson. But, if something happens to the grandson, Torsten will inherit instead. Anna is horrified by what he is driving at, but is compelled through love for Torsten to agree.
Using the name "Ingrid Paulson," Anna is hired as a governess
Governess
A governess is a girl or woman employed to teach and train children in a private household. In contrast to a nanny or a babysitter, she concentrates on teaching children, not on meeting their physical needs...
on Torsten's recommendation and goes to live at the Barring chateau
Château
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
. She becomes fond of the kindly Consul and his sweet-natured grandson, Lars-Erik. Torsten soon joins them, but party guests include Gustav, who recognises "Ingrid" as Anna. Thinking that she has softened and changed her name to start a new life, Gustav does not reveal her true identity.
The next day, Anna accidentally leaves Lars-Erik too long under a sun lamp. Her genuine distress makes Torsten suspicious of her resolve to kill the boy. He gives her an ultimatum that Lars-Erik must die before the next night and she reluctantly agrees.
The incident, however, causes Gustav to become suspicious, especially after seeing Anna with Torsten at the nearby falls
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
. Anna takes Lars-Erik for an open cable car
Aerial tramway
An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...
ride across the falls. Halfway across, she loosens a bolt and the boy comes perilously close to falling to his death. Anna pulls him back to safety and hugs him, overcome with remorse. Seeing this, Gustav decides that she has changed for the better.
On the Consul's birthday, Anna gives him a miniature chess set. A multiple sleigh ride in the snow is organised. Anna suddenly sees Lars-Erik in the same sleigh as Torsten. Panicking for the boy's safety, she gets Gustav to pursue them, confessing to the whole plot and how she now hates Torsten. When they reach the sleigh, Torsten won't stop so Anna takes out a gun and shoots him. They save the boy and Torsten's body slips into the falls.
Anna stands trial for Torsten's murder, during which the whole story is made public. Gustav testifies under oath that he is in love with her. But the court is not fully satisfied that she killed in order to save the life of the boy. Anna reveals that she placed a suicide note confessing to the scheme inside the chess set that she gave to the Consul. His housekeeper, Emma Kristiansdotter, who resented the new governess, stole the note without reading it -- she assumed it to be a love letter and part of a scheme by Anna to seduce and marry the Consul for his money.
While the judges adjourn to consider their verdict, Vera tries to reconcile with Gustav, but he has become aware of her numerous infidelities. He coaxes Anna into professing her love and he proposes marriage, after which the court attendant says that the judges are ready to give their decision, suggesting that Gustav might want to come along as well.
Cast
- Joan CrawfordJoan CrawfordJoan Crawford , born Lucille Fay LeSueur, was an American actress in film, television and theatre....
.... Anna Holm (a.k.a. 'Ingrid Paulson') - Melvyn DouglasMelvyn DouglasMelvyn Edouard Hesselberg , better known as Melvyn Douglas, was an American actor.Coming to prominence in the 1930s as a suave leading man , Douglas later transitioned into more mature and fatherly roles as in his Academy Award-winning performances in Hud...
.... Dr. Gustaf Segert - Conrad VeidtConrad VeidtConrad Veidt was a German actor best remembered for his roles in films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari , The Man Who Laughs , The Thief of Bagdad and Casablanca...
.... Torsten Barring - Osa MassenOsa Massen-Background and early career:Born Aase Madsen, she began her career as a newspaper photographer before becoming an actress. Massen notably appeared as Melvyn Douglas' unfaithful wife dealing with blackmailer Joan Crawford in A Woman's Face ....
.... Vera Segert - Reginald OwenReginald OwenJohn Reginald Owen was a British character actor. He was known for his many roles in British and American movies and later in television programs.-Personal:...
.... Bernard Dalvik - Albert BassermannAlbert BassermannAlbert Bassermann was a German stage and screen actor.-Career:Bassermann began his acting career in 1887 in his birthplace, Mannheim. He then spent four years at the Hoftheater in Meiningen. He then moved to Berlin. From 1899, he worked for Otto Brahm. He began work at the Deutsches Theater...
.... Consul Magnus Barring - Marjorie MainMarjorie MainMarjorie Main was an American character actress, mainly at MGM, perhaps best known for her role as Ma Kettle in a series of ten Ma and Pa Kettle movies.-Early life and career:...
.... Emma Kristiansdotter - Donald MeekDonald MeekDonald Meek was a Scottish-born American character actor. He first worked as a stage actor and later became a film actor, starring in several movies including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Little Miss Broadway, and State Fair. Before becoming an actor, he fought in the Spanish-American War and...
.... Herman Rundvik - Connie GilchristConnie GilchristConnie Gilchrist was a stage, film and television character actress.Born Rose Constance Gilchrist in Brooklyn, New York...
.... Christina Dalvik - Richard Nichols.... Lars-Erik Barring
- Charles QuigleyCharles QuigleyCharles Quigley , was an American actor.- Career :Born in New Britain, Connecticut, USA, Quigley He starred in many serial and movies: "Speed to Spare" - "The Shadow" - "Convicted" and "Special Inspector" with Rita Hayworth - Secret Evidence - A Woman's Face - "The Crimson Ghost" you best film....
.... Eric - Gwili AndreGwili AndreGwili Andre was a Danish actress who had a brief career in Hollywood films.-Film career:Born Gurli Andresen in Copenhagen, Denmark, Andre came to Hollywood in the early 1930s with the intention of establishing herself as a film star...
.... Gusta - Clifford Brooke.... Wickman
- George ZuccoGeorge ZuccoGeorge Desylla Zucco was an English character actor who appeared, almost always in supporting roles, in 96 films during a career spanning two decades, from 1931 to 1951. He is fondly remembered for his roles in classic horror films.-Early life:Zucco was born in Manchester, England...
.... Defense Attorney - Henry KolkerHenry KolkerHenry Kolker was an American stage and film actor and director...
.... Judge - Robert Warwick.... Associate Judge
- Gilbert EmeryGilbert EmeryGilbert Emery was the stage name of Gilbert Emery Bensley Pottle, an American actor who appeared in over 80 movies from 1921 to his death in 1945.- Early years :...
.... Associate Judge - Henry DaniellHenry DaniellHenry Daniell was an English actor, best known for his villainous movie roles, but who had a long and prestigious career on stage as well as in films....
.... Public Prosecutor - Sarah PaddenSarah PaddenSarah Padden was a character actress in theater and vaudeville from Chicago, Illinois. She performed on stage in the early 20th century. She is noted for...
.... Police Matron - William FarnumWilliam FarnumWilliam Farnum was a major movie actor. One of three brothers, Farnum grew up in a family of actors. He made his acting debut at the age of ten in Richmond, Virginia in a production of Julius Caesar, with Edwin Booth playing the title character...
.... Court Attendant
Reception
VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
observed, "Miss Crawford takes a radical step as a screen glamour girl to allow the makeup necessary for facial disfiguration in the first half...[Crawford] has a strongly dramatic and sympathetic role...which she handles in top-notch fashion."