|
|
Post by topbilled on Jul 2, 2023 20:48:50 GMT
I think the film ends ambiguously because the production code office would probably not allow her to get away with killing Veidt's character. She couldn't just get a happy ending and marry Douglas and raise little Lars-Erik with him.
The 1938 Swedish version has a completely different ending, where they go off to Asia and she is going to help him as part of the Red Cross. But that film does not have a murder trial as the over-arching plot element.
|
|
|
|
Post by Fading Fast on Jul 3, 2023 17:47:44 GMT
After viewing A Woman's Face yesterday with several board members as part of our Sunday Live!, "Don't Be So Melodramatic" series, I wrote the below review. I have to acknowledge, though, that several of the observations (and any of the good ones) in it belong to Andrea Doria and Tobbilled, as I cribbed them from their comments during our screening yesterday.
A Woman's Face from 1938 with Joan Crawford, Conrad Veidt and Melvin Douglas
MGM brought its impressive A game to A Woman's Face, a remake of a 1938 Swedish film that starred Ingrid Bergman.
The studio chose Joan Crawford, its queen of the lot at that time, to star in its version, while handing the directorial reins over to George Cukor. MGM was serious about this one and its efforts paid off.
Aided by a very talented supporting cast, MGM smoothly shepherded this complex melodrama through its many twists and turns, all framed by a courtroom-flashback style of storytelling that could quickly have become an unwieldy tangle, but didn't.
Right at the open, we see Ms. Crawford's character on trial for murder in a Swedish high court where witnesses are questioned by a panel of judges. As the witnesses respond, the movie shifts back and forth between flashback sequences and the trial itself.
We learn that Crawford was disfigured as a child when her brilliant but alcoholic father accidentally started a fire that left one side of her face scarred. Adult Crawford tries to hide her disfigured side with hats and turning from the light, which only increases her burden.
Discovering early that the world would give her nothing, Crawford resorted to a life of crime. She earns her living heading up a small gang of blackmailers. When, by chance, she lands in the hands of a plastic surgeon, played by Melvin Douglas, her life changes.
He repairs her face, but as he laments at the time, he can't repair her soul. Knowing she's a bitter criminal who is angry at the world, he wonders out loud to Crawford if he's created a beautiful Frankenstein. The story then tests his fears in dramatic fashion.
Before her surgery, Crawford had begun dating an oleaginous Count, played by Conrad Veidt. He wants Crawford to kill his young nephew so that he, Veidt, can inherit a substantial estate, which he says he'll share with Crawford. Clearly, this is not a shy movie.
This is also a movie with a very "Old World European" feel with its Count, packets of love letters that Crawford's team uses to blackmail wealthy lovers and, as we'll see later, castles and sleigh rides. The picture feels more nineteenth than twentieth century.
From here, the rest of the movie is Crawford, now living at the nephews' family's castle as the boy's governess, ingratiating herself to the family. She becomes torn about committing the murder as she's gotten close to the boy and his family, a family that's been kind to her.
The dramatic climax (no spoilers coming) involves an impressively filmed harrowing horse-driven sleigh race through beautiful snow-covered hills, a gun, a murder, a shocking last-minute courtroom confession and a romantic revelation. It's quite a ride.
Director Cukor is completely in control of this twisting story from beginning to end. His filming of the climatic sleigh race and an earlier and tense overhead tram scene, which has echoes of A Separate Peace, are armchair gripping.
His transitions through several complex flashback sequences are seamless, while his economical use of the movie's score adds to the drama. All along, he showcases MGM's impressive sets and its even more impressive talent.
Crawford gives one of her career-best performances here by smartly underplaying several scenes; although, she lets rip with her signature Crawford slap-fest in one. Sensing its value, Crawford grabbed this role by the collar and shook it for all it was worth
Because Crawford's character is embarrassed and insecure about her appearance, she is styled with, atypical-for-her, modest makeup, hair and clothing for much of the movie. The result is a softer and prettier look for the usually Hollywood chic star.
The overarching conflict in the story, though, is that, almost until the end, you never really know if Crawford is a good or bad person, if she's changed or not. And while her excellent performance drives the movie, the rest of the cast isn't overshadowed.
Melvin Douglass as her doctor, savior and conscience, Veidt as the devil and Reginald Owen, Osa Massen, Marjorie Main, Donald Meeks and others in critical supporting roles give the picture a professional feel from its first frame to its last.
Also elevating this effort, despite its very soap-opera story, is a serious philosophical debate about character at its center. The movie asks a couple of not-pretty questions and gives a couple of not-easy answers.
Does one's physical appearance help determine a person's inner character or is it the way society treats a person, based on his or her physical appearance, that drives character? They are tough questions with A Woman's Face providing some uncomfortable answers.
MGM and Crawford were at the height of their powers when they made A Woman's Face, making it a bit surprising this isn't a better-known picture. Possibly the formal, almost aloof "Old World European" setting and feel has held this wonderful movie's reputation back.
|
|
|
|
Post by Andrea Doria on Jul 3, 2023 18:16:58 GMT
I always look forward to reading Fading Fast's reviews the next day, it's like seeing all the good parts over again.
It says something for Osa Masson's performance as the shallow, cheating wife that I feel no pity and only laugh as I watch her get slapped over and over again. She reminded me of young Angie Dickenson.
|
|
|
|
Post by jamesjazzguitar on Jul 9, 2023 16:14:30 GMT
Yes, another fine review by Fading Fast. A Woman's Face is my favorite Crawford film made during her years with MGM.
Osa Masson had a unique look. I tend to run into her in 50s\60s T.V. shows more than in films.
I have seen Osa Masson and a very young Ninc Foch, another Dutch actress, in Cry of the Werewolf (1944), another film where their euro background is put to good use.
|
|
