A Woman's Face
| A Woman's Face | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | George Cukor |
| Produced by | Victor Saville |
| Screenplay by | Donald Ogden Stewart |
| Based on | the play Il était une fois by Francis de Croisset |
| Starring |
Joan Crawford Melvyn Douglas Conrad Veidt |
| Music by | Bronislau Kaper |
| Cinematography | Robert Planck |
| Edited by | Frank Sullivan |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
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Release date
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May 23, 1941 |
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Running time
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105 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,343,000 |
| Box office | $1,907,000 |
A Woman's Face is a 1941 American film noir drama directed by George Cukor, starring Joan Crawford, Melvyn Douglas and Conrad Veidt. It tells the story of Anna Holm, a facially disfigured blackmailer, 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.1938 swedish film of the same name. 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.
Set in Sweden, the film is shown in flashbacks 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 Torsten Barring hosts a party at a tavern. The guests include Vera, the faithless wife of noted plastic surgeon Gustaf 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. Gustaf comes home unexpectedly and, thinking Anna a thief, wants to call the police, but Vera convinces him to let her go. Gustaf 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 she has not yet joined the side of the angels.
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Wikipedia