Alex da Silva Joan Crawford (Anna) is on trial for the murder of her boyfriend Conrad Veidt (Torsten). We follow her story in flashback as told by selected witnesses before the judge makes his decision.This is an entertaining film with many memorable scenes, eg, Anna contemplating killing the child Richard Nichols (Lars-Erik) by unlocking the safety gate as he leans against it while travelling on a cable car. You just know that she's capable and the scene is very tense. Another is the scene where Crawford has gone round to blackmail Osa Massen (Vera) about having an affair and a situation unfolds where Crawford slaps Massen. She does it several times and she really means it! The main characters all do well with Crawford stealing the show as the bitter woman with a scarred face who has reconciled herself to a life of blackmailing others. Crawford's performance allows the audience to sympathize with this rather nasty character as the film evolves. The minor characters are OK but the film does contain an extremely annoying Donald Meek who plays 'Herman' the barman. He plays for comedy. He's not funny.It's an engaging film - far-fetched but go along with it and it will entertain you.

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...

Evets (evetsview) When Joan Crawford's best films are the subject of any discussion, the list always includes the film she won the Oscar for - "Mildred Pierce" and for good reason - its a fine film with an outstanding cast and even today, holds up pretty well.But what seems to get lost in the shuffle is a film she made four years earlier, which in many ways equals and in some ways surpasses "Mildred Pierce" -- the 1941 film "A Woman's Face" is a much underrated film which showcases one of Crawford's best roles.An intriguing story of a woman who has lived as an outcast because of facial scars suffered in a fire since childhood and now lives among unscrupulous scheming blackmailers, herself becoming the most skilled of their group - when a plastic surgeon decides to fix the deformity that has made her a bitter and distrustful woman, she is introduced to the possibility of living a normal life, one where she can as she says in the film - when the world looks at her - "she can look back" without hiding.The film is a well-blended mix of dark characters and and some very quirky humorous ones too, directed by one of MGM's A-team directors George Cukor. The story is told in a series of flashbacks ie..each witnesses testimony before a Swiss court for a woman who is accused of murder.Conrad Veight in a role that could be considered almost a precursor of his famous role of Maj. Strasser in Casablanca, particularly stands out - his villainous, cynical dialogue carries the darker scenes very effectively. However two parts are weak - Melvyn Douglas, who can usually be depended on for an admirable performance, comes across as very bland and predictable and Osa Massen - her scenes are painful to watch, overacted to the point that it makes you wince - but these parts are fortunately overshadowed by the other supporting roles that are made up of a quirky assortment of characters that include Reginald Owen, Marjorie Main and Donald Meek that bring an off-the-wall humor but in a subtle way - Meek is particularly good in his part.The photography and the sets are beautifully done. The film offers a good use of close-ups and shadows that in some ways resembles the techniques heavily used in the "film noir" films of the late 40's and early 50's - and in a time when films were rarely shot on location "A Woman's Face" has some of the most beautifully crafted sets that remind me a little of the "Magnificent Ambersons" they really stand out.But the star of the movie is without a doubt - Joan Crawford - her performance draws you in even more so than her role in "Mildred Pierce" and she has probably never looked more naturally beautiful.If you're a Joan Crawford fan or not - check this one out - its good

T Y Joan Crawford is convincingly disfigured as our story starts, and of course she get fixed up. But she's a bad egg, exploiting one guy, while living out another guy's anti-social philosophy. All of this takes place in Sweden, which is truly bizarre. It causes anything and everything memorable in the visuals, which are freed from having to depict Anytown USA, but it makes a viewer wonder why every remake since is burdened and rendered unspecific by the need to Americanize everything. There is plot, plot, plot so chatty that you could drown in it, and making matters worse is a framing device that adds zilch to the movie. The photography is occasionally nice, with odd angles and miniatures incorporated quite well. But it's overwrought without ever once drawing you in.