La mujer de las dos caras

... and that is what both Greta Garbo and Constance Bennett are doing here - playing against type. I actually liked this one when I expected to dislike it. I don't think this one was an attempt to turn Garbo into a pin-up sweater girl as much as it was the Americanization of an old soul, and an old soul that people had become accustomed to seeing in a certain type of role for the previous 16 years.

It was great fun to see Greta's character improvising a woman of the world with no real knowledge of exactly what that meant, and it was also great fun to see Constance Bennett's Griselda, a rival for the affection of Larry (Melvyn Douglas), doing what I thought she should have done in all of those precodes where she was so mistreated and yet suffered in such silence - going off in private when things weren't going her way and yelling, throwing things, and having a bit of a temper tantrum, then readjusting her clothes and hair, regaining her poise, and walking right back into the thick of things as though nothing ever happened.

The thing that struck me as odd in this film even in the production code era - Karin (Greta Garbo) and Larry have just married after a whirlwind courtship. It is their wedding night. Both just put on their pajamas, and Larry promptly announces he is tired and lies down to go to sleep like they've been married for ten years and just returned from Black Friday shopping???? And this isn't what bothers Karin at all - it's that he admits being swept up in the moment about saying he wanted to live a simple life, and he now wants to go back to New York and his job as magazine publisher. Otherwise she would have laid down and gone to sleep too??? If this was close to realistic it would be the end of the human race.

But that's the point. The whole thing is a farce from beginning to end and a delightful surprise at that. Highly recommended for the fun of it all.

While this film is hardly the classic that Ninotchka is, it can be hardly faulted for it, as even Garbo could hardly be expected to top her stellar performance in that great comedy! I was actually quite surprised how good this film is, especially given the volume of negative press it has received through the years. Garbo, even in a slightly lesser effort, is still leagues ahead of most actresses of her day (I find Joan Crawford to be especially overrated!). Besides her forever enigmatic image, she was, perhaps surprisingly, quite adept at comedy. This film actually did very well in its day.

The reasons of Two Faced Woman ultimately being Greta Garbo's last film are a bit complicated and multi-faceted. A big reason why she didn't make any films after this one was the especially strong European Box Office returns that her films enjoyed during the 20's and 30's were, with few exceptions stopped dead in their tracks by the coming of the Second World War in 1939. No doubt, the U.S. entry near the end of 1941 also impacted in a number of ways, effectively keeping Greta out of films during the remaining war years.

Garbo was actually coming out of retirement in 1949 to do a film for MGM. Sadly, the project got cancelled, and Greta was apparently humiliated by the experience, and didn't wish to be in that position ever again.

There are likely other details that I have missed. Suffice it to say, the film itself had nothing to do with Garbo's permanent retirement from film! If you haven't seen Two Faced Woman and get the chance to do so, check it out!

Two-Faced Woman (1941)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

At the age of 36 screen legend Greta Garbo made this MGM comedy, which tried to take her out of the costume drama and place her into a present time comedy. The results were a disaster when the film was first released and depending on which myth you believe, the bad reaction caused Garbo to retire. I've heard a lot of bad things about this film but in the end it isn't nearly as bad as its reputation. In the film Garbo plays a ski instructor who ends up marrying a man (Melvyn Douglas) after a few hours. Later that night he demands she follow him to NYC but she refuses. As time goes on the husband stays away but Garbo decides to go after him only pretending to be her vamp twin sister. This certainly isn't the greatest comedy ever made but it's not nearly as bad as some would make you believe. Yes, Garbo certainly isn't herself here but I really don't see that as a bad thing because seeing her like this is at least interesting. Seeing her smile, act drunk, playing love able and this type of thing isn't exactly what she's known for but I found her act to be quite charming even if that thick accent came off not working too well here. She also struggles during a few scenes but you can't deny that she's giving it her all as she works her way through the material. Douglas manages to be quite pleasant and ends up delivering a fine comic performance. Supporting players Constance Bennett, Roland Young and Robert Sterling turn in some fine work as well. Another plus was some of the subject matter, which certainly wasn't seen in too many films after the Hayes Office went into effect seven years earlier. The stuff is hidden behind the "marriage" but it's still fairly risqué for its time. Apparently the version currently being shown is the "cut" version missing four minutes and alternating one of the subplots. Either way, this film is a minor entertainment but those expecting something great should probably stick to Garbo's earlier films.

Screen icon Greta Garbo was nearing the age of 36 when she began filming "Two-Faced Woman," a comedy also starring Melvyn Douglas, Constance Bennett, Roland Young, and Ruth Gordon. The world was changing, and it was time for her to come off of her queenly throne, get out of those huge Adrian costumes, and join the land of the common people. Back in those days, when an actress hit the 30-35 range, she was considered over the hill. Crawford was shown the door by Louis B., Norma Shearer smartly retired, and Garbo's costar in this movie, Constance Bennett, at 37 was playing supporting roles after years of stardom.

So in fact, Garbo's days at MGM were probably numbered as the studio sought to find her a new image. Unfortunately, her new image - in a light, fluffy comedy - coincided with the entrance of the U.S. into World War II. Everyone was too distracted to care, including Garbo, who wanted to go home to Sweden.

I come at this film with a slightly different perspective, having transcribed hundreds of hours of Garbo's phone conversations with art dealer Sam Greene for the book "Garbo" by Barry Paris. Any exposure to Garbo the woman is enough to realize that she was a remarkable artist. Though a neurotic, passive, and frightened woman, her beauty and vivid imagination, born of isolation, made her a tremendous star and a great, expressive actress.

In "Two-Faced Woman," Garbo plays a dual role, that of a nature-loving ski instructor, Karin, who marries a guest (Melvyn Douglas) at the lodge where she works, and the twin sister whose existence she fakes, the globe-trotting party girl Katherine. Katherine is invented when Karin comes to New York and sees her new husband with his former girlfriend (Bennett).

"Two-Faced Woman" isn't a great movie - it's pleasant enough, and the cast is terrific, but it suffers from bad timing and the fact that this was such a departure for Garbo. Many people didn't feel it was a particularly successful one. She actually is quite good, particularly in the nightclub scene when she dances the chica-choca, a dance Katherine makes up when her shoe catches in the hem of her dress. In real life, whenever the dance instructor arrived at Garbo's house to give her lessons, the curtains were drawn. Knocking at the door, he would hear Garbo yell, "Go away, rumba! Go away!" Nevertheless, she acquits herself delightfully throughout the scene, culminating with the dance. The other thing that is marvelous in the film is the wild skiing scene at the end - absolutely tremendous, and I'm surprised it didn't kill the stunt double.

The film was controversial because the character of Larry seduces a woman he thinks is his sister-in-law, so the script was changed to be more acceptable. A scene was inserted where Larry calls the ski lodge and learns that Karin is out of town. Realizing Katherine is Karin, he plays along, turning the tables on her. It seems like a silly change now.

"Two-Faced Woman" was not the flop the years have built it up to be; in fact, it made back 5 times its budget. And it's highly unlikely it ended Greta Garbo's career. Had things worked out, she would have returned to films after the war - in fact, she almost did. But when the funding for the proposed film fell through, she was embarrassed, humiliated, and being the kind of woman she was, never took a chance to be put in such a position again. Garbo was part of a world that ended when the bombs started dropping, and she didn't find her place in the one that emerged.

Greta Garbo, the mythical actress was last seen on the screen in this comedy. As directed by George Cukor, the film has its rewards for the fans of Ms. Garbo. The film, based on German playwright Ludwig Fulda, was adapted by some of the best screen writers of the time: S.N. Behrman, Saska Viertel and George Oppenheimer.

Mr. Cukor, an intelligent director probably miscalculated the effect this film would have on the viewers more used to a dramatic Garbo, who in here is made to lighten up. At times, Ms. Garbo seems to be on the right track to find a way to play the dual role of Karin/Katherine and appears to be having a good time playing the twins. Mr. Cukor was not able to erase some of the mannerisms for which the Swedish diva was famous for.

The basic problem with the film is the quick transformation of the ski instructor, Karin Borg, into the wife of the dashing and debonair Lawrence Blake. Perhaps if this aspect would have been exploited a bit more, the film would have taken a different tone. Not only are we surprised by the rapid change of the strong Karin into being relegated to being a second banana by marrying Larry.

The most interesting character from the film is Griselda Vaughn, Larry's former girlfriend who learns he has suddenly married a nobody, leaving her to fend for herself. Griselda is too smart to accept the situation. As played by Constance Bennett, she is one of the best things in the movie.

Melvyn Douglas' Larry is also excellent. He tries hard to convey this man who is used to be among sophistication and style. That's what makes it a bit hard to accept this man would settle with a woman that is attracted to a permanent winter state of mind. Ruth Gordon is good as the secretary that befriends Karin and conspires with her. Roland Young and Robert Sterling are seen in small roles.

The famous dance scene with Katherine, the twin sister, starts awkwardly, but Ms. Garbo proved she could hold her own against the partner that guides her around the night club's floor. Robert Alton has a tough time following Katherine.

"Two Faced Woman" might not have been Greta Garbo's best, but it not a total disappointment either. This film should be seen because it was her last film.