Two-Faced Woman (1941)

Director:

George Cukor

Writers:

Ludwig Fulda (play)
S.N. Behrman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

30 September 1942 (Sweden)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

She's Twins! Her first picture in two years . . . so we're giving you two Garbos in this one! And both of her are terrific!

Plot:

While at a ski lodge, Larry Blake sees instructor Karin Borg and decides to sign up for private lessons...

Plot Keywords:

Twins | Magazine | Ski Lodge | Infidelity | Impersonation

Cast

Greta Garbo	...	Karin Borg Blake
Melvyn Douglas	...	Lawrence 'Larry' Blake
Constance Bennett	...	Griselda Vaughn
Roland Young	...	Oscar 'O. O.' Miller
Robert Sterling	...	Dick 'Dickie' Williams
Ruth Gordon	...	Miss Ruth Ellis, Larry's Secretary
Frances Carson	...	Miss Dunbar

Also Known As:

The Twins (USA) (working title)
La femme aux deux visages (Belgium: French title) (France) [fr]
Tvillingarna (Finland: Swedish title) (Sweden) [sv]
A Mulher de Duas Caras (Portugal) [pt]
Die Frau mit den zwei Gesichtern (Germany) [de]
Duas vezes meu (Brazil) [pt]
Duralicowa kobieta (Poland) [pl]
Kaksoset (Finland) [fi]
La mujer de las dos caras (Spain) [es]
Liebe auf den zweiten Blick (Austria) [de]
Non tradirmi con me (Italy) [it]
Otra vez mío (Argentina) [es]
Tvillingerne (Denmark) [da]

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Spain:T | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #7687)

Filming Locations:

near, Reno, Nevada, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

"It is almost almost as shocking," Time magazine's review said of this film, "as seeing your mother drunk."

Quotes:

Katherine Borg: I like older men. They're so grateful.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "3rd Rock from the Sun: Two-Faced Dick (#4.10)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Chica Choca

Garbo's Last Film A Dud

The story is a little slow and a little stupid. Greta Garbo doesn't look very good and I couldn't understand half the things she said because of her accent, which was exaggerated for this role. Melvyn Douglas, meanwhile, plays his normal unlikeable role and Constance Bennett is just so-so except for a couple of her screams, which were funny.

On the plus side, Roland Young had the best role in the film. I wish he had more lines, as he disappeared in the second half of the story. Also, it was interesting to see Ruth Gordon look so young. I had only seen her in those crazy roles she played from the late '60s to the '80s and a whacked out old woman. Story-wise, the best part might have been the final few minutes when we see a stunt man doing amazing things on skis, pretending to be Douglas falling down the slopes. That was amazing and humorous footage.

Overall, I can see where this film - Garbo's last - was not a box-office success. It just drags too much, going on and on about deceptions. It's an annoying story. Garbo knew it, too, and called it quits.