Two-Faced Woman
| Two-Faced Woman | |
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Original film poster
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| Directed by | George Cukor |
| Produced by | Gottfried Reinhardt |
| Written by |
S. N. Behrman Salka Viertel George Oppenheimer |
| Starring |
Greta Garbo Melvyn Douglas Constance Bennett Roland Young Ruth Gordon |
| Music by | Bronislau Kaper |
| Cinematography | Joseph Ruttenberg |
| Edited by | George Boemler |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
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Release date
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Running time
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90 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,247,000 |
| Box office | $1,800,000 |
Two-Faced Woman is a 1941 American romantic comedy film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, directed by George Cukor and starring Greta Garbo in her final film role, Melvyn Douglas, and Constance Bennett. Garbo plays a wife who pretends to be her own fictitious twin sister in order to recapture the affections of her estranged husband (Douglas), who has left her for a former girlfriend (Bennett). The film is generally regarded as a box-office bomb and an unsuccessful attempt to "Americanize" Garbo in order to increase her United States fan base. Garbo's contract with MGM was terminated shortly after Two-Faced Woman was released, and it became her last film.
Fashion magazine editor Larry Blake (Douglas) marries ski instructor Karin Borg (Garbo) on impulse, but she soon learns he expects her to be a dutiful wife, and not the independent woman she was when they met. They separate and Larry returns to New York City, where he takes up again with playwright Griselda Vaughn (Bennett), with whom he was involved prior to his marriage.
Karin comes to New York to thwart the romance and get her husband back, playing her mythical twin sister Katherine Borg, a wild, amoral "modern" woman. Karin, in the guise of Katherine, fascinates Larry until he realizes the truth. He plays along, almost seducing his wife's purported twin sister, but stopping short each time. Karin and Larry eventually reunite on the ski slopes and all is forgiven.
Pleased with the financial and critical success of Ninotchka (1939), MGM decided to pair Garbo and Douglas in another romantic comedy. George Cukor had previously directed Garbo in Camille (1936), which is generally regarded as her best film. Constance Bennett, a major leading lady during the 1930s whose career was fading, was cast in the supporting role of Griselda through the efforts of her friend Cukor. The screenplay by S. N. Behrman, Salka Viertel, and George Oppenheimer was based on a 1925 Constance Talmadge silent film, Her Sister From Paris, which in turn was based on a play by German playwright Ludwig Fulda.
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