Erpressung (1941)

Erpressung: Directed by George Cukor. With Joan Crawford, Melvyn Douglas, Conrad Veidt, Osa Massen. A female blackmailer with a disfiguring facial scar meets a plastic surgeon who offers her the possibility of looking like a normal woman.

“Joan Crawford has one of her more complex roles and plays it brilliantly in u0026#39;A Womanu0026#39;s Faceu0026#39;. It ranks with her work in u0026#39;Mildred Pierceu0026#39; and u0026#39;Possessedu0026#39;. Matching her is Conrad Veidt, always the suave villain (who also specialized in playing Nazi types). Crawford excels as a scarred woman who undergoes plastic surgery to change her life. The situations become more melodramatic as the plot gets thicker and there are a few too many flashbacks–but overall, the effect is a stunning film that makes you think about how oneu0026#39;s appearance shapes oneu0026#39;s life–for better or worse.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eCertain sequences have a stark, no holds barred manner of storytelling, grim and suspenseful–as when Anna Holm considers pushing a child to his death from a cable car. The wintry landscapes and glittering interiors are all handsomely photographed. Melvyn Douglas doesnu0026#39;t register too strongly at all. Itu0026#39;s strictly Crawfordu0026#39;s picture with some superb help from Conrad Veidt. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe pace is rather leisurely under George Cukoru0026#39;s direction but quickens midway to a smashing climax. By all means, see it. A strong melodrama with some unexpected twists.”