Warner Archive // Released January 11, 2011 // Not Rated
The Pitch
Larry Blake (Melvyn Douglas) is growing a bit blasé about his outdoorsy bride Karin (Greta Garbo). So Karin masquerades as her temptress twin, suggestively purring “I’m partial to the indoor life” in a bid to pique her husband’s romantic attention – and the sophisticated fun begins! Viewers willing to suspend their disbelief (who could weary of Garbo?) are in for a double dose of the divine in the great star’s final film, a romantic comedy that reunites her with her Ninotchka leading man Douglas and Camille director George Cukor. Exquisitely gowned, Garbo is obviously having a ball as the faux femme fatale, especially in a sexy south-of-the-border dance sequence that’s a lot more Latin Bombshell than Swedish Sphinx.
The Review
Garbo’s comedy (her second, following her hit Ninotchka), Two-Faced Woman, also served as her swan song. A misfire on many levels, Two-Faced Woman‘s first issue is for the screen legend herself attempting a different persona than audiences had fallen in love with. Here, Garbo is attempting to do something different and although Ninotchka had shown she could do romantic comedy, full-out screwball comedy was not in her repertoire, awkwardly. Garbo is many things; a rumba dancer isn’t usually at the top of the list and despite her efforts, it’s just another contributing factor to her awkwardness with the role.
Two-Faced Woman is worth viewing from the perspective that it’s Garbo’s little seen swan song, but, unfortunately despite the pedigree of the director and cast, it’s the screenwriters that miscalculated, delivering a tired, face plot that prophesied virtually every episode of Three’s Company.
