A Woman's Face Mainpage

In Sweden, Anna Holm (Joan Crawford) is on trial for her life, for murder. As the judges hear the testimonies of the witnesses we hear her story… Scarred as a child after her drunken father accidentally set fire to her room, Anna has grown up resentful and hateful. She runs a chain of café/bars where she sets up wealthy visitors for blackmail and extortion. One such person is the beautiful Vera Segert (Osa Massen), a faithless wife whose consort is careless enough to ‘lose’ her love letters at one of Anna’s establishments. However, the letters were not stolen by Anna or her accomplices, they were taken by Torsten Barring (Conrad Veidt), a cultured playboy who clearly lives beyond his means. He sees and admires the cold ruthlessness within Anna and they become partners and lovers. Meanwhile Anna is caught blackmailing Mrs Segert by her husband, Dr Gustav Segert (Melvyn Douglas). He is fascinated by her scarring as he is a renowned plastic surgeon – and offers to repair her face. She accepts, longing for Barring to see her as a beautiful woman. On her return, she and Barring resume their affair. It soon transpires that Barring wishes Anna to do away with his young nephew so he can inherit the Barring estate. She is so blindly in love that she agrees, but she has doubts. Now that she is no longer scarred, people react to her more kindly and her heart begins to warm. At the Barring estate, Anna is hired as a governess to Lars-Erik (Richard Nichols) under the name of Ingrid Paulson. The people are kind and loving and she enjoys this new life. However, Barring arrives for the birthday celebrations of Consul Magnus Barring (Albert Bassermann), and so does Dr Segert.