The Second Face

I watched this because I am an Ella Raines fan. This movie was made near the end of her career. I was very hopeful, but it turned out to be a disappointment, waste of time. It's a relatively low budget (I guess a B picture) film with a decent cast. The main problem with the movie is that it was one-note. Every scene honed in on the basic situation with no deviation: that the pre-plastic surgery Raines (about 85% of the movie) was rejected because of her plain looks, that she was depressed over her plain looks, and all the characters never stopped talking/philosophizing about her situation. And then there was a little bit about her first employer, who had been divorced, afraid of being dumped again. A very old-fashioned movie, offering nothing special. In the end all the loose ends are tied up and all the shallow characters get their just desserts. I don't mind a "woman's picture;" it's just that this was a mediocre one.

i've seen quite a few negative reviews of this film, but i thought it was refreshingly direct and honest, and very well-acted. Ella raines is truly terrific in it. Each character has multi-layered motivations in their actions, and the progress of the story in engaging throughout. it does have a Douglas sirk feel to it, so perhaps you should judge whether you see that as a good thing or a bad thing. but i also think the film has a bit of a sam fuller feel to it. a film that it thoughtful and very direct in what its about. The main characters are well-developed and intelligent. I don't know why these reviews need to be ten lines, but i'll go along. i've written what I wanted to and wanted to promote this film, as it would be interesting to anyone who finds the theme of reacting to female facial attractiveness intriguing. to me, most contemporary films and TV shows act like this factor matters a lot less than it does (.e.g, girls).

Extremely Low Budget Movie that is somewhat Off-Beat as it Tries to paint a Picture of a Flaw in the Human Condition. The Unhealthy and Harmful Emphasis on"Surface Beauty" with a lack of Regard for "Inner Beauty". A Heavy load to take on in a Poverty Row Picture.

Heavy Handed to be sure, on the Surface its most Glaring Ineptitude is the Script that Sledgehammers Home the most Obvious Conceits again and again. Ella Raines does Her Best with what amounts to a Dual Role.

Plain and a bit Homely, Her Talented Fashion Designer is Denied Access to the Male Dominated Business World because She is Not a "Looker".

The Final Act is Rushed, even more Heavy Handed, and it Drags to a Hollywood Conclusion of Optimism that was the Beginning of the Death March for Film-Noir. Overall, Not Bad for a Cheaply made "Quickie". Bruce Bennett is Miscast as a sort of Background White Knight.

Worth a Watch but Overwritten and Overwrought so much that the Message becomes Laborious and the Short Movie seems a Lot Longer than it is.

A young woman who refuses to wear make up is treated like a Cyclops and denied employment and is insulted at every turn.

I realize the film is trying to make a point but it beats you over the head trying to make it.

It is kind of an unfunny version of The Girl Most Likely To written by Joan Rivers and made 23 years later.

If you watch this, watch for its camp value.

I agree with at least one reviewer here, Ella Raines was the most beautiful and talented actress of the 40s and 50s. It seems criminal that by the early 50s she was appearing in Poverty Row films like The Second Face. The question is probably not what did she do that was wrong, but probably what did she not do that was wrong. In other words, given studio sexual harassment and whatnot in this period, she probably didn't go along. Which might explain why after such a luminous performance in films like Phantom Lady and Impact, her career took a nosedive and she turned to television. What a waste. Other actresses of this era, like Nancy Guild from Somewhere in the Night, had even shorter careers, perhaps for the same reasons.