The Second Face

Ella was one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood,but in most of this movie she wears "ugly duckling" makeup.It doesnt matter her inner winning personality shines through,and one even wonders why male characters in the movie are so mean to her,she is still so charismatic with fake face and all.Ella does a great job portraying what some women have to go through life when they are called "ugly".She is really heartbreaking because she plays a character who is an intelligent and beautiful person judged only on looks.I loved the movie and Ella is so great in anything she was in.

I love Ella Raines, and what I love especially are makeover movies - the ugly duckling turned into a swan, or even something like "Dark Passage" where a criminal has plastic surgery and turns into Humphrey Bogart.

"The Second Face," however, was a big disappointment. It's told in flashback - Phyllis Holmes (Raines) is in a car accident and hospitalized, her face covered in bandages -- apparently her face hit the windshield. We then learn what led to the accident.

Phyllis is a talented designer and a homely one. Ella's looks consisted of nose putty, hair pulled back tightly off her face, no makeup, and plain clothes. She works as an assistant to Paul Curtis (Bruce Bennett) who is in love with her, but after being hurt in a divorce, he won't admit it. He gets her a job elsewhere; ultimately she becomes design partners with a playboy (John Sutton). His rejection is painful for her. Things change after the accident and Phyllis undergoes plastic surgery, paid for by a mysterious benefactor.

Raines was a likable actress and in her younger days she resembled Gene Tierney; here, after her makeover, she does as well. For some reason she was usually relegated to B films, though several were very good noirs. She retired in 1956. AS an actress, she was a little limited -- scenes in this film where the character was overwrought weren't particularly well acted.

The cast is good, but the script is heavy-handed.

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.