I think she left the Hollywood scene after this film for two reasons. First she was disappointed in her acting in the movie and also the audiences' reception to it. Second she was concerned about the war in Europe and it ruining her box office takes there......
shareI don't know why she had to be disappointed about her own acting. She showed in the film how good she was also in comedies. She was offered other roles in the next decades but she did not accept them. I am very sad about it. We are so lucky she changed her register, at least for two films and with the great Melvyn. If only now there were actresses like her...
shareI wish they'd put this out on DVD so I could watch it. She had great chemistry with Melvyn in Ninotchka.
It's not that great a movie. I saw a few scenes in a documentary on Garbo and it's nowhere near comparable to Ninotchka. Many of the reviewers on the main page point out the weaknesses: Garbo is doing a kind of daring sexual innuendo comedy which was not her natural element, especially not in a 20th century setting (she was above all a romantic actress), and then the movie fails to back up its own story, it gets frightened: because of the moral codes of the US, the daring woman could not be portrayed as relentlessly and with as much fun and decadence as in the 30s European comedies it aimed to emulate. So Karin (Garbo) comes out a rather stupid, wimpy girl who is finally taken to task by her husband. This is very uneasý, and it seems Garbo recognized the failure.
shareVery interesting post with informative points expressed.Thanks Strauszek.
shareIt is a very good movie, and stands up with any of the best comedies of its time. Garbo is delightful and funny for a change instead of a miserable, tortured soul. The terrific Melvin Douglas, as always, is suave, yet funny. I'll take "Two-Faced Woman" over "Ninotchka" any time.
shareI don't think she was particularly bad... or good. Constance Bennett was a natural comedienne and if you look at how breezily funny she is in her scenes, Garbo's stiffness really pales in comparison (I think).
shareI disagree with your opinion and that of Strauzek. Ms. Garbo was charming and a natural comedienne. We may never know the exact reason why this film bombed when it is, overall, fun and charming.
After seeing it several times, I felt let down that Melvyn Douglas' character had to be let in on the gag of his wife posing as her twin sister so early. It really would've made the film a classic if he had been doubtful until the very end. That's my biggest peeve with the film.
For whatever reasons it bombed and Garbo used it as an exit from her MGM contract, it's great that she showed her ability as a comedienne and that we can all appreciate it forever.
I see a lot of references in this board about how Two-Faced Woman "bombed". It actually did pretty well at the b.o.
Garbo's retirement wasn't that simple. It had a lot to do with the war.