Garbo and the Beast

To consider the philosophy underlying such a film as "Two Faced Woman" may seem rather like breaking a dung-beetle on the wheel. Yet the result is not without a certain obscene interest.

The story is that of a middle-aged debauché who marries a ski-instructress, tires of her because she despises the city life for which he pines, abandons her for his former fiancee, is pursued by his wife disguised as a mythical and immoral twin-sister, thinks he commits adultery with her, and is finally reconciled to her after she has expressed her willingness to live any sort of life he wants her to live. This tale, superficially immoral, affords lessons of great value to any young man or woman anxious to get on in the world. These may be summarized as follows:—

(a) While there are things like a man's business that he's got to be serious about it isn't reasonable to expect him to have any deep or, lasting emotions about the women with whom he may fall in "love."

(b) If a woman is going to get her man she's got to drop any silly idealistic notions about leading other than an entirely banal existence. In particular, those that want anything better than the good time you can get in night clubs of I'il ole New York are just looking for trouble, and the sooner they mend their ways the better for themselves and everyone else.

On such an attitude carried over from sexual to social relationships depends, of course, the continuance of a world safe for Messrs. Metro-Golawyn-Mayer.

As the "Dominion" said with such dreadful irony: "It would seem that Garbo is very willing to . . . get down to the real business for which she is paid a huge salary—the business of providing entertainment for a hard-working, war-minded public." If the "Dominion's" judgment as to what the public want in wartime were true, it would have a corollary both melancholy and subversive. Fortunately, however, the reception accorded the film here seems to suggest that the people of this country have not yet accepted in their entirety the morals and culture of the Hollywood canaille.

H.W.