Stolen Face (1952)

When the woman (Lizabeth Scott) he loves rejects him, a plastic surgeon (Paul Henreid) gives her face to a disfigured habitual criminal (Mary Mackenzie before, Lizabeth Scott after) and marries her. But while she may have a new face, her behavior reverts back to her criminal tendencies. Directed by Terence Fisher, the intriguing premise of a disfigured criminal being rehabilitated by plastic surgery is hardly new to anyone who has seen the 1938 Swedish film A WOMAN'S FACE with Ingrid Bergman or its 1941 American remake with Joan Crawford. This pulp version is nowhere near the quality of those movies but its premise is so irresistible that you're tantalized anyway and it's a credible watch. No surprise, Lizabeth Scott is much more convincing as the ungrateful bitch than the noble concert pianist. Malcolm Arnold (SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER) did the underscore. With Andre Morell, Susan Stephen and Ambrosine Phillpotts.