Masks and Faces

Filmed in England, Mask and Faces was adapted from Charles Read’s biographical novel Peg Wolfington. Set in 18th-century London, the film stars Irene Vanbrugh as celebrated stage actress Peg Wolfington, as famous for her sexual escapades as her theatrical accomplishments. Escaping the wrath of a jealous wife, Peg takes refuge in the home of Triplet (Sir John Forbes-Robertson), a talented but financially embarrassed poet/playwright/painter. Despite her fondness for Triplet, Peg uses the man as a pawn in her scheme to win the affections of a married nobleman. But Peg isn’t all bad, and by film’s end she has stage-managed the reunion of her lover with his wife — again with the unwitting assistance of the hapless Mr. Triplet.