Man of a Thousand Faces

Buy This Item Man of a Thousand Faces by Universal Studios  Available from Amazon  $14.99  on 11-17-2008     Academy Award winner James Cagney gives an unforgettable performance as Lon Chaney in this fascinating true story that follows the life of one of the most iconic and mysterious stars in Hollywood history!Known as the "Man of a Thousand Faces" silent film star Lon Chaney captured the imagination of the world through his incredibly expressive and transformative roles such as Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Phantom from the original Phantom of the Opera. Behind the scenes however this long-suffering talented genius' life was filled with trials and tribulations that helped shape some of his most groundbreaking roles.The Academy Award -nominated Man of a Thousand Faces captures the dramatic private life of a humble vaudeville clown who rose to become one of the biggest stars the world has ever seen!System Requirements:Running Time: 122 minutes Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA/SILENT Rating: NR UPC: 025195032582 Manufacturer No: 61104080 Reader Reviews MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES is one of Hollywood's better films about Hollywood! Produced by Universal International in 1957 it recounts the life and times of one of filmdom's most famous sons - Lon Chaney. From an excellent Oscar nominated screenplay by R. Wright Cambell, Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts it was directed with a deft hand by Joseph Pevney. Pevney - a supporting player in such movies as "Body & Soul" (1947) and "Street With No Name" (1948) - directed some of Universal's biggest productions i.e. "Away All Boats" (1956), "Tammy" (1957) and one of Errol Flynn's last efforts "Istanbul" (1957). Playing the leading role in this marvellous biopic is James Cagney who gives an outstanding measured performance as Lon Chaney, the strange tortured character actor of the silent screen and who, ironically, died from throat cancer with the advent of talking pictures. Crisply photographed in black & white Cinemascope by the great Russell Metty ("Touch Of Evil") the picture carries a strong sense of time and place. Expertly evoked is Vaudeville in the early part of the century where Chaney began as a song-and-dance man (Cagney delighting us with his stylish brand of hoofing) and early Hollywood where he became an Extra at Universal studios. Then with the help of his make-up box and his uncanny facility to alter his appearance - sometimes resulting in great pain - he became known as The Man Of A 1000 Faces. Notable reconstructions of Chaney's creations are quite brilliantly achieved in the picture. Cagney excels as the cripple being cured in a reworking of Chaney's famous scene from "The Miracle Man" (1919) and the phantom being unmasked in "Phantom Of The Opera" (1925) but especially noteworthy is Chaney's "The Hunchback Of Notre Dame" (1923). Here Cagney is totally unrecognisable as he replicates Chaney's interpretation of Quasimodo being whipped on the punishment wheel in the village square. It is an intense moment in this picture and a remarkable achievement for Cagney the consummate actor. Watching him in this movie it is little wonder the great Orson Welles declared in the seventies that Cagney was the screen's greatest actor. Others in the cast of this splendid film are Dorothy Malone, giving an excellent performance as the singer and Chaney's first wife Cleva Creighton, Jane Greer as his second wife, Jim Backus as his Press Agent and Robert Evans as the boy wonder of the Motion Picture business, Irving Thalberg. The picture also boasts a terrific music score by the underrated and now wholly forgotten composer Frank Skinner (1897/1968). Skinner was composer in residence at Universal for many years and scored most of their prestigious productions such as "Tap Roots" (1948), "Magnificent Obsession" (1954), "Madame X" (1965) and "Shenandoah" (1965). "Man Of A 1000 Faces" was, however, his greatest achievement. A soundtrack album of his music from ".....Faces" - issued at the time of the picture's release - is now a much sought after recording. A wonderful movie on DVD presented in a sharp black & white widescreen format that every collector will want to own if only for Cagney's amazing performance. His Lon Chaney is just as powerful and just as memorable as his George M. Cohan, Cody Jarret and Marty "The Gimp" Snyder!

Man of a Thousand Faces Available from Amazon Price: $14.99 Updated on 11-17-2008.

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