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Man of a Thousand Faces

Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2019 10:55 am
by DarkImbecile
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One screen legend pays homage to another in Man of a Thousand Faces, an enthralling biopic which sees Oscar-winning tough guy James Cagney give a multifaceted portrayal of silent cinema legend Lon Chaney.

In early horror classics such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of The Opera, Lon Chaney captivated audiences with his vivid personifications of grotesque and afflicted characters. His extraordinary make-up skills, and miraculous ability to completely transform into grisly yet sympathetic and tragic monsters, garnered him international acclaim and the famous moniker of this film’s title.

Yet, despite his talent and success, Chaney led a life plagued by hardship and heartache. This insightful film-portrait traces the trajectory of the actors’s career: from impoverished vaudeville clown to Hollywood stardom, whilst also capturing the drama that surrounded his private life. The film is presented here for the first time in dazzling High Definition, with a selection of revealing extras.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
  • Brand new restoration from the original negative by Arrow Films
  • High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
  • Uncompressed Mono 1.0 PCM audio soundtrack
  • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • New audio commentary by film scholar Tim Lucas
  • The Man Behind a Thousand Faces, a newly filmed look at Lon Chaney and his legacy by the critic Kim Newman
  • Image gallery
  • Original trailer
  • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Fully Illustrated booklet with a newly commisioned essay by Vic Pratt of the BFI

Re: Man of a Thousand Faces

Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2019 11:33 am
by colinr0380
I have not seen this so am curious whether it bears any comparison to the other Cagney portrait of a vaudeville performer, George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy.

Re: Man of a Thousand Faces

Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2019 1:30 pm
by FlickeringWindow
If you're familiar with Chaney's actual life, this plays loose with the facts, but it's enjoyable enough. Worth it just for Cagney and Robert Evans in a bit part as Irving Thalberg. I do remember it having quite lovely CinemaScope photography, despite it being a bit odd of a choice for a biopic on a silent era actor.

Re: Man of a Thousand Faces

Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2019 4:12 pm
by domino harvey
colinr0380 wrote:
Fri Jul 12, 2019 11:33 am
I have not seen this so am curious whether it bears any comparison to the other Cagney portrait of a vaudeville performer, George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Well, that was a good movie, so none at all. Apologies to the previous poster, but this is a staggeringly awful biopic with zero to offer. The sickly-looking Cagney's limited ability to emulate Chaney's various guises even with decades of "improved" makeup at his disposal is the least of this melodramatic sludge-pit's problems.

Are there any vaguely horror-related releases these days that don't feature contributions from Tim Lucas and Kim Newman?