The Man of a
Thousand Faces
Thousand Faces
|
The Man of a Thousand Faces |
|
|
|
|
|
DVD |
Drama/Tension |
Skin |
Gore/Violence  |
Movie Overall  |
|
||||
|
|
1957 Starring: This film is a biography of the life of Lon Chaney, as portrayed by famous crime drama actor, James Cagney. This 1957 puff piece from Universal is long on melodrama and short on being very interesting. It seems amazing that they could take someone as interesting as Lon Chaney and the fascinating life he led and smooth it all over as much as they did. Even the music that is played throughout is hugely melodramatic. The movie starts out with Cagney dressed up as a clown on stage doing Chaney's vaudeville act. There are some flashbacks to Chaney's early life in Colorado Springs where he grew up, being teased by other kids as both his parents were deaf mutes. This is how Chaney became so good at acting and pantomime, just from growing up doing it so he could communicate with his parents. In the film, Chaney's first wife, Cleva Creighton Chaney (Dorothy Malone), is horrified to find out that her husband's parents are deaf mutes. She becomes pregnant and does not want the child for fear that it too, will be "deaf and dumb". Their son is born and named Creighton Chaney (later to change his professional name to Lon Chaney, Jr.), and is perfectly normal. But after years of professional and personal jealousy, Lon Sr. and Cleva split up. Cleva decides to try to commit suicide by drinking poison with the end result of not dying, but permanently damaging her vocal cords so she will never be able to sing again. Young Creighton is then sent to a home for children of divorced parents and Lon makes it his personal mission to provide a proper home so he can get his son back. Lon now makes the move to Southern California and starts a successful career as an extra in silent films. He ends up marrying a dancer he knew from his vaudeville days, Hazel Hastings (Jane Greer), and gets his son back. This happens just as Lon's career starts to take off after he stars in the western Riddle Gawne (1918) and the drama The Miracle Man (1919). It was in 1923 and the role of The Hunchback of Notre Dame that made Lon a huge star. This film was completely overseen by the young studio exec, Irving Thalberg (portrayed by Robert Evans), who became a good friend of Lon's. This part of the film is almost comical as they make Thalberg out to be almost angelic. I suppose it may have went over with audiences in 1957, but in this day and age it looks pretty naive. James Cagney turns in a very one dimensional performance playing the famous actor. In fact, most performances in this film turned out this way with the exception of Dorothy Malone as Cleva. Watching Jim Backus as Lon's agent and friend, Clarence Locan, I wasn't reminded of his character of Thurston Howell II on Gilligan's Island, but I could not stop thinking about his decades long portrayal of the cartoon character, Mr. Magoo. I suppose that has nothing to do with his acting abilities, but has to so with his unique voice. In the end, this came across as a studio film that wanted to portray Chaney, film studios and execs, and the film industry in general, in the best possible light. It came across to me as very unrealistic and it made me want to see a modern portrayal of Lon Chaney, maybe with someone like Gary Oldman in the lead role. The disk itself has no extras at all but there is a chapter selection. The widescreen format is fine throughout the print, save for some grainyness now and then. The sound is Mono Dolby Digital and came across fine. For more information on the real Lon Chaney and Lon Chaney. Jr., his great-grandsons have the "Official Chaney Website" at http://www.lonchaney.com. |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
24 May 03 |
