Man of a Thousand Faces
by Joseph Pevney
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Dorothy Malone, James Cagney, Jane Greer, Jim Backus, Marjorie RambeauDirector: Joseph Pevney
Brand: Universal Studios
Cinematographer: Russell Metty
Editor: Ted J. Kent
Producer: Robert Arthur
Writer: Ben Roberts
Writer: Ivan Goff
Writer: R. Wright Campbell
Writer: Ralph Wheelwright
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Silent, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 122 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-06-24
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Universal Studios
Movie Reviews of Man of a Thousand Faces
Movie Review: the tender portrait of a man
Summary: 5 Stars
Man Of A Thousand Faces tells the story of the life and times of Lon Chaney, one of the greatest actors of the silent movie era and one of the very few major silent screen stars to ever make a "talkie" as well. The acting is very convincing; and Jimmy Cagney got the opportunity to dance and portray a person who wasn't a gangster for a change! This film also showcases a tour de force by Jimmy Cagney who was truly at the top of his game. The cinematography is excellent and I like the way they organized the crowd scenes for the movie takes.
When the action starts, we see young Lon Chaney (Jimmy Cagney) quitting a vaudeville style show after his overemotional, unstable and even selfish wife Cleva Creighton Chaney (Dorothy Malone) was late for the third time in just one week. Lon quits to show his support for Cleva who then announces to him that she's expecting a baby. At first Lon and Cleva are happy; but trouble starts in quickly. When Lon takes Cleva home to meet his parents at Christmastime, Cleva overreacts--to say the least. Cleva is mortified that Lon's parents are deaf and she's terrified that her unborn child will be deaf, too. She's against having the baby but she goes through with it; and for a while tensions between Lon and Cleva ease after they know that their son can hear normally.
But happiness is elusive. Cleva resents staying home with her son out in the country where Lon could enjoy the peace and quiet; she wants the city life and she has her own desires about stardom. After a few years she decides to take a job as a singer--and Lon begins to notice that she's spending some time with other men, too. Lon wants Cleva home but Cleva wants out--and after a horrible and very public attempt at suicide, Lon and Cleva move to California for a fresh start. Unfortunately, their marriage ends in divorce anyway. Lon wants custody of his son but the court mandates that Lon Chaney, Jr. be placed in a foster home until Lon can prove he has a stable home with gainful employment. Meanwhile, Lon begins to reestablish a friendship with a chorus girl named Hazel Bennett (Jane Greer).
You guessed it! Lon and Hazel marry; they get custody of Lon's son and Lon takes off big time in the movie industry after working like a dog as an extra. Bigger and bigger pictures come his way including projects that were created specifically with Lon Cheney in mind.
Of course, from here the plot can go anywhere--and being that this is a Hollywood biopic, what we get in the way of the story line isn't always truthful, regrettably. Will Lon Chaney, Jr. ever connect with his mother Cleva again? Will he stay with his father or his mother if he does find his mom? What about Lon's marriage to Hazel--how do things work out and what are their issues? Watch and find out!
The DVD comes without extras; that disappoints me but the movie is so well done that I can overlook it.
I highly recommend this for film buffs and especially for people who enjoy silent horror flicks. Of course, people who like biopics and Lon Chaney films will consider this a "must-have" for their collections.
Summary of Man of a Thousand Faces
MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES - DVD MovieLon Chaney earned his nickname "The Man of a Thousand Faces" with a gallery of grotesque, misshapen characters created through a combination of elaborate makeup, contorted postures, and sensitive performances. After a rich silent-movie career starring in such classics as He Who Gets Slapped, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Phantom of the Opera, he died after completing his first and only sound film, a remake of his silent crime picture The Unholy Three. James Cagney plays Chaney in this glossy Hollywood biography, a reverent, melodramatic tribute that focuses on his turbulent private life and rise from vaudeville clown to hard-working Hollywood extra to movie star. Dorothy Malone costars as his unstable first wife, who flees her husband and their young son after a failed suicide attempt, Jane Greer is the loving showgirl who fills her void, and future real-life superproducer Robert Evans plays legendary MGM producer Irving Thalberg. Cagney is a short, thick pug of an actor where Chaney is tall and lean, but he oddly resembles the star in his craggy face, and his rarely tapped dancing skills are put to good use in the early vaudeville scenes and contorted recreations of twisted Chaney characters. But most importantly, Cagney brings to the role passion and compassion that burn through the indifferent direction and show-biz clichés to create a vivid, energetic portrait of the enigmatic cult star who rarely let audiences see his true face. --Sean Axmaker
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