The Original Faces of Death
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Adolf Hitler, Michael Carr (II), Samuel Berkowitz, Thomas NoguchiDVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: Black & White, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 105 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-10-19
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Gorgon Video
Movie Reviews of The Original Faces of Death
Movie Review: This was controversial?
Summary: 3 Stars
As of the past year or so I've been on a hunt to find and watch all of the so-called "video nasties" and "controversial" flicks of the 70s and 80s that pervaded the underground of cinema and coincided with the VHS revolution of the early 80s that allowed so many of these forgotten classics to be obtained and disseminated to a new audience.
'Faces of Death' is one that always seemed to have the worst reputation as a film to shock, horrify, turn stomachs, and overall make one's life experience much worse. But upon watching it, I felt less like I was watching a cinematic hellspawn and more like I was watching a National Geographic documentary on PBS....albeit one with a little more blood and guts. Seriously, with the soft spoken voice of "Dr. Francis Grose" the narrator and the footage that mainly consists of animals (slaughtered, as it is), the PBS documentary vibes are very strong, and very enjoyable for one who grew up watching that stuff like me! I will add that while the film didn't have much in terms of shock, it did strenghten my already strong views against aniaml cruelty and the death penalty, for although most of the scenes were fake they were still though-provoking in terms of what they suggested. The most affecting scene by far was the scene where the hardened criminal is executed by electric chair with a disturbingly-upbeat melody playing in the background. I'm strongly against capital punishment, but this scene, moving in its intensity and suggestion, strengthened that conviction even more, even though the scene is staged. This setpiece is the only real disturbing and gory one in the film, but it haunted and moved me more than it disturbed or entertained me. In fact, it concerns me that some reviews find the scene "funny". I've seen some hilarious cinema deaths in terms of ridiculousness like in 'The Toxic Avenger' movies but this is not one of them. It haunted me.
In terms of the violence of rest of the film, like I mentioned before it's a well-known fact that most of the actual human death footage is fake. How much (probably all of it) is unknown to me, but the snuff factor of this film is mostly counterfeit. Many of the animal slaughterings are real though and one who is of the vegan or PETA mindset might be offended by this flick, or perhaps turned homicidal.
In short, though, I didn't find this film particularly shocking or disturbing. This may speak to how desensitized I am by film violence or it may speak to how overrated and ultimately disappointing this film is in terms of "shock value"....probably a combination of both. I did enjoy it great though in terms of it having that old-school PBS documentary vibe...again, with bloodier visuals though. In short, recommended but don't expect to be shocked or disturbed. Rather, expect to be entertained if you like PBS documentaries and don't mind a little blood and guts.
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