Man of a Thousand Faces

Summary

Recently I received a copy of the film Man of a Thousand Faces starring James Cagney as the actor Lon Chaney. Lon Chaney was one of the most well known silent film stars of that generation. He only acted in one film with audio before cancer took his life. While my generation may not know his name, a couple images of the man are still inescapable – his portrayal of the Phantom of the Opera and his role as the hunchback in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It is funny to think that almost all of those “50 Horror Movie” DVD packs (that rummage public domain films) have a photo of Lon Chaney wearing grotesque makeup as the Phantom on their covers. Spielberg once spoke about how Cagney’s performances were the inspiration for the casting of Jack Nicholson in The Shining. I was interested in the story of Chaney and had wanted to delve more deeply into Cagney’s film work. Last night I sat back and watched the film.

As the film begins, a young Lon Chaney is bullied due to his parents being deaf and mute. Years later, as a vaudevillian performer, Lon (James Cagney) is well liked and steadily employed. His wife, Cleva Creighton (Dorothy Malone,) is a less successful actress. When she announces her pregnancy to Lon, he takes her home to meet his family. He has hidden his parent’s condition and Cleva does not take the news well. She lets Lon know she does not want to have his child. As the boy named Creighton grows up, luckily without issues, the mother becomes erratic when she is unable to pursue her own career goals. Lon hires a nanny named Hazel Bennet (Jane Greer) to help with Creighton, while Cleva works in a show. When Cleva cheats on Lon, he gets her fired from her show. When she attempts suicide, Lon files for divorce with hopes of being awarded sole custody. The divorce is granted, but the judge refuses to give Lon the custody of Creighton until Lon can provide a permanent and stable home for the child. Creighton is placed in a foster home. Lon sets his sights on Hollywood, knowing that he needs to be successful if he wants to get his son back.

I am not immune to the enjoyment of a good melodrama. While some reviewers have criticized the film for not sticking exactly to the facts, it did not stop the script by Ivan Goff, R. Wright Campbell, and Ben Roberts from being nominated for an Oscar. The storyline is captivating for anybody who has ever raised a child and had to work hard to provide for that child. It also helps that James Cagney is remarkable in the film. While Cagney looked nothing like Lon Chaney, he manages to turn in a performance that brings the man vividly to life. Cagney controls the screen and even at age 57 he nails all the dancing in the film and every contortionist trick that Chaney used. It helps the film that Cagney came from the Vaudeville world and that helped him really understand the protagonist of the film. It’s a great performance. 

The film is helped by two good supporting turns by Dorothy Malone and Jane Greer as the two loves in Chaney’s life. Dorothy Malone nails the role as the bitter and crazed Cleva. Jane Greer is sweetness personified as Hazel. In a nice cameo, future studio head Robert Evans in one of his earliest roles plays studio head Irving Thalberg.

Joseph Pevney directs the film with skill, executing dramatic scenes with an ease that showed his understanding of the material. The cinematography in the film by Russell Metty is great. The film is shot in black and white and Metty knows how to light a scene. Keep in mind that Metty was also a cinematographer on an Orson Welles film called Touch of Evil. I feel confident that he knew his craft.

Overall – I really enjoyed the melodramatic biographical film Man of a Thousand Faces. It is a sweet film that features James Cagney in top form.

Video

The transfer provided by Arrow Films looks great. Here is what the booklet details:

“Man of a Thousand Faces has been exclusively restored by Arrow Films and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 with mono audio.  The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 2K resolution on an Arriscan at NBC Universal. The film was graded and restored at Dragon DI, Wales. Picture grading was completed on a Pablo Rio system and restoration was completed using a combination of PFClean and Revival software. The audio was remastered from the three channel dialogue, music and effects dubbed master track by NBC Universal.”

The video transfer from the 2K scan looks fantastic. Fine detail on this release rivals any black and white release from this year. Gray and black levels are perfectly set. Fans will be pleased to know that this is undoubtedly the best the film has ever looked.

Audio

The LPCM Mono track that Arrow provided sounds great. Dialogue is clear and the score for the film works. I was impressed by how immersive some of the vaudevillian scenes were considering it was just a mono track. I can’t imagine that any fan of the film will be wearing a sad face due to this track. 

Supplements

• Commentary by Tim Lucas – Tim Lucas does a solid job of discussing the film, Lon Chaney, James Cagney, and more in this track. Enjoyable.
• The Man Behind a Thousand Faces – British film historian Kim Newman discusses Lon Chaney. While an enjoyable piece, it did not shed as much light as some other Kim Newman pieces.
• Theatrical Trailer 
• Image Galleries

Overall scores

Video – 4.5/5 

Audio – 4/5

Supplements – 3/5

Overall – 4/5

Man of a Thousand Faces is a great melodrama based on the life of actor Lon Chaney. James Cagney is truly fantastic in the lead role. The film itself comes highly recommended. The film looks the best it has ever looked. The supplements supplied by Arrow are enjoyable, but they are not incredibly robust. Overall, this is an enjoyable release that I definitely recommend checking out.