Eyes without a Face (1959/1960) (AKA
Les yeux sans visage, The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus)
I can only think of two reasons
to see "Eyes without a Face" in 2004. One - if you
dig really creepy, black and white, low budg looking
60's flicks, like "Carnival of Souls." And two - if
you want to see a film that is very important in the
history of cinematic prosthetic special effects.
The opening titles of Georges Franju's
film sets the stage rather well with its travelling
POV shot of a night drive, but the music score by
Maurice Jarre is so loud and annoying that it makes
one uneasy, as if we are going to be in for a bad
film. This is cacophonous, whiny, accordion infused
French music that reminds one immediately of eating
too much cotton candy and too many hot dogs at a street
carnival as a kid and vomiting on the Wonder Wheel.
It's horrible.
But soon the music fades deeply
into the background, only resurfacing on a couple
more occasions to make us queasy again, and the gorgeous,
stark, black and white look of the film takes over.
We are introduced to some mysterious characters and
have to figure out what is going on by WATCHING the
movie, because there is very little dialogue here.
I'm not going to spoil the plot too much. It's not
that it is exceptional; it's just that there's probably
a gazillion other sites on the web that you can check
out if you want a synopsis of the film.
Anyway, the centerpiece of the film
is an amazingly graphic surgical procedure, the removal
of skin from a person's face (hence the title), that
is as disgusting and as nerve-shattering as it would
be if it was done today. While, not perfectly realistic
in 2004 cinematic terms, the scene is nonetheless
eye opening. And anyone who wants to see one of the
most amazing special effects in a 60's film should
check this out.
That being said, Franju's pacing
is rather slow and laborious and it takes forever
for the film to get going. At less than 90 minutes,
the film seems like about two and a quarter. Things
just move so damn slow. And, with the title as a dead
giveaway, we've got the plot figured out way before
we're supposed to.
Still, that one damn special effect
makes all this worthwhile. This is a creepy, unique
60's curiosity that is well worth rediscovering.
Notes:
Viewed at a press sneak for the
reissue at the Dobie in January, 2004.
