Wonderland Burlesque's
Let's Go To The Movies:
Face Time
Part XVIII
It's all in the face. It can be read like a book. Or so these films would have us believe.
The silver screen has been home to so many beautiful (and not-so-beautiful) faces, lighting up the dark, showing us the way, sharing celluloid dreams. It seems only fitting that we take them at their word and look a these films one face at a time.
Yes, these faces may belong to a bygone era, but in the movies?
A face lives forever.
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The Face On The Bar-Room Floor
(1923)
In Paris, France, famous artist Robert Stevens falls in love with Mrs. Marion Trevor and follows her to the U.S., where they plan to marry. Marion's brother, Dick Van Vleck, becomes infatuated with Lottie, who is modeling for Robert. However, Dick returns to college and abandons Lottie, who then drowns herself in the ocean. Robert is accused of betraying the girl, prompting Marion to break their engagement. In addition, he is falsely accused of theft, resulting in a two-year prison term. The artist joins several inmates in a prison break and saves the life of the state governor before escaping. Afterward, Robert lands on an island, where he prevents a shipwreck and nurses an ailing lighthouse keeper back to health. Although he receives a pardon, the despondent artist becomes a drunkard. One day, Marion and the governor enter a barroom to find Robert painting her portrait on the floor. The lovers are reconciled and find happiness together.
Adapted from the poem of the same name by Hugh Antoine d'Arcy, this American drama was directed by John Ford and stars Henry B. Walthall, Ruth Clifford, Ralph Emerson, Frederick Sullivan, and Alma Bennett.
It is considered to be a lost film.
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Face On The Barroom Floor
(1932)
Bill Bronson is a likable young bank clerk, whose congenital thirst for liquor is kept under control until he joins his wife Mary at getting blotto at a company party. From there it is a downward spiral.
This pre-Code American crime film directed by Bertram Bracken and stars Dulcie Cooper, Bramwell Fletcher and Alice Ward.
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The Three Faces of Fear
(1963)
AKA: Black Sabbath, Il tre volti della paura
There were additional scenes filmed with Boris Karloff introducing the segments, however AIP decided they were unnecessary and cut them from the film. Karloff would later say these introductions were some of the most fun he'd ever had on a film set.
While filming, Karloff contracted pneumonia, which led to him having to rely on oxygen tanks after production ended.
There are two very different versions of the film: Bava's original Italian cut and the American International Pictures cut. In order to make the film more marketable to western audiences, AIP changed Boris Karloff's introductions, re-arranged the order of the stories, gave the film a whole new score, and even re-edited several scenes. AIP made the most substantial changes to the plot of The Telephone by removing all implications of lesbianism and prostitution, replacing them with a supernatural element.
Les Baxter's musical score for the American release of the film, 52 minutes in all, was recorded in a single day.
The segment The Telephone was the first Italian thriller to be shot in color. It is also one of the earliest examples of giallo, a mystery/horror subgenre popularized by Mario Bava's next film, Blood and Black Lace (1964).
This film was a commercial failure upon release in Italy, and performed below expectations in America.
The Globe and Mail stated that The Drop of Water and The Telephone were "a good deal more sophisticated than usual horror fare" while The Wurdulak "bears no trace of [Bava's] manner of directing" and that the acting was "rudimentary". The Boston Globe gave the film a negative review, referring to it as "three short films botched together". The Monthly Film Bulletin stated that "the eeriest thing about the picture is its décor (especially the heavy, dusty interiors of [The Drop of Water]" while noting that the "acting is very unstylish and made worse by dubbing". The review also stated that Bava could "do better than this with less obvious material" and seemed "determined to spell everything out with a sudden zoom shots and shock cuts."
You can watch this film in its entirety for free on YouTube.
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The Devil With Seven Faces
(1971)
AKA: Il diavolo a sette facce, The Devil Has Seven Faces,
Bloody Mary, Nights of Terror
The theft of jewels and mistaken identity complicate the life of Mary causing her to become the target of a vicious gang of criminals.
Carroll Baker plays a dual role in this film, two identical twins named Julie and Mary. Director Civirani had previously worked with Baker on 1968's The Sweet Body of Deborah.
You can watch this film in its entirety for free on YouTube.
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The Two Faces Of Fear
(1972)
AKA: Coartada en Disco Rojo, I Due Volti della Paura
This Italian/Spanish crime thriller was directed by Tulio Demicheli and stars George Hilton, Fernando Rey, Luciana Paluzzi and Anita Strindberg.
You can watch this film in its entirety for free on YouTube.
And that's all for now, folks!
Tune in next time...
Same channel, same place.
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The Devil With Seven Faces - Movie Trailer
(1971)
