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Thursday, March 19, 2026

Wonderland Burlesque's Let's Go To The Movies: Face Time - Part X

Wonderland Burlesque's
Let's Go To The Movies: 
Face Time
Part X

That look, that face...

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 Of Marble
(1946)

Totally engrossed in his project to bring the dead back to life, Dr. Randolph fails to notice his wife Elaine's interest in Randolph's young lab partner, Dr. Cochran. Ancient housekeeper Maria doesn't, however, and will do anything, including using her voodoo powers, to see to it that Elaine is happy.


This American horror film was directed by William Beaudine and stars John Carradine, Claudia Drake and Robert Shayne.


The film combines elements of science fiction and horror, and it is known for its atmospheric and eerie tone. It's a B-movie from the 1940s and is now considered a cult classic by some fans of vintage horror films.


This post-war thriller is rarely shown and almost forgotten today. It was included on an MGM DVD collection release, but the image was very poor - apparently mastered from an old 16mm television print. There is a strong possibility that there are no known 35mm prints in existence today.


You can watch this film in its entirety for free on YouTube.



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The Face Of Truth
(1951)
AKA: Det Sande Ansigt, The True Face

Troels is a young, idealistic architect who one day wakes to a true nightmare: To be accused of abusing and killing a 10-year-old girl. His wife, father and other loved ones react very differently. Meanwhile, Troels goes through a hell that threatens to change him forever.


Based upon the novel by Gerhard Rasmussen, this Danish drama was directed by Bodil Ipsen and Lau Lauritzen Jr., and stars Lau Lauritzen Jr., Johannes Meyer, Lisbeth Movin and Ib Schønberg.


The film received the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film of the Year.

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Face of the Screaming Werewolf
1964

Experimenting in hypnotic regression to past lives, Dr. Edmund Redding of the Cowan Institute in Pasadena has discovered that Ann Taylor is a reincarnated Aztec woman. Via her recovered memories, she is able to lead Redding and his associates to a hidden chamber in the Great Pyramid of Yucatan, where they hope to find the lost treasure of the Aztecs. Instead, they find two mummified bodies - one of a modern man, quite dead, and the other of an ancient Aztec, quite alive. They are able to return safely to Pasadena with both finds, but a rival professor, Janney, kills Redding and steals the body of the modern man-mummy. This he subjects to a resurrection experiment, which works - only the mummy proves to be a werewolf. This creature breaks free of Janney's lab. Meanwhile, a hired thief sent by Janney to steal the other, living mummy, is overcome and that creature escapes also. Two supernatural menaces roam the city that night...


This horror film was directed by a low budget film maker Jerry Warren and stars Lon Chaney Jr., Yerye Beirute, George Mitchell, Fred Hoffman, Rosita Arenas, and Ramón Gay.


The film was created by combining parts of two unrelated Mexican horror films, La Casa del Terror (1960), and La Momia Azteca (1957), with the addition of original footage shot by Warren. It was released on a double-bill with another of Warren's films, Curse of the Stone Hand.


Warren had earlier released his own re-edited version of La Momia Azteca in 1963, which he had retitled Attack of the Mayan Mummy. He removed large sections of the original Mexican film and replaced them with newly filmed footage featuring American actors. He later used extensive footage from this same Mexican mummy film to incorporate into this film.


Ed Wood is rumored to have filmed a few scenes of Lon Chaney Jr. in a werewolf costume in Hollywood in 1964, which Jerry Warren supposedly incorporated into this film, but this story has never been verified.


The laboratory scene features electronic sound effects lifted from Forbidden Planet (1956).


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A Face Of War
(1968)

The documentary presents a direct, unflinching look at the lives of American soldiers serving in the War. A raw, visceral depiction of war that showcases the brutal reality soldiers faced, including combat scenes, wounded soldiers, and the overall hardship of war. The crew that filmed it in 1966 spent 97 days with Mike Company, a part of the 7th Marine Regiment also known as the 'Magnificent Seventh'.


This documentary about the Vietnam War was produced and directed by Eugene S. Jones , a Korean War news photographer who rose to fame alongside his twin brother Charles Jones. Half the company was wounded during the filming, including the filmmaker, who was wounded twice.


The documentarian David Hoffman considers this film to be the most authentic documentary made during the Vietnam War. Roger Ebert called  it a "heart-wrenching masterpiece," while The New York Times called it "one of the great Vietnam documentaries.".


Director Francis Ford Coppola said that this documentary was one of the main influences which caused him to create Apocalypse Now (1979). You can watch this film in its entirety for free on YouTube.

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Face Off
(1971)
AKA: Winter Comes Early

Love story involving a Canadian professional hockey player and a hippie folk singer . Their union is tumultuous, as both try to come to terms with their differences in careers and lifestyles. They realize too late that they both love each other.


This Canadian feature film produced by John F. Bassett starring Art Hindle, Trudy Young and John Vernon.


The 1970–71 Toronto Maple Leafs served as the film's National Hockey League (NHL) team, with actual players appearing in real game footage as well as many scripted scenes throughout the film.


An album titled Face Off: The Original Soundtrack Recording was also released. The album featured 12 tracks. Frank Moore, who appears in the film, wrote six of the songs. He and actress Trudi Young provide all the lead vocals


The film generally received negative reviews. Martin Knelman of The Globe and Mail found the production "downright head-clutchingly terrible." Regina's Leader-Post cited "terrible acting and inane dialogue". Dave Billington of The Gazette (Montreal) also panned the production noting that "most of the ingredients of a good film were there and they were sacrificed to box office expediency." The Windsor Star was also critical noting such deficiencies as "a sluggish pace and fumbling character development."


The film grossed $600,000 in Canada at the box office by early 1973, the highest-grossing Canadian English language film in Canada.


The DVD release includes the Second City Television parody of the film, Power Play, which featured John Candy.





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And that's all for now, folks.

Tune in next time...
 
Same place, same channel!

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Face Of The Screaming Werewolf - Movie Trailer
(1964)

Face Off - Movie Trailer
(1971)

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