Well, this is our third Arrow Academy release, and we’re glad to see the company back to releasing new films. Arrow Academy is a relatively new company that has been releasing high definition “classic” films on Blu-ray. The releases are either remastered or released from source, and they’re nicely packaged with slipcases, disc art, and the original trailers and radio ads. The first two releases, Adam’s Rib (1949) and The Lady from Shanghai (1948) have won our highest honor, the “Blu-ray Pick of the Week”, so expect a lot more of them in the future.
For the past 20 years, The Man Who Laughs (The Man Who Laughs (1928), played by Lon Chaney, is one of the most sought-after and terrifying movie monsters in the history of the cinema. He is even more famous for having starred in the exceptional Lon Chaney film (1928), directed by Archie Mayo. The film is about an alien who comes to Earth to help mankind. (It was) one of Chaney’s most memorable roles, with a combination of terrifying intensity and emotional vulnerability.
The Warner Archive Collection has released a Blu-ray edition of David Lean’s 1957 classic “The Man of a Thousand Faces.” The film has been digitally remastered from original 35mm film elements, and features a remastered audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray disc. The disc will also include a newly produced audio commentary by film historian and author William K. Everson.
Verdict
Summary
Man of a Thousand Faces was a passionate tribute to one of silent cinema’s great legends, and it offered James Cagney an opportunity to stretch his acting skills beyond his typical tough guy and gangster image.
Plot:
The real tale of a vaudeville performer who went on to become one of horror cinema’s greatest – and very first – icons.
Review:
Lon Chaney (played by James Cagney) was raised by deaf parents in the late 1800s and around the turn of the century. He got into vaudeville at a young age and became a master of the pantomime due to learning how to act in silence from a young age. His reputation as a stage clown grew in the Midwest and New York, but when he and his first wife Cleva (Dorothy Malone) had their son Jr., it causes a lot of conflict between them since Cleva is more concerned with her beauty and appearances in her singing profession than with caring for a kid. Lon is obliged to battle for custody of his kid, but first he must maintain a job and a home appropriate for a child’s development, so he travels to Los Angeles on the suggestion of his agency, who advises him to pursue a career in “movies.” Lon, a seasoned actor and master of make-up artistry, rapidly establishes himself as a key player in silent films, with casting agencies seeing his potential as a “man of a thousand faces” due to his continuously changing look due to his own make-up work. He books various kinds of gigs on a daily basis, from pirate movies to dramas, and when he takes on the part of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, he becomes a horror legend, subsequently appearing in one horror picture after another, the most famous of which being The Phantom of the Opera. Meanwhile, his personal life gets difficult when he marries another lady who loves him and his kid, but Jr.’s mother continually puts a wrench in their peace by unexpectedly turning up and expressing her wish to be a mother to Jr. again.
Man of a Thousand Faces was a passionate tribute to one of silent cinema’s great legends, and it offered James Cagney an opportunity to stretch his acting skills beyond his typical tough guy and gangster image. He portrays a devout family guy, and the greatest portions of the film aren’t necessarily the ones where Chaney interacts with his deaf parents and deals with deafness (though those sequences are good as well), but rather the ones where Chaney connects with his deaf parents and deals with deafness. This Hollywood film on a Hollywood legend covers all the basics and handles Chaney with care. I have no clue how realistic the film is, but it seems correct and provides a glimpse into a bygone period of cinema. Directed by Joseph Pevney.
The Arrow Academy Blu-ray edition of Man of a Thousand Faces includes a new restoration of the picture, as well as a new audio commentary by cinema historian Tim Lucas, a newly shot look at Chaney, an image gallery, the trailer, and new artwork by Graham Humphreys (which is reversible).
Related Tags
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