Long Lost Cinema: Man of a Thousand Faces

Now more than ever, biopics are a hot commodity in Hollywood.  Humans are a curious kind, so having the opportunity to peer through the closed doors of someone’s life is just too hard to pass up.  Drama and biography- it’s the perfect marriage between two aspects of storytelling that’s supremely challenging to create, but incredibly rewarding if done right.

Recently I came across the criminally forgotten Man of a Thousand Faces starring the great James Cagney.  Now any reason to watch Cagney at work is a good reason.  But when he’s portraying the great silent horror icon Lon Chaney… well, that’s something completely different all together. 

Man of a Thousand Faces was released in 1957 to a whimper of a reception.  Yes, it was nominated for Best Original Screenplay, but perhaps audiences just expected more from the film.  That’s not to say that Cagney slept through his performance.  On the contrary, I hold his performance in this film above his entire filmography.  I know, blasphemous to some, but watch the film and tell me that he doesn’t use his eyes to express his emotions just like Chaney did.  It’s uncanny.  Admittedly, the fact that Cagney looks nothing like Chaney is a small hurdle the audience has to jump in order to enjoy the picture.

The reason as to why I said that biopics are notoriously hard to get right is because sometimes the subject of the story is one who enjoys their privacy or is perhaps the exact opposite.  Because of that, there’s a fine line the filmmakers must walk (which inevitably leads to unnecessary melodrama) in order to ensure that the film will come off without a hitch and stay true to the source.  If you want an example of such melodrama, look at key scenes in Ray and even Walk the Line.  Both films are great and showcase wonderful acting by the leads, but the story and the way it is presented addresses what we as an audience have seen time and time again. 

Man of a Thousand Faces is a different animal all together.  Chaney was notorious for being secretive about his personal life throughout his career.  Because of that, making a biopic on the man would prove to be almost impossible, right?  Well, yes and no.  Seeing as how the film is just over fifty years old, and a number of Chaney biographies have been published since, we can see where the filmmakers took the liberties in the story.  What they did was incorporate short, key moments in Chaney’s life and elaborate on them, while making sure the characters would react in a believable way as we’ve gotten to know them throughout the film.  Sometimes the story would veer off in odd directions and, to be honest, sometimes the film falters because of it.  But that’s what makes the film so great to watch.  Knowing nothing about the man (as opposed to Johnny Cash or Ray Charles) allows the filmmakers to take a few liberties with the story.  Now, with that in mind, one could ask where does biography end and fiction begin?  And my answer to that… is too long for this article and can maybe be discussed in the future.

Having been made in the late 50s, Man of a Thousand Faces feels weird, in that it contains all of the attributes that films had at the time; heavy-handed lines of dialogue and the kind of music that forces you to feel a certain emotion at the drop of a hat.  You’ll know what I mean when you hear it.  Such characteristics are not necessarily a bad thing because that’s how dramatic films of this sort were made at the time.  If you remind yourself of that, it shouldn’t be a problem at all.

What I find to be most impressive about Man of a Thousand Faces is that Universal (the studio that Chaney himself worked for throughout his career) wanted to pay tribute to one of their greatest actors in the form of another great actor, James Cagney.  That is a compliment that I’m sure would’ve made Chaney blush.  I mean, the scenes that moved me the most were the ones that involved Chaney talking to his parents, who were deaf mutes.  The belief is that Chaney was so good at silently relaying stories to his parents that theater performances and silent films were a natural fit for him.  And I totally believe it because of Cagney’s performance throughout those important scenes.

Given the fact that Chaney was a great make-up artist, it’s a shame that the make-up effects for the film were lackluster.  Perhaps the filmmakers didn’t feel it necessary to focus too much on Chaney’s make-up skills, which is something I don’t agree with.  Even today, the greats like Rick Baker, Greg Nicotero, Tom Savini and the late Stan Winston were awed by Chaney’s abilities given what little resources he had.  If there is one major flaw in the film, it’s the fact that such an important moment in his life is almost glossed over.

As of late, there have been a number of Chaney fans that have cried out for another film based on the man of a thousand faces.  While I don’t think the story would be much different (given the fact that Chaney’s life is still shrouded in much secrecy, just the way he intended), the advances in special make-up effects would undoubtedly elevate the film.  While Cagney’s performance will never be forgotten, I just want to say that (and I’m speaking strictly in terms of appearance here) John C. Reilly would be a dead-ringer for Chaney.