the tender portrait of a man
Added 3/15/2009
Man Of A Thousand Faces tells the story of the life and times of Lon Chaney, one of the greatest actors of the silent movie era and one of the very few major silent screen stars to ever make a "talkie" as well. The acting is very convincing; and Jimmy Cagney got the opportunity to dance and portray a person who wasn't a gangster for a change! This film also showcases a tour de force by Jimmy Cagney who was truly at the top of his game. The cinematography is excellent and I like the way they organized the crowd scenes for the movie takes.
When the action starts, we see young Lon Chaney (Jimmy Cagney) quitting a vaudeville style show after his overemotional, unstable and even selfish wife Cleva Creighton Chaney (Dorothy Malone) was late for the third time in just one week. Lon quits to show his support for Cleva who then announces to him that she's expecting a baby. At first Lon and Cleva are happy; but trouble starts in quickly. When Lon takes Cleva home to meet his parents at Christmastime, Cleva overreacts--to say the least. Cleva is mortified that Lon's parents are deaf and she's terrified that her unborn child will be deaf, too. She's against having the baby but she goes through with it; and for a while tensions between Lon and Cleva ease after they know that their son can hear normally.
But happiness is elusive. Cleva resents staying home with her son out in the country where Lon could enjoy the peace and quiet; she wants the city life and she has her own desires about stardom. After a few years she decides to take a job as a singer--and Lon begins to notice that she's spending some time with other men, too. Lon wants Cleva home but Cleva wants out--and after a horrible and very public attempt at suicide, Lon and Cleva move to California for a fresh start. Unfortunately, their marriage ends in divorce anyway. Lon wants custody of his son but the court mandates that Lon Chaney, Jr. be placed in a foster home until Lon can prove he has a stable home with gainful employment. Meanwhile, Lon begins to reestablish a friendship with a chorus girl named Hazel Bennett (Jane Greer).
You guessed it! Lon and Hazel marry; they get custody of Lon's son and Lon takes off big time in the movie industry after working like a dog as an extra. Bigger and bigger pictures come his way including projects that were created specifically with Lon Cheney in mind.
Of course, from here the plot can go anywhere--and being that this is a Hollywood biopic, what we get in the way of the story line isn't always truthful, regrettably. Will Lon Chaney, Jr. ever connect with his mother Cleva again? Will he stay with his father or his mother if he does find his mom? What about Lon's marriage to Hazel--how do things work out and what are their issues? Watch and find out!
The DVD comes without extras; that disappoints me but the movie is so well done that I can overlook it.
I highly recommend this for film buffs and especially for people who enjoy silent horror flicks. Of course, people who like biopics and Lon Chaney films will consider this a "must-have" for their collections.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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real life
Added 1/29/2009
This movie has alot of real life situations in it. it makes you think about your own life.
James cagney is in the top ten of the worlds best actors.
Get out your hanky's and try not to tear up on this one.
Excellent movie
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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what chaney might have been like
Added 1/2/2009
This is what I imagine Lon Chaney's life would have been like if he had been James Cagney. Unfortunately I wondered what the "man of mystery" himself was really like, and care little for another soap-opera twisting of reality by Hollywood script-writers.
Yes, there are people out here who are actually looking to learn something about the subjects of biopics and, once more, we have an example of the fictionalisation of fact Hollywood-style. What is the point?
Don't tell me that the truth doesn't matter; people actually believe this stuff and it is apparently fundamentally untrue.
2 out of 5 people found this helpful.
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Double Fantastic!
Added 10/30/2008
Lon Chaney was an incredible treasure of his time; and James Cagney an incredible treasure of his. To have both in the same work, and have that work be the epitome of artistic and technical achievement is a gift to the generations to come. Hopefully, they'll have the sense to appreciate both men!
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Man of a Thousand Faces
Added 10/12/2008
Although, as Cagney himself pointed out in his autobiography, a great deal of this film is fictitious and, unfortunately, for very important reasons, this is still a fine piece of entertainment with a great cast -- the sort that, sadly, we don't seem to have these days. Pleasant enough as the young Chaney's eventual meeting, in the film, with his mother is, in reality, Cagney revealed that young Chaney did, indeed, once go to see his mother. A man answered the door and went inside to tell the woman her son was at the door. Chaney overheard her telling the man to let her son know she wasn't home as a means of getting rid of him. The hurt stayed with Chaney for the rest of his life and since Chaney was still alive when the picture was made, none of that could be included in the film.
John
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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the tender portrait of a man
Added 3/15/2009
Man Of A Thousand Faces tells the story of the life and times of Lon Chaney, one of the greatest actors of the silent movie era and one of the very few major silent screen stars to ever make a "talkie" as well. The acting is very convincing; and Jimmy Cagney got the opportunity to dance and portray a person who wasn't a gangster for a change! This film also showcases a tour de force by Jimmy Cagney who was truly at the top of his game. The cinematography is excellent and I like the way they organized the crowd scenes for the movie takes.
When the action starts, we see young Lon Chaney (Jimmy Cagney) quitting a vaudeville style show after his overemotional, unstable and even selfish wife Cleva Creighton Chaney (Dorothy Malone) was late for the third time in just one week. Lon quits to show his support for Cleva who then announces to him that she's expecting a baby. At first Lon and Cleva are happy; but trouble starts in quickly. When Lon takes Cleva home to meet his parents at Christmastime, Cleva overreacts--to say the least. Cleva is mortified that Lon's parents are deaf and she's terrified that her unborn child will be deaf, too. She's against having the baby but she goes through with it; and for a while tensions between Lon and Cleva ease after they know that their son can hear normally.
But happiness is elusive. Cleva resents staying home with her son out in the country where Lon could enjoy the peace and quiet; she wants the city life and she has her own desires about stardom. After a few years she decides to take a job as a singer--and Lon begins to notice that she's spending some time with other men, too. Lon wants Cleva home but Cleva wants out--and after a horrible and very public attempt at suicide, Lon and Cleva move to California for a fresh start. Unfortunately, their marriage ends in divorce anyway. Lon wants custody of his son but the court mandates that Lon Chaney, Jr. be placed in a foster home until Lon can prove he has a stable home with gainful employment. Meanwhile, Lon begins to reestablish a friendship with a chorus girl named Hazel Bennett (Jane Greer).
You guessed it! Lon and Hazel marry; they get custody of Lon's son and Lon takes off big time in the movie industry after working like a dog as an extra. Bigger and bigger pictures come his way including projects that were created specifically with Lon Cheney in mind.
Of course, from here the plot can go anywhere--and being that this is a Hollywood biopic, what we get in the way of the story line isn't always truthful, regrettably. Will Lon Chaney, Jr. ever connect with his mother Cleva again? Will he stay with his father or his mother if he does find his mom? What about Lon's marriage to Hazel--how do things work out and what are their issues? Watch and find out!
The DVD comes without extras; that disappoints me but the movie is so well done that I can overlook it.
I highly recommend this for film buffs and especially for people who enjoy silent horror flicks. Of course, people who like biopics and Lon Chaney films will consider this a "must-have" for their collections.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
real life
Added 1/29/2009
This movie has alot of real life situations in it. it makes you think about your own life.
James cagney is in the top ten of the worlds best actors.
Get out your hanky's and try not to tear up on this one.
Excellent movie
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
what chaney might have been like
Added 1/2/2009
This is what I imagine Lon Chaney's life would have been like if he had been James Cagney. Unfortunately I wondered what the "man of mystery" himself was really like, and care little for another soap-opera twisting of reality by Hollywood script-writers.
Yes, there are people out here who are actually looking to learn something about the subjects of biopics and, once more, we have an example of the fictionalisation of fact Hollywood-style. What is the point?
Don't tell me that the truth doesn't matter; people actually believe this stuff and it is apparently fundamentally untrue.
2 out of 5 people found this helpful.
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