Man of a Thousand Faces (1957)

There was a time when movie bios were a mix of fact and invention -- and 1957's "Man of a Thousand Faces" typifies the genre. Yes, Chaney was the son of deaf mutes but there's no evidence that he hid the fact from his pregnant wife or that she demanded an abortion when she heard the news. And while it's true that she was suicidal, she didn't try to kill herself on stage. Their bitter relationship makes for a series of mawkish moments, backed by dire music, when the movie ought to be focusing on Chaney's talent. When it occasionally does, thanks to James Cagney's splendid performance, it suddenly springs to life. His re-enactment of moments from "The Phantom of the Opera" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" are amazing. But just when you think you're getting a sense of what "the man of mystery" was really like, it's back to sludgy soap opera. And all you can do is groan.

A few biopics about silent film actors were churned out in the 1940s and 1950s. Unfortunately, few were any good. The Perils of Pauline (1947) insulted the silent film era, Valentino (1951) was a pleasant if unmemorable melodrama, and the less said about The Buster Keaton Story (1957), the better.Out of all of these films, Man of a Thousand Faces (1957) fares best. Though James Cagney looks nothing like the gaunt Lon Chaney, he brings depth and humor to the role. The script is mostly accurate to the letter of Chaney's life, though it's message about accepting social outcasts is often preachier than an after-school special.The one terrible thing about this movie is the recreation of Chaney's famous make-ups. They look awful, more like cheap 1950s B-movie monsters than Chaney's Phantom of the Opera or Quasimodo. The only one that looked decent was the recreation of Mrs. O'Grady from The Unholy Three (1925/1930).It may not be the definitive Chaney biopic, but it's good enough and if you are a Chaney fan, it's worth your time. Best of all, it does not treat the silent era like a joke, as many 1950s films on the era tend to do.

A film legend played by an even bigger film legend. Two stories about shifting from a silent world to a speaking one. This is interesting.Families: an honest son (himself a film celebrity, but of lower order). Two wives, one flawed. A grudge. This is not interesting, even in the slightest.A walk through the confusion of silent filming. The most interesting of all.The "point" of the movie is that this man of many faces created one for the family he wished, and another for the wife he blamed for not trying, even though he got her pregnant without revealing a significant genetic flaw. This is done poorly.All in all, this barely rises to a 2.Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

Man of a Thousand Faces is a film that positively reeks of Hollywood sap. It is quite obviously that the screenwriter took a look at a time line of Chaney's life and took out the major events only to write his own story. Jim Cagney stars as Lon Chaney,the man of a thousand faces. Chaney was a slender and tall man and Cagney was short and stubby.Is the film accurate? No not at all. The screenwriters obviously took a look at main events in Chaney's life and fabricated it to match a story. Cagney is a legend but he is not right at all for the role. Chaney was a tall and slender man and Cagney is short and stubby.Lon Chaney Jr was not born in a hospital,he was born prematurely in Chaney's cabin in Oklahoma. The doctors were afraid the boy was still born,Chaney took his Axe and rushed Lon Jr to the lake,cut a hole in the winter ice and dunked him under. Cleva was 17 years old when Lon Jr was born.Chaney and his first wife Cleva had trouble finding work and were forced to travel the country with various theater groups searching for a job. Lonchaney.com's bio claims Lon Jr would steal sandwiches and money when the audience was not looking.The whole plot about Chaney having conflicts with his wife is silly. Lon Jr never left and he very much loved his father and would tour with him. Chaney had work but it was not until he starred in the Hunchback of Notre Dame did he gain the success he had. The make-up job was fantastic for the time and the uninformed movie goers thought that was Chaney's actual face. Also the movie glamorized his time at Universal,yes his two major films were produced there but most of his films were made for MGM. In fact Universal fired Chaney because he thought he deserved more money.The ending is the part that gets me the most. Yes Chaney was sick but he died in his sleep.He never would let his illness get to him,in fact he was planning on making a huge come back and moving into the talkies.Chaney Sr hated the idea of Lon Jr becoming an actor. He thought he needed a man's job and forced him to seek various odd jobs. Chaney Jr became an actor because he had a family to feed and he thought he could get work because he was Lon's son.The life of a legend is poked and pulled at until it was turned into this. The Soundtrack is horrible as well,the music that plays when Chaney's mute parents are on screen is subtle racism to the deaf in my book. The movie is pathetic positively pathetic. Jim Cagney is an outstanding actor,but he should have never been offered this role. Chaney died at age 47,Cagney was all ready 57 years old when he began making the film.If you do the math the movie begins in 1905 when Chaney was 24 years old.We can't expect historical accuracy with every movie but as a fan of Chaney I felt insulted watching this piece of crap.You know Lon Chaney would suffer for his art,we need more people like him and less people who want to milk a story for a dollar