X
- 1957
- Approved
- Universal Pictures
- 2 h 2 m
- 1957
- Approved
- Universal Pictures
- 2 h 2 m
Summary The life and career of vaudevillian and silent screen horror star Lon Chaney, including his contentious relationship with his neurotic wife and his premature death.
Directed By: Joseph Pevney
Written By: Ralph Wheelwright, R. Wright Campbell, Ivan Goff, Ben Roberts
- 1957
- Approved
- Universal Pictures
- 2 h 2 m
- 1957
- Approved
- Universal Pictures
- 2 h 2 m
Man of a Thousand Faces
58
User Score
Available after 4 ratings
tbd
Where to Watch
Summary The life and career of vaudevillian and silent screen horror star Lon Chaney, including his contentious relationship with his neurotic wife and his premature death.
Directed By: Joseph Pevney
Written By: Ralph Wheelwright, R. Wright Campbell, Ivan Goff, Ben Roberts
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 6 Critic Reviews
58
67% Positive
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
33% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 6 Critic Reviews
58
67% Positive
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
33% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
This is one of those rare birds: a well-done biopic that does justice to its famous subject. [11 Mar 1994, p.F24]
Cagney is riveting as Chaney (who died in 1930 at the age of 47), enacting the many great roles the silent star made famous in startling cameo performances.
As Chaney, James Cagney has immersed himself so completely in the role that it is difficult to spot any Cagney mannerisms. Jane Greer, as his second wife, is particularly appealing in her devotion to her ‘difficult’ spouse.
Thanks to a dandy performance by James Cagney in the role of the great silent-film star, Lon Chaney, there is drama and personality in Man of a Thousand Faces.
James Cagney gives it all his drive and speediness, but this plodding, straight-line 1957 biography of Lon Chaney Sr. never comes close to capturing the actor's obsessiveness or offering any insights as to how he made his personal pain and humiliation accessible and meaningful to a mass audience.
The script and conception are so maudlin and degrading that Cagney's high dedication becomes somewhat oppressive.
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Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
Boxoffice Magazine Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
