A few words about…™ Man of a Thousand Faces — in Blu-ray

4 Stars

I recall seeing Joseph Pevney’s Man of a Thousand Faces late in the summer of 1957 in its original run in Manhattan. As a huge fan of all things horror (the Universal films were a TV staple), and just getting into film history, this was an important screening for me, as it put a number of things in perspective.

At that time, while I knew Lon Chaney, Jr. primarily from the Universal horror titles, I only knew his father from Phantom, Notre Dame and another silent film, Nomads of the North.

Arrow’s new Blu-ray is perfect in every detail, with proper grain, a gorgeous gray scale, and nice black levels.

Zero problems with either image or track.

For Cagney fans, or lovers of cinema history, there’s a lot to like here.

For those into minutia, you’ll find Jeanne Cagney, playing Lon’s sister, Carrie. Some may recall seeing her as Mr. Cohan’s sister in Yankee Doodle Dandy, fifteen years previous.

Silent comic ‘Snub’ Pollard is on hand as a waiter in an early studio scene, and Troy Donahue (uncredited) plays an asst. director. Nicky Blair, later a Hollywood restaurateur, plays the cameraman in the Unholy Three sequence.

Image – 5

Audio – 5

Pass / Fail – Pass

Upgrade from DVD – Absolutely

Recommended

RAH

Robert has been known in the film industry for his unmatched skill and passion in film preservation. Growing up around photography, his first home theater experience began at age ten with 16mm. Years later he was running 35 and 70mm at home.

His restoration projects have breathed new life into classic films like Lawrence of Arabia, Vertigo, My Fair Lady, Spartacus, and The Godfather series. Beyond his restoration work, he has also shared his expertise through publications, contributing to the academic discourse on film restoration. The Academy Film Archive houses the Robert A. Harris Collection, a testament to his significant contributions to film preservation.

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dpippel

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No, it's a 1080p presentation. I'm currently watching the disc right now and it looks much better than any previous viewing I've experienced.

Mr. Harris had 4K UHD in the title of the thread when I posted. He's since corrected it.
 

Angelo Colombus

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Robert Evans who passed away a few days ago plays Irving Thalberg in the film. In the documentary The Kid Stays in the Picture they show some scenes of Evans and Cagney working together.
 

moviepas

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Should have mine across the Pacific by Monday night my time, so Fedex tell me.

Heard tell Cagney's last, Ragtime, is out or coming out on Blu ray. Can't find any listing of this. Lo0ved to have a Blu Ray edition. I have the book and the DVD. In recent years I read the book and enjoyed it.
 
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Mike Frezon

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Heard tell Cagney's last, Ragtime, is out or coming out on Blu ray. Can't find any listing of this. Lo0ved to have a Blu Ray edition. I have the book and the DVD. In recent years I read the book and enjoyed it.

Ragtime has been near the top of my Blu-ray wishlist for a really long time.
 

Dick

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Should have mine across the Pacific by Monday night my time, so Fedex tell me.

Heard tell Cagney's last, Ragtime, is out or coming out on Blu ray. Can't find any listing of this. Lo0ved to have a Blu Ray edition. I have the book and the DVD. In recent years I read the book and enjoyed it.

The French Blu is quite good. I haven't optimism that Paramount will release this stateside, even though there are (so far unsubstantiated) rumors that the studio is about to start releasing some of its own catalog again.
 
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warnerbro

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It looks absolutely gorgeous! This is really an entertaining film -- mostly ficticious -- but very well done. It's almost got a Douglas Sirk melodramatic feel. The commentary is outstanding. Thank goodness we get actual production information as well as background on the real story instead of psychological evaluation as seems to be the new trend. The reversible artwork is beautiful as well. Well done again, Arrow. You are quickly becoming my favorite! Can Arrow please give us THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE in a similar package?
 

Robert Crawford

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It looks absolutely gorgeous! This is really an entertaining film -- mostly ficticious -- but very well done. It's almost got a Douglas Sirk melodramatic feel. The commentary is outstanding. Thank goodness we get actual production information as well as background on the real story instead of psychological evaluation as seems to be the new trend. The reversible artwork is beautiful as well. Well done again, Arrow. You are quickly becoming my favorite! Can Arrow please give us THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE in a similar package?
I agree with you in everything you stated. A wonderful audio commentary.
 

Johnny Angell

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It looks absolutely gorgeous! This is really an entertaining film -- mostly ficticious -- but very well done. It's almost got a Douglas Sirk melodramatic feel. The commentary is outstanding. Thank goodness we get actual production information as well as background on the real story instead of psychological evaluation as seems to be the new trend. The reversible artwork is beautiful as well. Well done again, Arrow. You are quickly becoming my favorite! Can Arrow please give us THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE in a similar package?
Fictitious? A Hollywood biography of a Hollywood star? I’m shocked! Shocked! That such a thing could occur. :lol:
 

Matt Hough

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Watched the Blu-ray tonight and really reveled in the beautiful picture and clear sound. Cagney is just masterful even if he was too old for the role. He acts it beautifully. It always pains me to see the movie continuity out of whack as we see Lon sketch make-ups for his various movies.

I listened to the excellent audio commentary, too. Well worth the B&N sale price.
 
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