Re: BEAUTY AND BEAST THEME
Wed, 6 Apr 1994 09:27:09 GMT
Brandy Lorenz: Re your beauty and the beast theme inquiry you
might want to consider THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK (Columbia, 1941),
one of the most complex and celebrated of the major studio "B"
films of that era; the b andb theme is central . Astonishingly,
for a picture shot in just over three weeks, it is simultaneously
a horror film and a social consciousness picture, with a touching
love story, a strong impression of the immigrant, urban milieu,
and a commentary on the treatment of the handicapped. The story
concerns a hopeful new immigrant to the US who is severely burned
in a hotel fire . Although an expert watchmaker, his resulting
facial disfigurement causes him to be denied employment, until in
despair he eventually drifts into a life of crime. Only when he
meets a blind girl, unaffected by his appearance, does someone
recognize his true nature, and he reforms, but she is killed by
his suspicious former associates. He exacts revenge, sacrificing
his life in the process; Peter Lorre had the lead, with Evelyn
Keyes as the girl. The initial release lasted nearly three years,
extraordinarily long for a "B" of the time, and it was rereleased
on multiple occasions into the 50s. This indicates its general
popularity, and although critically well received, some reviewers
of the time found the realistic depiction of the beauty-beast
theme offensive. Director Robert Florey was a friend of Cocteau
and the French intellectual and filmmaking community in general.
If this is of any help, there is more in my book on Florey.
Brian Taves
Motion Picture Division
Library of Congress
Tavesmail.loc.gov