The Criterion Collection

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[Thebunk]

I am interested in Eyes without a Face but have afew questions and I do not want to read the review in case I get spoiled:

- Is the film cheesy or overly dated or does it truly hold up (refering to acting, makeup, etc)

- Would you classify this as scary or more disturbing and dread filled?

- How does it hold up to multiple viewings?

Thanks in advance,
Jamie

[danmovie]

I've seen several posts indicating "Thief" as a blu-ray title for January. Is this referring to "The Thief of Bagdad" (1940)?

This film, along with Powell/Pressburger's A Canterbury Tale, is my most desired Criterion Blu upgrade.

[danmovie]

I like the focus on Hitchcock over the past few pages. He is definitely my favorite director and also helped me get more into classic movies. I've seen 36 of his films (3x or more for most of them) and here is how I rank them. Overall for me, Rear Window and Vertigo are in my top 10 and the first 9 films are in my top 100.

I would love to see Young and Innocent get a Criterion blu-ray treatment.


1. Rear Window (1954)
2. Vertigo (1958)
3. Notorious (1946)
4. Strangers on a Train (1951)
5. North by Northwest (1959)
6. The Lady Vanishes (1938)
7. Young and Innocent (1937)
8. Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
9. The 39 Steps (1935)
10. Rebecca (1940)
11. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
12. Dial M for Murder (1954)
13. Psycho (1960)
14. Suspicion (1941)
15. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
16. The Trouble with Harry (1955)
17. Saboteur (1942)
18. Rope (1948)
19. Lifeboat (1944)
20. The Birds (1963)
21. Sabotage (1936)
22. Secret Agent (1936)
23. Blackmail (1929)
24. To Catch a Thief (1955)
25. Family Plot (1976)
26. Marnie (1964)
27. Spellbound (1945)
28. I Confess (1953)
29. Topaz (1969)
30. The Wrong Man (1956)
31. Torn Curtain (1966)
32. Stage Fright (1950)
33. Murder! (1930)
34. Rich and Strange (1931)
35. The Skin Game (1931)
36. Number Seventeen (1932)

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by danmovie

I've seen several posts indicating "Thief" as a blu-ray title for January. Is this referring to "The Thief of Bagdad" (1940)?

This film, along with Powell/Pressburger's A Canterbury Tale, is my most desired Criterion Blu upgrade.

No, the movie everyone is talking about is Michael Mann's Thief

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083190/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

[SammyJankis]

Originally Posted by Thebunk

I am interested in Eyes without a Face but have afew questions and I do not want to read the review in case I get spoiled:

- Is the film cheesy or overly dated or does it truly hold up (refering to acting, makeup, etc)

It holds up. It was way ahead of its times. Its lyrical qualities won't age.

- Would you classify this as scary or more disturbing and dread filled?

More poetic than scary, although it does have its fair share of disturbing imagery that will stick with you. It's a balance similar to Let the Right One In.

- How does it hold up to multiple viewings?

Not sure, but I can tell you I'm really eager to get my hands on the blu.

[CraigThom]

Originally Posted by Thebunk

I am interested in Eyes without a Face but have afew questions and I do not want to read the review in case I get spoiled:

- Is the film cheesy or overly dated or does it truly hold up (refering to acting, makeup, etc)

- Would you classify this as scary or more disturbing and dread filled?

- How does it hold up to multiple viewings?

Thanks in advance,
Jamie

It's hard to answer the first question. It is decidedly dated. It's a black and white film from 1960, and the basic structure is that of standard horror movies since film began: an obsessed mad doctor performs demented acts. The difference is in the execution. This is sort of a modern (at the time) French interpretation of classic Gothic horror.

It's mostly disturbing and full of dread, but there is a fairly long graphic scene. I like very little modern horror. I like sixties horror like the Haunting, Diabolique, and Repulsion, and I like this, if that helps.

I admit I haven't watched my DVD in a few years, but I'm going to pull it out this weekend. I do think it stands up to repeated viewings.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Thebunk

I am interested in Eyes without a Face but have afew questions and I do not want to read the review in case I get spoiled:

- Is the film cheesy or overly dated or does it truly hold up (refering to acting, makeup, etc)

- Would you classify this as scary or more disturbing and dread filled?

- How does it hold up to multiple viewings?

Thanks in advance,
Jamie

My old Criterion DVD of Eyes Without a Face got a lot of mileage, and I enjoyed it more with each viewing. I have not yet watched the Blu-ray upgrade that I purchased yesterday, but everything I've read online indicates that the high definition transfer is ace.

Eyes Without a Face does not have any "jump scares", and it is more of dread-inducing slow burner with a couple of moments that are shocking even by today's standards. The film holds up superbly today, in my opinion. In fact, it's infinitely more engrossing than any new horror movie in recent memory.

Despite one horrifically graphic scene, Eyes Without a Face is memorable as one of the most beautiful horror movies ever created. Many still frames of this movie would make gorgeous posters, and the film has one of the most eerily graceful final shots in cinema history.

There's a good reason why Eyes Without a Face shows up on a good many Top Ten Horror Movies lists, and this fan cannot recommend it enough.

[vertigo12314]

Top 3 Hitchcock with the most rewatch-ability for me:

1. Vertigo
2. Psycho
3. Rear Window

[zoodermin]

Originally Posted by vertigo12314

Top 3 Hitchcock with the most rewatch-ability for me:

1. Vertigo
2. Psycho
3. Rear Window

Great list! I would also add Shadow of a Doubt, Strangers on a Train, The Birds, North by Northwest and The Lady Vanishes.

[joie]

Originally Posted by Thebunk

I am interested in Eyes without a Face but have afew questions and I do not want to read the review in case I get spoiled:

- Is the film cheesy or overly dated or does it truly hold up (refering to acting, makeup, etc)

- Would you classify this as scary or more disturbing and dread filled?

- How does it hold up to multiple viewings?

Thanks in advance,
Jamie

If you check screenshots and see a close-up of the face, you may think that the makeup (mask) is cheesy.

[Thebunk]

Thanks to everyone on the great responses regarding Eyes without a Face.

In regards to dated, I did not mean it being in Black and White as being an issue. I guess I was more thinking of poor effects or poor \ over acting.

Also, jump scares are not really my thing though I do like some.

I think the best \ my favorite horror scene in cinema is the "cafe scene where the guy retells his dream". I have never scene such a dread induced scene anywhere in film. I am kind of looking or something like that. Also, slowly being stalked by Michael Myers in the original Halloween is up there as well.

Also, gore does not bother me.

[The Great Owl]

I hope that all of the Hitchcock fans here are planning to watch The Trouble with Harry this month or next month, since it's the ultimate autumn movie. The leaf change season has never been captured better on film, and it's one of the best-looking Blu-ray transfers of a Hitchcock film.

[Thebunk]

Originally Posted by joie

If you check screenshots and see a close-up of the face, you may think that the makeup (mask) is cheesy.

I actually like the mask. it is simple, stark and creepy as hell in my opinion. It leaves a lot to the imagination of what is behind it.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Thebunk

I actually like the mask. it is simple, stark and creepy as hell in my opinion. It leaves a lot to the imagination of what is behind it.

I understand that a recent movie, Holy Motors, pays homage to Eyes Without a Face. At least that's what it looks like from the screenshots.

Maybe someone who has actually seen Holy Motors can clarify.

[ccg1978]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I hope that all of the Hitchcock fans here are planning to watch The Trouble with Harry this month or next month, since it's the ultimate autumn movie. The leaf change season has never been captured better on film, and it's one of the best-looking Blu-ray transfers of a Hitchcock film.

Ha, saw it a few weeks ago on TCM. Quite the fall foliage. May pop the blu so the wife and I can both enjoy. Haven't watched since I sold my sweet velvet covered Masterpiece DVD collection.

[SimBelm]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I understand that a recent movie, Holy Motors, pays homage to Eyes Without a Face. At least that's what it looks like from the screenshots.

Maybe someone who has actually seen Holy Motors can clarify.

Yeah Holy Motors references quite a few films (director Carax being a former Cahiers critic) and Eyes Without a Face is probably one of the main ones, even going as far as to have Edith Scob play a minor role.

[joie]

Originally Posted by Thebunk

I actually like the mask. it is simple, stark and creepy as hell in my opinion. It leaves a lot to the imagination of what is behind it.

Yeah, it does make it clear that she is wearing a mask.

[danmovie]

Originally Posted by blkhrt

No, the movie everyone is talking about is Michael Mann's Thief

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083190/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Thanks for the info. I am still hoping for a blu upgrade for Thief of Bagdad (1940) sometime soon (and A Canterbury Tale too).

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by SimBelm

Yeah Holy Motors references quite a few films (director Carax being a former Cahiers critic) and Eyes Without a Face is probably one of the main ones, even going as far as to have Edith Scob play a minor role.

Thanks! I'll have to see Holy Motors at some point. It's one of those movies that has intrigued me since its initial reviews, but I'm on the fence about a blind buy.