altaredbeast Wonderful biopic on film legend Lon Chaney. Played by early film great James Cagney. I love classic horror and enjoy learning about film history and those who pioneered the industry. Lon Chaney being one of them, is one who I still knew very little about. Though the film was loosely based upon his life. However, It still was able to capture some great highlights of his career and personal life. Lon Chaney's life was far from easy. Born to deaf parents, he struggled and was treated harshly as a youth. His adult life was riddled with tragedy in the midst of his success. His first wife , who he would have his first and only child with. Attempted suicide during the course of their rocky marriage. I was very moved by the great performances of the cast. In particular, James Cagney who's portrayal of Lon Chaney was phenomenal. Though Lon is remembered mostly for his horror performances, he was much more versatile and appeared in 157 films. Many which are now lost. A master and early pioneer as a makeup artist. Chaney's Phantom, now 93 years old, was beyond it's years and still genuinely terrifying today. INSTAGRAM: @totally_rad_vhs

Dalbert Pringle IMO - This 1957 bio-pic of famed silent-era actor and make-up artist, Lon Chaney failed to rise above being mere mediocrity for the most part.For one thing - Not only did I find that actor, James Cagney was not at all suited for his part as Chaney - But, Cagney was nearly 60 at the time of this production and he did a mighty poor job of convincingly portraying a man who was only 30.Another problem with this presentation was that it, unfortunately, turned Chaney's private life into too much of a soap opera for my liking.As I understand it - This film was largely a fictionalized account of Chaney's life. In reality - Chaney was a notoriously private man who shunned "Hollywood" publicity as much as he could.*Note* - In 1930 - Lon Chaney (47 at the time) died of lung cancer.

dweilermg-1 * Like many Hollywood bio-pics MOATF is indeed more about entertaining the movie-going audience rather than being 100% accurate. It is a mix of fact and fiction/legend. However Cagney's recreation of many of Lon Chaney Sr's many movie character scenes especially. The Miracle Man make this movie indeed worth watching and enjoying over and over. Regardless of movie's inaccuracies Chaney was indeed a genius and the movie tells that part of his story well.

Tad Pole . . . so naturally he confined his movie career almost exclusively to silent films. MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES is a Universal Picture--a biography of a Universal star decades gone. Therefore, some of its "facts" may seem a little fishy. FACES implies that Mr. Chaney's key performances were drawn directly from his personal life. The stage-obsessed, acid-scarred PHANTOM OF THE OPERA? Based on his first wife, Cleva, a frustrated singer who barges on stage to gulp acid in the middle of Lon's act. His contorted human worms and insects in flicks such as MIRACLE MAN and THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME? Sketched directly after his second wife, Hazel's, mutilated first husband. After piling on such incredible melodrama well past the tipping point, FACES "jumps the shark" with Act V: THE TROUT'S REVENGE. Habitual screen chain-smoker James Cagney is free of "coffin nails" dangling from his lips as Lon, so naturally Lon is the one Cagney character doomed to throat cancer. It's a mysterious death for Universal's "Mystery Man." Was Lon poisoned by PP&G? Or was he Humanity's first sacrifice to precipitated lead and mercury brought on by the Automobile Age? After all, FACES implies that his diet was mostly fresh-caught Southern California trout. Only, his last creel-full outlived him!