Peter Lorre turns in one of his finest performances as a Hungarian watchmaker coming to the United Staes to make a new life for himself and someday bring his girl across the big pond to be with him. Lorre's infectious optimism and bright outlook come off very effectively which makes the performance all the better when he has his face hideously burned in a hotel fire and, when no one will give him a chance to work, turns reluctantly to a life of crime. Lorre's range as an actor is seldom as apparent as in this movie with his jovial, good-natured immigrant, to his depressing, melancholic, disfigured self searching for the truth behind what he believed America afforded him, to his suave, intelligent, better-than-your-average hood, to his sympathetic dealings with a blind woman with whom he falls in love. The story is well-paced, has some interesting twists, and gives Lorre many opportunities to shine. Director Robert Florey does a quality job behind the lens, and all of the supporting cast help aid the film with Evelyn Keyes giving a particularly good turn as the blind girl. I loved the ending - and the truth - that was shone to exist in Lorre's character despite all the negative things society had done toward him. For a little B picture, The Man Behind the Mask is good movie-making for its time.
38 Reviews
For a low-budget film, it really delivers
planktonrules31 December 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This film stars Peter Lorre as an exceptionally nice guy who immigrates to America. Unfortunately, shortly after his arrival, he's in a horrible fire and his face is horribly burned. Because he looks so awful, no one wants to hire him and out of sheer desperation, he resorts to a life of crime in order to earn the money needed to buy a mask to hide his ugliness. Where exactly the film goes from there, you'll just need to see for yourself.
I scored this movie an 8 because, for the money spent to make it, it's a heck of a good film with a lot of good twists in the plot to keep it interesting. The film could have degenerated into a simple horror or crime film, but it goes far beyond this an offers some genuine surprises. In addition, the excellent acting by Lorre shows that he was capable of more than just supporting roles. This is an excellent film and delivers more than most "A-pictures" of the day.
I scored this movie an 8 because, for the money spent to make it, it's a heck of a good film with a lot of good twists in the plot to keep it interesting. The film could have degenerated into a simple horror or crime film, but it goes far beyond this an offers some genuine surprises. In addition, the excellent acting by Lorre shows that he was capable of more than just supporting roles. This is an excellent film and delivers more than most "A-pictures" of the day.
wonderful film, even if Peter Lorre hated it
blanche-221 June 2015
Peter Lorre is "The Man Behind the Mask" in this 1941 film from Columbia Pictures. The film also stars Evelyn Keyes, Don Beddoe, and George E. Stone.
Lorre plays Janos, a friendly, sweet, and idealistic immigrant who comes to New York City in search of the American dream. A police detective (Beddoe) directs him to a place where he can get a room, and he finds a job in the adjoining café washing dishes.
One night, the residential hotel bursts into flames, and Janos is badly burned. When the bandages come off his face, he screams in horror. His face is horribly disfigured. He finds that people are afraid of him, and he can't find work anywhere.
He meets a helpful thief, Dinky (George E. Stone) who leads him into the life of a thief, and it turns out he's a master at it.
The he encounters a blind woman, Evelyn Keyes, and they fall in love and plan a life together.
Really good film with Lorre giving a marvelous performance. How one guy could come off as so evil in one film and so warm and charming in another is really an achievement. His range was remarkable.
For this role, he needed control over his facial muscles, and he had to simulate a mask that was just white powder and tape. The special lighting helped the mask appearance, but Lorre showed all of his expression in his eyes and kept his face quite still.
Because of his unhappiness with the role and the quick schedule, Lorre was having a 90 proof liquid breakfast, to such an extent that the director had to do as many of Lorre's scenes as he could in the morning.
Despite what Lorre believed, I thought this film had great characters and a good story, and it was a terrific role for him.
The director, Robert Florey, employs all sorts of film techniques to good advantage and had a very expressionistic bend.
Well worth seeing.
Lorre plays Janos, a friendly, sweet, and idealistic immigrant who comes to New York City in search of the American dream. A police detective (Beddoe) directs him to a place where he can get a room, and he finds a job in the adjoining café washing dishes.
One night, the residential hotel bursts into flames, and Janos is badly burned. When the bandages come off his face, he screams in horror. His face is horribly disfigured. He finds that people are afraid of him, and he can't find work anywhere.
He meets a helpful thief, Dinky (George E. Stone) who leads him into the life of a thief, and it turns out he's a master at it.
The he encounters a blind woman, Evelyn Keyes, and they fall in love and plan a life together.
Really good film with Lorre giving a marvelous performance. How one guy could come off as so evil in one film and so warm and charming in another is really an achievement. His range was remarkable.
For this role, he needed control over his facial muscles, and he had to simulate a mask that was just white powder and tape. The special lighting helped the mask appearance, but Lorre showed all of his expression in his eyes and kept his face quite still.
Because of his unhappiness with the role and the quick schedule, Lorre was having a 90 proof liquid breakfast, to such an extent that the director had to do as many of Lorre's scenes as he could in the morning.
Despite what Lorre believed, I thought this film had great characters and a good story, and it was a terrific role for him.
The director, Robert Florey, employs all sorts of film techniques to good advantage and had a very expressionistic bend.
Well worth seeing.
A film of both horror and social consciousness
briantaves23 September 2004
Warning: Spoilers
THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK, while generally regarded as a horror film, is not a pure example of the genre, and that is the very crux of its interest. Rather, it addresses topics outside the expected parameters of horror, and in offering an uncompromising view of human anguish, THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK is a truly unusual picture in both content and treatment. THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK relates how a hopeful new immigrant, Janos Szaby (Peter Lorre), arriving in New York City, is trapped in a hotel fire that leaves his face hideously scarred. Ostracized and refused employment although still able to work, the only way he can survive is by turning to theft. Hence, THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK is also a social consciousness film, detailing the position of the outcast and particularly the handicapped in society, along with crime and its causes, and the American immigrant milieu. All of these themes are treated with sympathy and taste, avoiding the gruesome potential of the premise. The only people who are kind to Janos are a tubercular small-time thief, Dinky (George E. Stone) and a blind woman, Helen (Evelyn Keyes). Janos falls in love with Helen as her soul sees the goodness within him, but the gang refuses to let Janos quit the rackets and kills her. This leads to a memorable denouement where Janos has suicidal revenge by flying the gang to the desert and marooning them all amid the sandy wastes, where he can watch their dying torment. The actual screenwriter of THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK gives a clue as to its intent: although the writing credit on screen was given to two men, Allen Vincent and Paul Jarrico (from a story by Arthur Levinson, based on a radio play by Thomas Edward O'Connell) the scripts indicate the picture was in fact written by Irmegard Von Cube, who explored similar themes in JOHNNY BELINDA (1948). Appropriately, the style also deemphasizes the horror elements, with a naturalized version of director Robert Florey's expressionistic tendencies, as in the waterfront scene when Janos and Dinky first meet. The abstract acting required by the mask, together with Lorre's costume, themselves become expressionistic devices. Moments of high tension are appropriately punctuated by director Florey's typical angled shots, as when Janos first sees his face after the bandages are removed, or when he tries to rescue Helen from the gang's car bomb. THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK was dependent on a strong and capable performance in the lead, and Lorre proved ideal in one of his best roles. He not only had to portray a man disintegrating under a terrible fate, but also had to exercise incredible control over his facial muscles, allowing him to only express emotion through his eyes in close-ups. Lorre simulated a mask where there was none, and the effect is achieved by white powder and two pieces of tape placed on his face, contrasted with his costume of black jacket and scarf, and enhanced through lighting. This was all the more remarkable in that Lorre was uncomfortable with the fast schedule and began his drinking with a straight Pernod for breakfast, so that by the afternoon he had became undirectable. As a result, Florey had to try and juggle the schedule so as to get all of the star's primary scenes in the morning. In the supporting roles, Stone and Keyes were equally memorable, as were the character actors in the remaining roles, together demonstrating the possibilities for fine acting despite the pressures of a two week shooting schedule. This was the fourth time Florey had dealt with an unusual theme, the effect of facial mutilation on men's lives, also depicted in his FACE VALUE (1927), THE FLORENTINE DAGGER (1935), THE PREVIEW MURDER MYSTERY (1935), and later in his television episode ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS: WHERE BEAUTY LIES (1961). Florey was engaged by Columbia in late 1940 on a deal for three so-called "action pictures," movies made on low budgets in twelve days. The first two, THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK and MEET BOSTON BLACKIE (first in the series), took two months to prepare--Florey was able to revise the script of THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK and write the continuity--and were shot back-to-back. Such a hasty schedule was especially difficult for a picture that required extensive location shooting. The cameraman was the talented Franz Planer, lately arrived from Germany, and still unaccustomed to working at the Hollywood pace, requiring that many shots be sacrificed because of the time lost in lighting. Today, Florey is best remembered for his other work in the horror genre, including coauthoring the script of the original FRANKENSTEIN (1931), writing and directing MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE (1932), and directing a later Peter Lorre classic, THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS (1946). Florey was a key figure in adapting the German expressionism and other European styles into Hollywood film-making before the cycle of film noir, and THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK reflects an ideal mid-point, both using such techniques but also adjusting them to the needs of a genre-driven industry. Despite its modest origins, THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK is widely acknowledged to be among the greatest "B" films ever made, and one of the few to offer profundity and depth in theme and characterization, as well as artistry in its writing, direction, and acting. While containing elements of several genres--horror, social consciousness, gangster, and romance--the film transcends all of them. THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK won favor from both critics and audiences, and a small following in its time that has grown in the intervening years, an exceptional record of success for a movie made so inexpensively. The film remained in continuous showing for two years after it was released in 1941, and was later theatrically reissued on numerous occasions, as late as 1955, before it began to be shown on television.
Peter Lorre Gets The Girl?
bkoganbing24 May 2010
In the same year Peter Lorre did The Maltese Falcon over at Warner Brothers, Columbia Pictures had him starring in The Face Behind The Mask. In his career Lorre was far better known for the supporting parts he played to big Hollywood marquee names. After his starring roles in German cinema in Fritz Lang's M and as Mr. Moto, Lorre was rarely the lead name in the cast. This interesting B film, The Face Behind The Mask is a glorious exception.
It's too bad that Columbia didn't put more production values into this film because Lorre has one interesting part. The film is a combination of Phantom Of The Opera and Little Caesar. Lorre first appears to us as an eager immigrant from Hungary, one of the few times he played his own nationality. He's looking to get his piece of the American dream as so many were back in the day. On a tip from friendly policeman Don Beddoe, Lorre takes lodging in a cheap rooming house and that very first night the place catches on fire and his face is burned horribly.
Disfigured as he is Lorre can't find legitimate work, but he's got certain skills that the criminal profession can use and with the aid of a temporary mask he takes charge like Edward G. Robinson did of an existing criminal gang. George E. Stone plays the same kind of role in The Face Behind The Mask as he did in Little Caesar.
Lorre also in maybe the only time in his film career gets a leading lady of sorts in the person of Evelyn Keyes. Evelyn plays a blind girl who can't see his disfigurement and she falls for him. It all ends badly, but not through any doing of Lorre's.
The Face Behind The Mask is a routine B programmer without a lot of production values invested, but the idea behind the film is an interesting one and Lorre pulls it off beautifully in his acting.
And who would ever have Peter Lorre would get the girl in any film, even temporarily.
It's too bad that Columbia didn't put more production values into this film because Lorre has one interesting part. The film is a combination of Phantom Of The Opera and Little Caesar. Lorre first appears to us as an eager immigrant from Hungary, one of the few times he played his own nationality. He's looking to get his piece of the American dream as so many were back in the day. On a tip from friendly policeman Don Beddoe, Lorre takes lodging in a cheap rooming house and that very first night the place catches on fire and his face is burned horribly.
Disfigured as he is Lorre can't find legitimate work, but he's got certain skills that the criminal profession can use and with the aid of a temporary mask he takes charge like Edward G. Robinson did of an existing criminal gang. George E. Stone plays the same kind of role in The Face Behind The Mask as he did in Little Caesar.
Lorre also in maybe the only time in his film career gets a leading lady of sorts in the person of Evelyn Keyes. Evelyn plays a blind girl who can't see his disfigurement and she falls for him. It all ends badly, but not through any doing of Lorre's.
The Face Behind The Mask is a routine B programmer without a lot of production values invested, but the idea behind the film is an interesting one and Lorre pulls it off beautifully in his acting.
And who would ever have Peter Lorre would get the girl in any film, even temporarily.
First seen on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater in 1966
kevinolzak16 January 2014
1941's "The Face Behind the Mask" was among the 11 Columbia titles included in the SON OF SHOCK television package issued in the late 50s, garnering a growing cult that continues to build even today. A solid 'B' offering a rare starring role for the unique talents of Peter Lorre (who cavalierly dismissed it in its day), as Hungarian immigrant Janos Szabo, arriving in New York full of boundless enthusiasm as he seeks to make his home in the New World and bring over his fiancée Maria. Tragedy strikes as his hotel burns down, leaving his face scarred beyond repair, a pariah in society despite his skills at watchmaking and aviation. With no work and no future prospects, Janos finds it easier to turn to a life of crime, his mastery at eluding detection without leaving any clues baffling the police. Only when he meets a sweet blind girl does he find his heart stirring again, except his gang won't allow him to quit without repercussions. For an actor who dismissed his profession as 'making faces,' it's remarkable that Lorre's performance shows none of the disdain he may have felt; surely a part that juggles naïve optimism with despairing pessimism, going from criminal mastermind to humanity restored, just doesn't come along every day, and it's a testament to his overall talent that he never lets the film down. George E. Stone tries out his role as 'The Runt' in the upcoming 'Boston Blackie' series at Columbia, and Evelyn Keyes, as the blind Helen, had just played Boris Karloff's daughter in "Before I Hang." Other memorable turns come from James Seay, Al Hill, Mary Currier, and the ubiquitous Frank Reicher, as a sympathetic plastic surgeon. Like all of the SON OF SHOCK titles, "The Face Behind the Mask" appeared on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater on three occasions (only Boris Karloff's "The Black Room" aired four times).
Bleak & downbeat proto-noir
XhcnoirX24 March 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Watch maker Peter Lorre moves from Europe to NYC in search of 'the American dream'. Within minutes of arrival he's pickpocketed, but friendly police inspector Don Beddoe sets him up with a room in a cheap hotel. That night the hotel burns down, and Lorre ends up with facial burns. When he's released from the hospital, he cannot find a job due to his disfigured face. Just when he's about to commit suicide, he comes across petty thief George E. Stone. Due to his watch making craft, Lorre discovers he has a knack for robberies, and soon he's the leader of a small gang. Lorre finally has enough money to pay for a facial mask while saving up for a facial reconstruction operation. While Beddoe is tasked with investigating the robberies, Lorre meets the blind Evelyn Keyes, who sees him for what he is, not for what he looks like. After Lorre finds out the operation is useless, as all his facial nerves were fried in the hotel fire, he decides to leave his criminal life behind and move to the countryside with Keyes. But the gang won't let him go that easily.
Lorre loses almost everything within a day of his arrival to the States and once he is almost back on top again, he loses even more. A very bleak and cynical look at the American dream, this movie was apparently billed as 'horror' but it's really more of a proto-noir. Keyes ('Johnny O'Clock', 'The Prowler') has a small role but she does well, Beddoe's ('The Night Of The Hunter') role is almost like a bit-part unfortunately. The rest of the cast are decent enough, but this movie belongs to Lorre. He is excellent and displays a wide range of emotions. Lorre has a lot of noir credentials, but with this movie sandwiched inbetween 1940's 'Stranger On The Third Floor' and 1941's 'The Maltese Falcon', Lorre already ensured his name in the noir hall of fame.
Director Robert Florey ('The Crooked Way') keeps the movie moving at a brisk pace, with DoP Franz Planer ('99 River Street', 'Criss Cross') adding some nice noir photography to the movie. It doesn't have all the 'necessary' noir traits, but if you are looking for a bleak & downbeat proto-noir, look no further. The print I saw was pretty beat up, I would love to see this with better quality. 7/10
Lorre loses almost everything within a day of his arrival to the States and once he is almost back on top again, he loses even more. A very bleak and cynical look at the American dream, this movie was apparently billed as 'horror' but it's really more of a proto-noir. Keyes ('Johnny O'Clock', 'The Prowler') has a small role but she does well, Beddoe's ('The Night Of The Hunter') role is almost like a bit-part unfortunately. The rest of the cast are decent enough, but this movie belongs to Lorre. He is excellent and displays a wide range of emotions. Lorre has a lot of noir credentials, but with this movie sandwiched inbetween 1940's 'Stranger On The Third Floor' and 1941's 'The Maltese Falcon', Lorre already ensured his name in the noir hall of fame.
Director Robert Florey ('The Crooked Way') keeps the movie moving at a brisk pace, with DoP Franz Planer ('99 River Street', 'Criss Cross') adding some nice noir photography to the movie. It doesn't have all the 'necessary' noir traits, but if you are looking for a bleak & downbeat proto-noir, look no further. The print I saw was pretty beat up, I would love to see this with better quality. 7/10
"Mr. Policeman, I'm gangstered!"
utgard147 August 2015
Exceptional B movie from Columbia, directed by Robert Florey and starring Peter Lorre as a hopeful, innocent Hungarian immigrant whose face is burned in a fire on his first day in New York. His horrible disfigurement makes it hard for him to get work so he turns to a life of crime. Eventually he's leading his own gang and makes enough money to pay for a realistic mask to hide his burns. When he falls in love with a blind woman (Evelyn Keyes) and wants to go straight, his gang turns on him.
There are no bells and whistles here, just fine acting, a decent script, and nice direction. Sensitive, brilliant performance from Peter Lorre that is far better than you would expect to find in a quickie that was filmed in less than a month. The often underrated Evelyn Keyes is terrific in this. Solid support from Don Beddoe and George E. Stone. Robert Florey's noirish direction is a major plus. He would re-team with Lorre later for the classic The Beast with Five Fingers. It's a very good film that's a sort of blend of gangster and horror pictures. If nothing else, see it for one of Peter Lorre's best starring roles.
There are no bells and whistles here, just fine acting, a decent script, and nice direction. Sensitive, brilliant performance from Peter Lorre that is far better than you would expect to find in a quickie that was filmed in less than a month. The often underrated Evelyn Keyes is terrific in this. Solid support from Don Beddoe and George E. Stone. Robert Florey's noirish direction is a major plus. He would re-team with Lorre later for the classic The Beast with Five Fingers. It's a very good film that's a sort of blend of gangster and horror pictures. If nothing else, see it for one of Peter Lorre's best starring roles.
Early Noir Fire Sale
SFTeamNoir21 July 2020
In this early noir-era dip into darkness, Peter Lorre excels in a rare starring role, magically transforming from naïve Old World immigrant dishwasher into diabolical crime genius after a hotel fire burns his face off. A creepy mask powers his performance, which transcends the B movie budget, and ends in a desolate Yuma desert climax.
The face behind the mask, it's mutated, hideous, a horrible nightmare. Out of which I can never awake.
hitchcockthelegend9 March 2013
The Face Behind The Mask is directed by Robert Florey and collectively written by Paul Jarrico, Arthur Levinson and Allen Vincent. It stars Peter Lorre, Evelyn Keyes, Don Beddoe and George E. Stone. Music is by Sidney Cutner and cinematography by Franz Planer.
Hungarian immigrant Janos Szaby (Lorre) arrives in New York City full of hope for the future. Unfortunately he is trapped in a hotel fire which leaves his face severely disfigured. Even though he is a skilled craftsman he is refused employment by many on account of his looks. At his lowest ebb he turns to crime to fund the making of a face mask to hide his disfigurement, while soon enough he is running a little league crime outfit when he happens upon blind Helen Williams (Keyes) and finds a new meaning to lifeÂ…
The sands of time plays the death rattle.
Lorre dismissed it as a bit of guff, but The Face Behind The Mask showcases one of his greatest performances. It's a film that beats a black heart, where fatalism is dripped over proceedings, the core of the narrative is the shattering of the American dream, and the makers here are not shy to put forward an uncaring society. After a breezy beginning the narrative becomes relentlessly bleak, right up to, and including, a no holds barred chilling finale that's preceded by a monstrous twist.
Florey (also doing some of his best work) and Planer add stark imagery and scene setting that belies the B budget and quick turnover of the production (less than two weeks). A bleak harbour sequence is tonally adroit, the face mask surgery with faces adorning the walls is deliciously macabre, there's torture, too, and oblique backgrounds and shadow play. The dialogue may sometimes be too weak for the haunting story, but the film rises above it because of skills of the cast (Stone and Keyes excellent support for Lorre) and makers alike.
Part noir, part horror and part social drama, it's a film of differing attributes. It's not one for anyone looking to be cheered up, but for those who like to lurk in the shadows and succumb to the dark underbelly of cinema; this is a treat. 8/10
Hungarian immigrant Janos Szaby (Lorre) arrives in New York City full of hope for the future. Unfortunately he is trapped in a hotel fire which leaves his face severely disfigured. Even though he is a skilled craftsman he is refused employment by many on account of his looks. At his lowest ebb he turns to crime to fund the making of a face mask to hide his disfigurement, while soon enough he is running a little league crime outfit when he happens upon blind Helen Williams (Keyes) and finds a new meaning to lifeÂ…
The sands of time plays the death rattle.
Lorre dismissed it as a bit of guff, but The Face Behind The Mask showcases one of his greatest performances. It's a film that beats a black heart, where fatalism is dripped over proceedings, the core of the narrative is the shattering of the American dream, and the makers here are not shy to put forward an uncaring society. After a breezy beginning the narrative becomes relentlessly bleak, right up to, and including, a no holds barred chilling finale that's preceded by a monstrous twist.
Florey (also doing some of his best work) and Planer add stark imagery and scene setting that belies the B budget and quick turnover of the production (less than two weeks). A bleak harbour sequence is tonally adroit, the face mask surgery with faces adorning the walls is deliciously macabre, there's torture, too, and oblique backgrounds and shadow play. The dialogue may sometimes be too weak for the haunting story, but the film rises above it because of skills of the cast (Stone and Keyes excellent support for Lorre) and makers alike.
Part noir, part horror and part social drama, it's a film of differing attributes. It's not one for anyone looking to be cheered up, but for those who like to lurk in the shadows and succumb to the dark underbelly of cinema; this is a treat. 8/10
A good film, theoretically
Anne_Sharp24 July 2001
This is one of the most solid examples of early noir, with a tight, compelling story, nice performances and a pleasingly unornamented look. It's also a hideously grim story, and Peter Lorre appears uncomfortable in a constrictive role that requires him to be systematically broken, humiliated and stripped of his humanity. For this characteristically jovial performer, it's as unpleasant to watch as it was for him to play out.
An excellent B movie
preppy-326 November 2005
I caught this a few times on TV in the late 1970s. It only played late at night (past midnight).
Peter Lorre plays a kind, happy man whose face is disfigured in a fire. He is rejected by his girlfriend and left alone and filled with despair. He turns to a life of crime and eventually becomes very successful. He makes a mask to hide his disfigured features and falls in love with a beautiful girl (Evelyn Keyes)...who is blind! He tries to go straight for her...but he can't escape his life of crime or his hatred of his own scarred face.
A no budget B film. Very short (runs only a little over an hour) but well made and superbly acted by Lorre. This has a lot more depth than you would expect from a quickie B picture. Ankers especially takes the thankless "girl" role and makes her character fresh and appealing. This has sadly disappeared from TV and was never put on video or DVD (as far as I know). TCM did show it recently and it was great to see the movie still holds up.
Highly recommended.
Peter Lorre plays a kind, happy man whose face is disfigured in a fire. He is rejected by his girlfriend and left alone and filled with despair. He turns to a life of crime and eventually becomes very successful. He makes a mask to hide his disfigured features and falls in love with a beautiful girl (Evelyn Keyes)...who is blind! He tries to go straight for her...but he can't escape his life of crime or his hatred of his own scarred face.
A no budget B film. Very short (runs only a little over an hour) but well made and superbly acted by Lorre. This has a lot more depth than you would expect from a quickie B picture. Ankers especially takes the thankless "girl" role and makes her character fresh and appealing. This has sadly disappeared from TV and was never put on video or DVD (as far as I know). TCM did show it recently and it was great to see the movie still holds up.
Highly recommended.
Universal Monster Movie Vibe
evanston_dad2 September 2022
The question is: Is it possible to make Peter Lorre look weirder than he did naturally? This movie answers that question, and the answer is "yes."
"The Face Behind the Mask" gives off major Universal monster movie vibes. The mask in question covers Lorre's face after he suffers severe burns and doesn't have enough money for plastic surgery. No worries though -- he falls in love with a blind woman, played by Evelyn Keyes, who only sees the beauty within. They marry and live happily ever after, and everything is right with the world.
Ok, so that's not how things go. I saw this movie as part of the Noir City film festival at the Music Box Theater in Chicago. And though this doesn't feel like a true noir to me, just by virtue of being on the program you know things can't go quite so smoothly for our protagonist as all that. Lorre goes from meek and idealistic immigrant to crime gang heavy in the space of about two minutes, and this has some definite repercussions on his domestic affairs.
Lorre is one of those actors like Edward G. Robinson who's just so cool to watch on screen that any material is better because he's delivering it. Keyes is absolutely lovely in this, and does a pretty passable impression of someone who can't see. If I hadn't been in the mood to see an old-fashioned noir I might have had a more generous reaction to this movie, but as it is I still had fun with it. You could watch this movie in the amount of time it would take you to binge watch two or three episodes of your favorite Netflix show of the moment, so it's not like it's a huge commitment.
And it's interesting to see a movie about the immigrant experience in 1941, when people would have been fleeing Europe in droves for places like the U. S. When virtually every movie at the time, regardless of genre, felt some obligation to keep up war morale, it doesn't pass notice that this movie has a rather cynical attitude about America being a land of opportunity for those not born in it.
"The Face Behind the Mask" gives off major Universal monster movie vibes. The mask in question covers Lorre's face after he suffers severe burns and doesn't have enough money for plastic surgery. No worries though -- he falls in love with a blind woman, played by Evelyn Keyes, who only sees the beauty within. They marry and live happily ever after, and everything is right with the world.
Ok, so that's not how things go. I saw this movie as part of the Noir City film festival at the Music Box Theater in Chicago. And though this doesn't feel like a true noir to me, just by virtue of being on the program you know things can't go quite so smoothly for our protagonist as all that. Lorre goes from meek and idealistic immigrant to crime gang heavy in the space of about two minutes, and this has some definite repercussions on his domestic affairs.
Lorre is one of those actors like Edward G. Robinson who's just so cool to watch on screen that any material is better because he's delivering it. Keyes is absolutely lovely in this, and does a pretty passable impression of someone who can't see. If I hadn't been in the mood to see an old-fashioned noir I might have had a more generous reaction to this movie, but as it is I still had fun with it. You could watch this movie in the amount of time it would take you to binge watch two or three episodes of your favorite Netflix show of the moment, so it's not like it's a huge commitment.
And it's interesting to see a movie about the immigrant experience in 1941, when people would have been fleeing Europe in droves for places like the U. S. When virtually every movie at the time, regardless of genre, felt some obligation to keep up war morale, it doesn't pass notice that this movie has a rather cynical attitude about America being a land of opportunity for those not born in it.
The Face Behind the Mask
henry8-316 September 2022
Shortly after Hungarian immigrant Peter Lorre arrives, full of beans, to a new life in the US, he is badly burned in a hotel fire. The only one who will talk to him / look at him is a criminal and hence Lorre begins a life of crime, rising quickly to run a tough gang. Things change when he meets a blind girl and wants to start life anew, which his gang colleagues are not keen on, indeed they believe he has informed on them.
Enjoyable, noir B movie thriller, notable for another fine turn from Lorre - no-one does hysterical like him - as he shifts quickly from likeable nobody to ruthless criminal and back in under 90 minutes. The horror of his disfigured face is well handled, despite not seeing it, the mask make up pretty good and it notably leads to an imaginative and rather ghoulish climax.
Enjoyable, noir B movie thriller, notable for another fine turn from Lorre - no-one does hysterical like him - as he shifts quickly from likeable nobody to ruthless criminal and back in under 90 minutes. The horror of his disfigured face is well handled, despite not seeing it, the mask make up pretty good and it notably leads to an imaginative and rather ghoulish climax.
Hard to find crime drama
googlemorf18 January 2001
Saw this at a special showing. Great performance from Peter Lorrie as a sweet immigrant who turns to a life of crime after his face is disfigured in a fire. Director Robert Flory uses a variety of wild film techniques to tell this colorful story. A shame it is not available on video.
I'm a mechanical genius!
rowboat29 September 2001
I can only figure that only Peter Lorre could star in a film, and for over half of it, have his back to the camera. As others have said, it's a nice noir-y film, but like a lot of those, it's hard to see it as more than just a sequence of events instead of a well-told story/film. Nonetheless, the acting and filmmaking all around is very well done.
Great performance
Leofwine_draca3 February 2022
A good drama/thriller from Hollywood, notable for Peter Lorre starring in one of his most sympathetic roles (no mean feat, given his lengthy career). He plays a Hungarian immigrant to America who ends up disfigured in a horrific accident and turning to a life of crime to make ends meet. Dated these days, but with an incredibly sensitive performance from Lorre, who in addition has one of the most sinister looks in cinema since the days of Lon Chaney senior - I still can't quite figure out how they achieved it, but I should imagine a large part of it was down to Lorre's acting.
The Face Behind the Mask
CinemaSerf17 April 2023
Peter Lorre is "Janos", an enthusiastic, honest, watch-maker who has arrived in New York from Europe hoping to make his way and bring his beloved "Marie" to join him. He alights on the kindly policeman "O'Hara" (Don Beddoe) who recommends lodgings for him and off he goes. Tragedy strikes though as one of his fellow residents is doing a bit of illicit cooking and "Janos" awakens, disfigured and unable to find a job. It's now that he encounters "Dinky" (George E. Stone) and soon formulates a plan to raise the money needed to have surgery on his face - and a life of petty crime beckons. It's all proving surprisingly easy for him and his accomplices until he, quite literally, bumps into "Helen" (Evelyn Keyes), a blind lady to whom he takes a shine - she cannot see his scarring and isn't going to judge him as so many others have. It's when he realises that he will have to wait fifteen years for the corrective surgery to (maybe) work that he decides to cease his life of crime and relocate to a quiet country cottage with "Helen". His erstwhile colleagues are less than impressed with that solution and it all builds to a duplicitous denouement that works really effectively. The production is all a bit basic, but that doesn't really matter - the story and the characterisation from Lorre are both solid and engaging. This isn't seen very often these days, but really is well worth an hour of your time.
This is the face... The face of lost hope and shattered dreams
Coventry9 June 2022
Based on the starring of Peter Lorre, and the promise in the plot synopsis that his face would be disfigured, I admittedly expected this to be a slice of B-movie horror, but it certainly isn't. "The Face behind the Mask" massively transcends the simple providing of cheap thrills, as it's a tragically harsh and saddening allegory on immigration and the backside of the American dream at the start of the 20th century, brought to an even more superlative level by Lorre's performance.
In my humble opinion, Peter Lorre's legendary roles in "M" and "Mad Love" are impossible to surpass, but he does come darn close here, with his depiction Janos Szabo; - a Hungarian immigrant arriving in the United States full of hope and enthusiasm to find employment as a watchmaker and contribute to society. His naivety and unconditional friendliness gain him the respect of several New Yorkers, including a police inspector, but then a tragedy occurs when Janos' face gets horribly disfigured in a tenement fire. Janos is forced into a life of crime, even if it were only to pay for a half-decent mask, because without he's unemployable and downright terrifying to be around. He's disgusted by having to give up his own norms and ideals, until he finds the true love and redemption of the blind Helen (lovely Evelyn Keyes). But even that little bit of happiness isn't meant for him.
Let's take a moment and stand still at what a brilliant (but sadly underrated) actor Peter Lorre was. Not only does his character goes through a whole spectrum of emotion as well as two completely opposite personalities, but also Lorre's own unique physical features can apparently replace special effects. The ending should have featured a bit more action and fierceness, but overall a masterclass 40s movie.
In my humble opinion, Peter Lorre's legendary roles in "M" and "Mad Love" are impossible to surpass, but he does come darn close here, with his depiction Janos Szabo; - a Hungarian immigrant arriving in the United States full of hope and enthusiasm to find employment as a watchmaker and contribute to society. His naivety and unconditional friendliness gain him the respect of several New Yorkers, including a police inspector, but then a tragedy occurs when Janos' face gets horribly disfigured in a tenement fire. Janos is forced into a life of crime, even if it were only to pay for a half-decent mask, because without he's unemployable and downright terrifying to be around. He's disgusted by having to give up his own norms and ideals, until he finds the true love and redemption of the blind Helen (lovely Evelyn Keyes). But even that little bit of happiness isn't meant for him.
Let's take a moment and stand still at what a brilliant (but sadly underrated) actor Peter Lorre was. Not only does his character goes through a whole spectrum of emotion as well as two completely opposite personalities, but also Lorre's own unique physical features can apparently replace special effects. The ending should have featured a bit more action and fierceness, but overall a masterclass 40s movie.
Interesting Blend of Genres, but Falls a Bit Short
Reviews_of_the_Dead21 July 2021
This is another of those movies that I found thanks to Letterboxd for horror releases in 1941. It took a little looking on my part to find this one, but I was pleasantly surprised to see Peter Lorre starring in this movie. I did read the synopsis, but came in blind aside from that. The synopsis is a disfigured watchmaker with a grudge against society embarks on a life of crime.
We start this movie on a ship coming to America. It is coming into New York City and on it is Janos Szabo (Lorre). He talks to the captain and we can see how excited Janos is. He has everything planned out to ensure he succeeds. Being in this large city has him a bit nervous though. He wants to get a juice, but panics when he opens his wallet and his money is missing. This causes him to seek out Lt. James O'Hara (Don Beddoe). Jim talks to Janos and they discover he just misplaced it. Through a conversation, Jim realizes he needs a place to stay so he sends him to Excelsior Hotel. He also gives him his card if he ever needs anything.
Janos' fortunes look up when he's checking in. Terry Finnegan (George McKay) runs the place and he has a lot of vacancies. The cook of the café located in the hotel needs a dishwasher, which Janos accepts the position. There are only two rules to stay there, with one of them being not to cook in your room. Another resident doesn't follow this. In an attempt to hide this from Terry, he puts the burner into a drawer and it causes a fire. Janos isn't able to escape and is trapped.
He wakes up in the hospital. After a few surgeries and needing to wear bandages, they are finally removed. A nurse gasps at what he looks like. This agitates Janos and when he gets up to look at himself in the mirror, this sends him into a rage. He attacks the doctor.
This is only the start of his troubles. He cannot find work. Every time he inquires, they look at his face and turn him away. This leads him to meet Dinky (George E. Stone). Janos scares off a guy who drops his wallet. Dinky picks it up and splits the money with him. Janos doesn't want to steal, but it is really his only option. This leads Janos to being called Johnny. He meets the rest of Dinky's crew of Watts (John Tyrrell), Benson (Cy Schindell) and Harry (Stanley Brown). They start to pull of some big jobs.
That is until Jeff Jeffries (James Seay) gets out of prison. He wants to be back in charge, but Johnny isn't a pushover. He has made enough money for a mask, but he needs more for a surgery to fully fix his face. He does have a change of heart when he meets Helen Williams (Evelyn Keyes), a nice and beautiful blind woman. He wants to get out of the game, but Jeff has other plans.
I think that is where I'll leave my recap for the movie as it doesn't have the most complex of stories. This is based off a radio play which I did find to be interesting. It isn't uncommon for the era to base off source material as we are still in early cinema where you didn't have a lot of original works for film yet, but you also have a built-in audience which we still see.
What I like about this is we have an interesting character to follow here with Janos. He has the American dream and is ready to come here to make a living. He has the love of his life back home who he wants to pay her way to join him. He believes in doing the right thing in the beginning. It isn't until someone else breaks the rules that make him a tragic figure. This was something I found to be quite interesting. Even after he gets money from a robbery, he still wants to do the right thing. It is Dinky that pushes him into crime and I mean, all the men he applies for jobs who deny him. He isn't being denied for his skills, but his look. It is an interesting social commentary of discrimination that isn't completely gone at this time.
There is something else here I want to delve into. Janos wants to be a watchmaker that takes a lot of skill with his hands. He also gained experiences from other jobs like during the war learning to build/fix airplanes. He states he can also fly the planes as well, which is something else we learn when he applies to work in a factory for them. These skills that he has translate to making him the crime boss that he is. What I also like is the confidence he gains through this when Jeff gets out of prison.
Next, I want to delve into is Janos and him being burned. I brought up how he is a tragic figure due to this. The only thing he can do is crime because no one will hire him. It is interesting that we never get to see his face burned up. I'm assuming this was due to not having the technology or the effects to show the damage. There is an interesting idea about a mask being made for him. It is funny as it is just Janos' face so they didn't need him to be bandaged up. He is also turning to crime to pay for the mask and potentially surgeries to fix his face. This leads him to Helen as well.
This will be the last thing with the story. I'm not sure if this idea of a blind woman falling for someone deformed started here or not, but I like it. Janos has lost all confidence in his appearance. Helen loves him, because not being able to see it, she looks past it and see he has a good heart. It is interesting that he's a criminal at that time. This is an idea that we get with things like Red Dragon or even The Toxic Avenger.
Moving away from the story, I'll go next to the acting. Lorre is solid as this crime boss. He is an actor that I haven't seen as many of his movies as I should, but I can see why he's worked as much as he did. Keyes is good as this blind woman who helps direct him back to the good. Beddoe works as Jim, the detective that wants to help Janos. Aside from that, all the criminals have that look and work in their roles for me. They round this movie out for what was needed there.
Then really the last thing to go into would be the effects, cinematography and soundtrack. I would have liked to see Janos' face, but I can understand why we don't. There isn't much in the way of effects in this movie aside from that and it doesn't need them. The cinematography is fine and the soundtrack fit for what was needed. Neither of these stood out for me if I'm going to be honest.
So then in conclusion here, I think that this movie has an interesting concept for early cinema. We have Janos who turns to crime when there is nothing else for him to do and it makes him a tragic figure. The performance from Lorre is good there. I also like having Helen who wants to help him, but then having all the criminals preventing that. I didn't like the ending though as it didn't make sense and was too abrupt. I get what they're doing, but I wanted more. I would say aside from that cinematography and soundtrack were fine. It would have been nice to see Janos' scars, but I get why we don't. For me, this movie is just over average for me. It is lacking things for me to go higher than what I did.
My Rating: 6.5 out of 10
We start this movie on a ship coming to America. It is coming into New York City and on it is Janos Szabo (Lorre). He talks to the captain and we can see how excited Janos is. He has everything planned out to ensure he succeeds. Being in this large city has him a bit nervous though. He wants to get a juice, but panics when he opens his wallet and his money is missing. This causes him to seek out Lt. James O'Hara (Don Beddoe). Jim talks to Janos and they discover he just misplaced it. Through a conversation, Jim realizes he needs a place to stay so he sends him to Excelsior Hotel. He also gives him his card if he ever needs anything.
Janos' fortunes look up when he's checking in. Terry Finnegan (George McKay) runs the place and he has a lot of vacancies. The cook of the café located in the hotel needs a dishwasher, which Janos accepts the position. There are only two rules to stay there, with one of them being not to cook in your room. Another resident doesn't follow this. In an attempt to hide this from Terry, he puts the burner into a drawer and it causes a fire. Janos isn't able to escape and is trapped.
He wakes up in the hospital. After a few surgeries and needing to wear bandages, they are finally removed. A nurse gasps at what he looks like. This agitates Janos and when he gets up to look at himself in the mirror, this sends him into a rage. He attacks the doctor.
This is only the start of his troubles. He cannot find work. Every time he inquires, they look at his face and turn him away. This leads him to meet Dinky (George E. Stone). Janos scares off a guy who drops his wallet. Dinky picks it up and splits the money with him. Janos doesn't want to steal, but it is really his only option. This leads Janos to being called Johnny. He meets the rest of Dinky's crew of Watts (John Tyrrell), Benson (Cy Schindell) and Harry (Stanley Brown). They start to pull of some big jobs.
That is until Jeff Jeffries (James Seay) gets out of prison. He wants to be back in charge, but Johnny isn't a pushover. He has made enough money for a mask, but he needs more for a surgery to fully fix his face. He does have a change of heart when he meets Helen Williams (Evelyn Keyes), a nice and beautiful blind woman. He wants to get out of the game, but Jeff has other plans.
I think that is where I'll leave my recap for the movie as it doesn't have the most complex of stories. This is based off a radio play which I did find to be interesting. It isn't uncommon for the era to base off source material as we are still in early cinema where you didn't have a lot of original works for film yet, but you also have a built-in audience which we still see.
What I like about this is we have an interesting character to follow here with Janos. He has the American dream and is ready to come here to make a living. He has the love of his life back home who he wants to pay her way to join him. He believes in doing the right thing in the beginning. It isn't until someone else breaks the rules that make him a tragic figure. This was something I found to be quite interesting. Even after he gets money from a robbery, he still wants to do the right thing. It is Dinky that pushes him into crime and I mean, all the men he applies for jobs who deny him. He isn't being denied for his skills, but his look. It is an interesting social commentary of discrimination that isn't completely gone at this time.
There is something else here I want to delve into. Janos wants to be a watchmaker that takes a lot of skill with his hands. He also gained experiences from other jobs like during the war learning to build/fix airplanes. He states he can also fly the planes as well, which is something else we learn when he applies to work in a factory for them. These skills that he has translate to making him the crime boss that he is. What I also like is the confidence he gains through this when Jeff gets out of prison.
Next, I want to delve into is Janos and him being burned. I brought up how he is a tragic figure due to this. The only thing he can do is crime because no one will hire him. It is interesting that we never get to see his face burned up. I'm assuming this was due to not having the technology or the effects to show the damage. There is an interesting idea about a mask being made for him. It is funny as it is just Janos' face so they didn't need him to be bandaged up. He is also turning to crime to pay for the mask and potentially surgeries to fix his face. This leads him to Helen as well.
This will be the last thing with the story. I'm not sure if this idea of a blind woman falling for someone deformed started here or not, but I like it. Janos has lost all confidence in his appearance. Helen loves him, because not being able to see it, she looks past it and see he has a good heart. It is interesting that he's a criminal at that time. This is an idea that we get with things like Red Dragon or even The Toxic Avenger.
Moving away from the story, I'll go next to the acting. Lorre is solid as this crime boss. He is an actor that I haven't seen as many of his movies as I should, but I can see why he's worked as much as he did. Keyes is good as this blind woman who helps direct him back to the good. Beddoe works as Jim, the detective that wants to help Janos. Aside from that, all the criminals have that look and work in their roles for me. They round this movie out for what was needed there.
Then really the last thing to go into would be the effects, cinematography and soundtrack. I would have liked to see Janos' face, but I can understand why we don't. There isn't much in the way of effects in this movie aside from that and it doesn't need them. The cinematography is fine and the soundtrack fit for what was needed. Neither of these stood out for me if I'm going to be honest.
So then in conclusion here, I think that this movie has an interesting concept for early cinema. We have Janos who turns to crime when there is nothing else for him to do and it makes him a tragic figure. The performance from Lorre is good there. I also like having Helen who wants to help him, but then having all the criminals preventing that. I didn't like the ending though as it didn't make sense and was too abrupt. I get what they're doing, but I wanted more. I would say aside from that cinematography and soundtrack were fine. It would have been nice to see Janos' scars, but I get why we don't. For me, this movie is just over average for me. It is lacking things for me to go higher than what I did.
My Rating: 6.5 out of 10
One Of Peter Lorre's Best Films
lobosco10715 April 2012
Warning: Spoilers
When I first started really collecting movies, back in the day of Beta and VHS tapes, I managed to tape a short movie that was long forgotten. I think it was actually on Cinemax at the time.
The movie is not even 90 minutes long, but this little movie has been one of my favorite movies all these years. The Face Behind the Mask is a minor B-movie crime-drama released by Columbia Pictures in 1941. It starred Peter Lorre and Evelyn Keyes and was directed by Robert Florey and Wallace MacDonald. To date, it has never been released on DVD or video.
Based on the radio play by Thomas Edward O'Connell, The Face Behind the Mask was not a film that Lorre held in high esteem. His co-star Don Beddoe, who plays the police officer who befriends Janos in the film, once said, "I don't think Peter was very much impressed with The Face Behind the Mask. His other successes, such as M, made him pretty blasé about this particular venture." The film is the story of a hopeful new immigrant, Janos Szaby (Peter Lorre), who, on his first day in New York City, is trapped in a hotel fire that leaves his face hideously scarred. Refused employment due to his appearance although he possesses tremendous skill as a watchmaker, the only way he can survive is by turning to theft, using his skilled hands to disable alarms. Eventually he becomes the leader of a gang of thieves, and raises enough money to commission and wear a realistic latex mask of his own face.
Janos then falls in love with Helen (Evelyn Keyes) a blind woman who sees only the good in him, and attempts to leave his life of crime behind him. Unfortunately, his gang come to believe that he has betrayed them to the police, and attempt to kill him by car bomb, an attempt on his life that he survives but that Helen does not. In retaliation, Janos disguises himself as the pilot of the private plane the gang is flying out of the city with, which he lands in the Arizona Desert and lets out the fuel, suicidally stranding both the gang and himself without food or water, dooming them all to a slow death. At the film's end, Janos's body and that of his enemies are discovered by the police. The climax, set in a desolate stretch of desert with Janos tied to an abandoned plane, is a bleak counterpoint to the immigrant's hopeful beginnings. More than anything, The Face Behind the Mask is a vision of the American dream gone horribly wrong but under the artful direction of Robert Florey along with Franz F. Planer's atmospheric cinematography and Lorre's sensitive performance, it becomes a rich, multi-layered character study, a gem among the Columbia Pictures programmers of the forties.
If you are a fan of Peter Lorre or the understated performances of Evelyn Keyes, then I recommend The Face Behind The Mask. This movie deserves to be remembered and preserved on DVD. I was lucky to catch an airing of the forgotten film on TCM, and my copy is one of my prized possessions in my movie collection. This fine character study is not one that should be missed...
The movie is not even 90 minutes long, but this little movie has been one of my favorite movies all these years. The Face Behind the Mask is a minor B-movie crime-drama released by Columbia Pictures in 1941. It starred Peter Lorre and Evelyn Keyes and was directed by Robert Florey and Wallace MacDonald. To date, it has never been released on DVD or video.
Based on the radio play by Thomas Edward O'Connell, The Face Behind the Mask was not a film that Lorre held in high esteem. His co-star Don Beddoe, who plays the police officer who befriends Janos in the film, once said, "I don't think Peter was very much impressed with The Face Behind the Mask. His other successes, such as M, made him pretty blasé about this particular venture." The film is the story of a hopeful new immigrant, Janos Szaby (Peter Lorre), who, on his first day in New York City, is trapped in a hotel fire that leaves his face hideously scarred. Refused employment due to his appearance although he possesses tremendous skill as a watchmaker, the only way he can survive is by turning to theft, using his skilled hands to disable alarms. Eventually he becomes the leader of a gang of thieves, and raises enough money to commission and wear a realistic latex mask of his own face.
Janos then falls in love with Helen (Evelyn Keyes) a blind woman who sees only the good in him, and attempts to leave his life of crime behind him. Unfortunately, his gang come to believe that he has betrayed them to the police, and attempt to kill him by car bomb, an attempt on his life that he survives but that Helen does not. In retaliation, Janos disguises himself as the pilot of the private plane the gang is flying out of the city with, which he lands in the Arizona Desert and lets out the fuel, suicidally stranding both the gang and himself without food or water, dooming them all to a slow death. At the film's end, Janos's body and that of his enemies are discovered by the police. The climax, set in a desolate stretch of desert with Janos tied to an abandoned plane, is a bleak counterpoint to the immigrant's hopeful beginnings. More than anything, The Face Behind the Mask is a vision of the American dream gone horribly wrong but under the artful direction of Robert Florey along with Franz F. Planer's atmospheric cinematography and Lorre's sensitive performance, it becomes a rich, multi-layered character study, a gem among the Columbia Pictures programmers of the forties.
If you are a fan of Peter Lorre or the understated performances of Evelyn Keyes, then I recommend The Face Behind The Mask. This movie deserves to be remembered and preserved on DVD. I was lucky to catch an airing of the forgotten film on TCM, and my copy is one of my prized possessions in my movie collection. This fine character study is not one that should be missed...
Lurid Peter Lorre makes this movie fun
xWRL2 October 2023
Apart from Peter Lorre's expectedly unhinged performance, this drama is run-of-the-mill, with an odd, poorly developed plot. To its benefit, it's short and unusually fast-paced, though the pacing comes mostly from abrupt cuts from one scene to the next.
But Lorre lets out a memorable blood-curdling shriek near the beginning and follows up throughout with the cherished mannerisms we know him for from much better films. TCM indicates he was inebriated pretty much throughout the filming, something I'd never have guessed even knowing this was so. Maybe the mask helped? It also helped to view this as a fantasy, to keep in mind that there was no intended message or connection with reality.
But Lorre lets out a memorable blood-curdling shriek near the beginning and follows up throughout with the cherished mannerisms we know him for from much better films. TCM indicates he was inebriated pretty much throughout the filming, something I'd never have guessed even knowing this was so. Maybe the mask helped? It also helped to view this as a fantasy, to keep in mind that there was no intended message or connection with reality.
Stands test of time
cdunbar-327 November 2005
Warning: Spoilers
This film grabs you from the opening scenes and never lets go. You watch indulgently upon viewing Janos Szaby's excitement over coming to America. He's a likable fellow. You cannot help being fond of him even when his eagerness is replaced by bitterness as his fortunes turn. You know that in his circumstances,you would be forced to make the same choices he does to survive. This movie comments on society's worship of beauty and all things superficial and is only more true in the culture of the twenty-first century. Janos himself becomes victim to this philosophy when he tells his blind girlfriend "you're young and beautiful; if you could see, you would have the world." And like many a modern gangster movie, when her safety is threatened, he extracts a powerful revenge. His innocence is not altogether lost however for he demands an equally high price of himself, knowing he deserves his fate.
Peter Lorre is in fine form in this starring role. Only a few actors could convincingly accomplish this character's transformation from innocent to embittered criminal in sixty nine minutes. Lorre is well supported by all the cast making this a real ensemble picture and not just a vehicle for one star. With a bit less preachy dialogue, this movie would be a 10. Highly recommended.
Peter Lorre is in fine form in this starring role. Only a few actors could convincingly accomplish this character's transformation from innocent to embittered criminal in sixty nine minutes. Lorre is well supported by all the cast making this a real ensemble picture and not just a vehicle for one star. With a bit less preachy dialogue, this movie would be a 10. Highly recommended.
Great Performance from Lorre
Michael_Elliott25 May 2010
Face Behind the Mask, The (1941)
*** (out of 4)
Peter Lorre's excellent performance highlights this entertaining, if predictable, melodrama from Columbia and director Florey. In the film Lorre plays Janos Szabo, a immigrant who comes to America to earn enough money to bring the woman he loves over so that they can be married. Soon after his arrival his face is horrible disfigured in a hotel fire and he gets to see the ugly side of the country because no one will give him a job or even look at him. He eventually meets a friend (George E. Stone) who talks him into a life of crime so that he can raise enough money to get a new face but soon he meets a blind woman (Evelyn Keyes) who might make him think differently. There's a lot of plot going on in this film but there's no denying that Lorre gives an incredible performance and it makes this thing worth viewing no matter how predictable the screenplay is. There's really nothing here that will come out of left field as we get Lorre's character built up as such a great guy and then we get the accident and then we get the crime and of course he'd just happen to meet a blind girl, which itself turns into a couple more predictable moments. One doesn't mind this as the film does have some very good moments including the actual fire sequence as well as the aftermath when Lorre finally sees his new face. As for Lorre, there's no question this here is one of his strongest performances as we believe him as the good guy getting off the ship and we can also believe him and the anger of what has happened to him. I think the film would have benefited from his bad side behind a lot darker than the film allows but I'm sure this was watered down so that the romance side of things could flourish. Keyes is also very good in his role as the blind girl and Stone, best known for his Boston Blackie films, is very good as well. Don Beddoe adds nice support as the cop who helps Lorre and James Seay is nice as the rival. Florey's direction is very good throughout and especially during some of the darker moments right after the accident. The director does a pretty good job at handling the various aspects of this film and pulls everything together well enough to keep the film going. This is a good film but not a classic one. I think with a little tinkering of the script we could have had something even better but as is, it's great to see Lorre in a role he can do so much with.
*** (out of 4)
Peter Lorre's excellent performance highlights this entertaining, if predictable, melodrama from Columbia and director Florey. In the film Lorre plays Janos Szabo, a immigrant who comes to America to earn enough money to bring the woman he loves over so that they can be married. Soon after his arrival his face is horrible disfigured in a hotel fire and he gets to see the ugly side of the country because no one will give him a job or even look at him. He eventually meets a friend (George E. Stone) who talks him into a life of crime so that he can raise enough money to get a new face but soon he meets a blind woman (Evelyn Keyes) who might make him think differently. There's a lot of plot going on in this film but there's no denying that Lorre gives an incredible performance and it makes this thing worth viewing no matter how predictable the screenplay is. There's really nothing here that will come out of left field as we get Lorre's character built up as such a great guy and then we get the accident and then we get the crime and of course he'd just happen to meet a blind girl, which itself turns into a couple more predictable moments. One doesn't mind this as the film does have some very good moments including the actual fire sequence as well as the aftermath when Lorre finally sees his new face. As for Lorre, there's no question this here is one of his strongest performances as we believe him as the good guy getting off the ship and we can also believe him and the anger of what has happened to him. I think the film would have benefited from his bad side behind a lot darker than the film allows but I'm sure this was watered down so that the romance side of things could flourish. Keyes is also very good in his role as the blind girl and Stone, best known for his Boston Blackie films, is very good as well. Don Beddoe adds nice support as the cop who helps Lorre and James Seay is nice as the rival. Florey's direction is very good throughout and especially during some of the darker moments right after the accident. The director does a pretty good job at handling the various aspects of this film and pulls everything together well enough to keep the film going. This is a good film but not a classic one. I think with a little tinkering of the script we could have had something even better but as is, it's great to see Lorre in a role he can do so much with.
Embryonic Film-Noir & B-Movie ClassicÂ…Florey & Lorre Deliver
LeonLouisRicci5 August 2015
Popular B-Movie and a Cult item because it was Directed by the Always Interesting and Creative Robert Florey and Starred icon Peter Lorre. Both the Actor and Director are at Their Best here Despite Lorre's Tantrums about the Script. He unwittingly Created a Great Character in a Low-Budget Film that is Beloved and among His Best.
The Skimpy Budget and Shooting Schedule would Not Allow the Plot to be Developed and some of the Story may seem Contrived and Forced but Overall it is Gripping Movie making with a Good Supporting Cast including Evelyn Keyes as a Blind Innocent and George E. Stone as Lorre's sympathetic Friend.
It's Touching when it Needs to be and Horrific at times. The Film is One of those Lesser Efforts that Emerges Beyond its Limitations and manages to be Amazing in its Striking Simplicity. The Ending is Tragic and goes Against the usual Early WWII Optimism. This should at least be Considered a Forerunner to Film-Noir because of its Powerful Imagery and Downbeat, Gut-Wrenching Story.
The Skimpy Budget and Shooting Schedule would Not Allow the Plot to be Developed and some of the Story may seem Contrived and Forced but Overall it is Gripping Movie making with a Good Supporting Cast including Evelyn Keyes as a Blind Innocent and George E. Stone as Lorre's sympathetic Friend.
It's Touching when it Needs to be and Horrific at times. The Film is One of those Lesser Efforts that Emerges Beyond its Limitations and manages to be Amazing in its Striking Simplicity. The Ending is Tragic and goes Against the usual Early WWII Optimism. This should at least be Considered a Forerunner to Film-Noir because of its Powerful Imagery and Downbeat, Gut-Wrenching Story.
See also
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