The Face at the Window is a 1939 British horror film directed by George King.[1] It was the second sound film adaptation of the 1897 stage melodrama by F. Brooke Warren after the 1932 version.[2][3][4][5]
| The Face at the Window | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | George King |
| Written by | A. R. Rawlinson (scenario and dialogue) Randall Faye (treatment) |
| Based on | the "Famous Melodrama", The Face at the Window by F. Brooke Warren |
| Produced by | George King |
| Starring | Tod Slaughter |
| Cinematography | Hone Glendinning |
| Edited by | Jack Harris |
| Music by | Jack Beaver |
Production company | George King Productions |
| Distributed by | British Lion Film Corporation (UK) Arthur Ziehm (U.S.) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 65 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
editIn Paris in 1880, a series of murders involving a grotesque face appearing at victims' windows, is attributed to a mysterious Wolf Man. After being accused of being the perpetrator, bank clerk Lucien Cortier (John Warwick) seeks to uncover the true identity of the murderer. Chevalier Lucio del Gardo seems determined to successfully prosecute Cortier for the murders.
Cast
edit- Tod Slaughter – Chevalier Lucio del Gardo
- Marjorie Taylor – Cecile de Brisson
- John Warwick – Lucien Cortier
- Leonard Henry – Gaston, the Cook
- Aubrey Mallalieu – M. de Brisson
- Robert Adair – Police Inspector Gouffert
- Wallace Evennett – Professor LeBlanc
- Kay Lewis – Babette, the Maid
- Bill Shine – Pierre, Babette's Beau
- Margaret Yarde – La Pinan
- Harry Terry – The Face at the Window
Critical reception
editIn a contemporary review, Film Weekly called the film "a vintage thriller, put over in the right, rich spirit of years ago";[6] while more recently Britmovie praised "a sinister Tod Slaughter hamming it up marvellously."[7] and the Radio Times wrote, "As with any film featuring the outrageously operatic antics of early horror star Tod Slaughter, this slow, stagebound murder-mystery would be completely unwatchable without the producer-star's presence."[5]
References
edit- ^ "The Face at the Window (1939)". Archived from the original on 23 November 2016.
- ^ Pitts, Michael R. RKO Radio Pictures Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films, 1929–1956, pp. 100-01 (2015)
- ^ Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 48. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
- ^ "F. Brooke Warren". Archived from the original on 23 November 2016.
- ^ a b "The Face at the Window (1939)".
- ^ "BFI Screenonline: Face at the Window, the (1939)".
- ^ "The Face at the Window | Britmovie | Home of British Films". www.britmovie.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 November 2009.
External links
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