Ep 129 - EYES WITHOUT A FACE (1960) – The French Horror Classic Turns 65!!

EYES WITHOUT A FACE (1960) d. Georges Franju (France) In this episode, we're talking about a yet another haunting horror landmark from 1960, Georges Franju's Eyes Without a Face (Les Yeux sans visage). Adapted from the 1959 novel by Jean Redon, Franju and his vaunted team of collaborators transform the pulp thriller material into something strangely lyrical and tragic, resulting in a bona-fide art-horror classic. Pierre Brasseur stars as Dr. Génessier, a respected surgeon whose obsession with repairing his daughter's disfigurement leads him beyond ethical boundaries. Edith Scob delivers an unforgettable performance as Christiane, her features obscured by a blank mask throughout most of the picture, while Alida Valli (who Euro-horror fans will recognize from Suspiria) shines as Louise, the doctor's devoted and complicit assistant. Franju, a cofounder of the Cinémathèque Française, avoids a sensationalistic approach, favoring instead calm, clinical imagery that heightens the unsettling subject matter. The ingenious screenplay proved to be a successfully collective affair, with Redon, Claude Sautet, Pierre Gascar, and Vertigo screenwriters Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac offering psychological anguish and moral ambiguity over conventional shocks. The film's visual elegance owes much to legendary cinematographer Eugen Schüfftan, while Maurice Jarre's score, alternately eerie and ironic, adds to disquieting tone. Join AC and friends (Christianne Benedict, Lin Morris, Elena Romea, Chris Wylie) as we celebrate 65 years of scalpels, scars, and scares, EYES WITHOUT A FACE!--------------------------------------------------- CHRISTIANNE BENEDICT is a cartoonist, film writer, malcontent, and Bloginatrix at https://krelllabs.blogspot.com LIN MORRIS is a writer who makes his living doing something else entirely. His novels Spot the Not and The Marriage Wars are both available on Amazon. The first movie he recalls seeing is Two on a Guillotine at the Super 99 Drive-In at much too young an age, and he's been a horror fan ever since. Despite the strenuous efforts of his parents, he remains stubbornly left handed. ELENA ROMEA is the creator behind SpanishFear.com and Horror Rises from Spain. A researcher in literature and cinema, she holds a Ph.D. in Spanish Studies with a dissertation about the filmmaker José Val del Omar. Her work explores themes of estrangement, horror, myth, and cultural conflict. CHRIS WYLIE is the co-host of Deep Cuts Horror Trivia in Chicago, and an avid lover of psychological and trash horror. He believes we need to stop shaming people for not having seen certain movies, and has had his ass kicked by Batgirl on film ------------------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!