The Face Behind the Mask (1941)

[Mr. Arkadin]

“None of us can do without friends.”

Johnny Szabo might be inferring a veiled threat, but themes of inclusion and isolation are the heart of The Face Behind the Mask, revealing one of Peter Lorre's greatest performances.



When immigrant watchmaker Janos Szabo is hideously disfigured in a fire, he contemplates suicide, but is rescued by the kindness of a small time thief and descends into the criminal underworld. With funds from his capers, Szabo is able to purchase a mask to cover his scarred features, but still feels an outsider until drawn into a romance with Helen Willams, who also suffers from a physical handicap, blindness. Janos (who has Americanized his name to Johnny) now seeks release from his gang to live a quiet life with the woman he loves, but will they let him go?

Although this quietly released B film echoes thirties works Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and City Lights (1930), and is often referenced as horror, crime elements, expressionistic stylization, and final conclusion (which I shall not reveal here) place it firmly in the noir genre. Lorre’s control over his character (and audience) is masterful in dealing with a man whose loss of innocence has twisted his nature to seek repayment of all debts, be it kindness or revenge. TCM has only shown this film a single time in the past five years, so start warming up your recorders for a deep slice of noir early tomorrow.

[Dewey1960]

I completely concur, Ark. This film comes as close as any Hollywood B production to being a masterpiece. Simultaneously subtle and startling, FACE BEHIND THE MASK manages to honor a number of genre conventions (horror, crime, romance) while staying true to its own unique personal path. Lorre is magnificent (as always), conjuring up a challenging mix of malice and sympathy. I hope some of the more discerning Oasis members were able to catch this one!

[MikeBSG]

I like this one a lot. The "unmasking" scene is very, very powerful.

It is an interesting mix of genres. The unmasking scene and Lorre's presence often lead people to assume it's a horror movie (and it was often shown by a "horror host" when I was a kid.) But the fact that it is life in America that scars and corrupts the Lorre character leads me to think of it as more of a pre-noir movie. The ending in the desert, however, doesn't really fit comfortably in either the horror or noir camps.

[Mr. Arkadin]

The ending in the desert, however, doesn't really fit comfortably in either the horror or noir camps.

I guess that depends upon how you define noir. For some people, shadows, rain-slicked streets, trench-coats, and fedoras are a must (and are shown in earlier parts of the film), but I personally see those things as outward trappings that are only visual signposts, not the essence of the genre, which deals with the moral and social corruption in human nature and questions of good, evil, fatalism, and free will.

The ending is a contrasting of the earlier themes of darkness and fire. Light is used in this context as illumination of truth and judgment of the damned. Janos, who hid his face, became a criminal mastermind in the underworld, and even loved a blind girl who could not see his face, now stands in the light revealing himself. As the flames destroyed his features, he will likewise use the desert heat to destroy the men who killed his fiancee. He will also undergo the same death as punishment for his crimes. The letter and five dollar repayment to O'Hara are an indication that kindness is a choice, often misunderstood by cornered individuals who feel that evil is the only avenue available to them.

[MikeBSG]

You make a good case for the ending.

I guess I was mostly thinking visually. To me, an ending in the desert, with the characters dying of thirst, implies something like a Western.