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.
![Image](http://i863.photobucket.com/albums/ab199/derpeels/Lorre/facebm2_400x300_020820080137.jpg)
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.