Pyro... The Thing Without a Face (1964)
"Fuego" (original title)

A married man has a brief affair, then goes back to his wife and children. His jilted mistress, believing that if he had no more family he'd come back to her, sets fire to his house, hoping... See full summary »

Director:

Julio Coll

Writers:

Sidney W. Pink (story), Sidney W. Pink (screenplay),

Stars:

Barry Sullivan, Martha Hyer, Sherry Moreland

Cast

Credited cast:
Barry Sullivan	...	Vance Pierson
Martha Hyer	...	Laura Blanco
Sherry Moreland	...	Verna Pierson
Soledad Miranda	...	Liz Frade
Luis Prendes	...	Police Inspector
Fernando Hilbeck	...	Julio
Carlos Casaravilla	...	Frade
Marisenka	...	Isabella Blanco
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Paco Morán
Hugo Pimentel

Storyline

A married man has a brief affair, then goes back to his wife and children. His jilted mistress, believing that if he had no more family he'd come back to her, sets fire to his house, hoping to kill them. The man, unsuccessfully trying to rescue them, is horribly burned. After he undergoes an operation to reconstruct his face, he begins to plot his revenge against his former mistress.

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Plot Keywords:

revenge | arson | murder

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Taglines:

See The Thing Without A Face

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Genres:

Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA Spain

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

22 January 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Cold Wind from Hell

Filming Locations:

Viveiro, Lugo, Galicia, Spain

Box Office

Gross:

ESP 6,624,192 (Spain)

Company Credits

Production Co:

American International Pictures (AIP), Esamer S.A.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Panacolor)

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film bombed in America, but was a blockbuster overseas with it's alternative title "Phantom of the Ferris Wheel".

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Goofs

In the new house, the home plate "Se Vende" (in Spanish) is either bilingual in English ("For Sale"), which certainly did not happen in Spain...

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Connections

Referenced in Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies (2001)

User Reviews

The Phantom of the Ferris Wheel

First of all, this is an English language film, so the title "Pyro" is appropriate. The film was made in Spain, though; with generous location scenes, it's a lovely setting. But, back to the title. "Pyro" is short for "Pyromaniac", or someone who possesses a compulsive urge to start fires. The lead characters in this film - engineer "Vance Pierson" (Barry Sullivan) and beautiful widow "Laura Blanco" (Martha Hyer) are not pyromaniacs. The motives for starting fires in the story are not those of a pyromaniac. Only little "Isabella" shows a brief moment of "Pyro"-type behavior.

Producer Sidney W. Pink's original title "The Phantom of the Ferris Wheel" was much better.

In flashback… The story is "told" by carnival attendee Fernando Hilbeck (as Julio), who becomes an associate of Mr. Sullivan, an admirer of the "Ferris Wheel". Once introduced, we see Sullivan, who appears to be happily married, meet and succumb to Ms. Hyer's seductive charms. Hyer was a model for aging gracefully, looking better in her 40s than she did in her 20s; with her fiery red shirt and black leather pants, she is irresistible. When Sullivan won't give up his wife and daughter, Hyer decides to play with fire...

The story boils down to one about infidelity and revenge, but there is a slight hint of supernatural possession in the script. Mr. Fink coordinates his "Spanish Gothic" story elements smoothly. Later on, the film adopts elements of horror. Sullivan and Hyer perform admirably, resisting the urge to overact. Mr. Hilbeck and the Spanish supporting cast are outstanding. Watch for a young Soledad Miranda (as Liz) to appear late in the third act. Beautiful women of all types can't seem to keep their hands off Barry Sullivan.

****** Pyro (5/64) Sidney W. Pink : Julio Coll ~ Barry Sullivan, Martha Hyer, Fernando Hilbeck, Soledad Miranda