The Man Without a Face (1993)

Director:

Mel Gibson

Writers (WGA):

Isabelle Holland (novel)
Malcolm MacRury (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 August 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A fatherless boy had almost given up all his dreams... until one man believed in him enough to make them come true.

Plot:

Chuck wants to leave home but can't make the grade for boarding school. Then he finds out the disfigured recluse living nearby is an ex-teacher.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Suspicion | Boarding School | Mean Sister | Reference To Hugh Hefner

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Mel Gibson	...	Justin McLeod
Nick Stahl	...	Charles E. 'Chuck' Norstadt
Margaret Whitton	...	Catherine Palin
Fay Masterson	...	Gloria Norstadt
Gaby Hoffmann	...	Megan Norstadt
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Chief Wayne Stark
Richard Masur	...	Prof. Carl Hartley
Michael DeLuise	...	Douglas Hall, Gloria's Boyfriend
Ethan Phillips	...	Todd Lansing
Jean De Baer	...	Mrs. Lansing
Jack De Mave	...	Mr. Cooper
Viva	...	Mrs. Cooper
Justin Kanew	...	Rob Lansing
Sean Kellman	...	David Taylor-Fife
Chris Lineburg	...	Scott Pearson
Kelly Wood	...	Amy Banks
Jessica Taisey	...	Signy Eaton
David A. McLaughlin	...	Chuck's Father
George Martin	...	Sam the Barber
Timothy Sawyer	...	Gus
Lawrence Wescott Jr.	...	Bob
Michael Currie	...	Mr. Cameron, General Store Owner
Stanja Lowe	...	Mrs. Cameron
Zach Grenier	...	Dr. Lionel Talbot, Psychiatrist
William Meisle	...	Judge Sinclair
Robert Hitt	...	Mr. William McDowell
Mary Lamar Mahler	...	Miss Fletcher, Children's Aid
Robert DeDiemar Jr.	...	Chuck at age 17
Drew Guenett	...	Ferry Crew Member
Gene Leverone	...	Holyfield Master #1
Malcolm MacRury	...	Holyfield Master #2
George D. Fuller	...	Speaker at Graduation
Harriette C. Henninger	...	Neighbor
Edmund Genest	...	Husband #6 (as Edmond Genest)
John B. Guptill	...	Chuck's Friend
Michael Forte	...	Pedestrian
Elizabeth S. Clarke	...	Ferry Passenger
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ryal Haakenson	...	Father in Stands (uncredited)
Sam Nelson	...	Beluga (uncredited)

Directed by
Mel Gibson

Writing credits (WGA)
Isabelle Holland		(novel)
Malcolm MacRury		(screenplay)

Produced by
Dalisa Cohen	....	co-producer
Bruce Davey	....	producer
Donald Ginsberg	....	associate producer
Stephen McEveety	....	executive producer
Bob Schulz	....	associate producer

Original Music by
James Horner

Cinematography by
Donald McAlpine		(as Donald M. McAlpine)

Film Editing by
Antony Gibbs		(as Tony Gibbs)

Casting by
Marion Dougherty

Production Design by
Barbara Dunphy

Art Direction by
Marc Fisichella

Set Decoration by
Donald Elmblad

Costume Design by
Shay Cunliffe

Makeup Department
Roland Blancaflor	....	crew: Cannom Creations
Greg Cannom	....	special makeup creator
Mitch Devane	....	crew: Cannom Creations
Stephan Dupuis	....	makeup supervisor (as Stéphan L. Dupuis)
William Howard	....	hair stylist
John Logan	....	crew: Cannom Creations
Steve Prouty	....	crew: Cannom Creations
Jo-Anne Smith-Ojeil	....	makeup artist
Todd Tucker	....	crew: Cannom Creations
Keith VanderLaan	....	makeup effects crew: Cannom Creations
Larry Waggoner	....	hair styles supervisor

Production Management
Sharon Mann	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Matt Earl Beesley	....	first assistant director
Ronald Chong	....	second assistant director (as Ronnie Chong)
John D. Kuberski	....	second second assistant director
Ken Paull	....	additional second assistant director

Art Department
John Alvin	....	poster artist
Simon Andrew	....	painter: McLeod's paintings
Alan E. Cober	....	artist: McLeod's illustrations
Ray Fisher	....	set dresser
Vicki Fraser	....	set designer
Stanford Gilbert	....	assistant property master
Aaron J. Harney	....	construction foreman (as Aaron Harney)
Christopher Harwood	....	lead person
Tobey L. Levine	....	art department coordinator
Alexander 'Sandy' Nesbitt	....	prop maker
King Orba	....	property maker (as Mark Wallace)
Cheri Paul	....	property master
Erich W. Schultz	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
Jonathan Bates	....	supervising sound editor
Michael Evje	....	production sound
Tommy Goodwin	....	adr mixer
Tommy Goodwin	....	foley mixer
Peter Holt	....	foley editor
Peter Horrocks	....	dialogue editor
Dean Humphreys	....	sound re-recording mixer
Gerry Humphreys	....	sound re-recording mixer
Christopher Lloyd	....	assistant foley editor
Brian Mann	....	assistant foley editor
James M. McCann	....	boom operator
Andrew Melhuish	....	assistant foley editor
Alan Paley	....	adr editor

Special Effects by
Brian Ricci	....	special effects coordinator
Stephen R. Ricci	....	special effects foreman (as Stephan Ricci)

Stunts
Bill Anagnos	....	stunts (as Billy Anagnos)
Peter Bucossi	....	stunts
David R. Ellis	....	stunt coordinator (as David Ellis)
David R. Ellis	....	stunts (as David Ellis)
Roy Farfel	....	stunts
Janet Paparazzo	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Michael Alexonis	....	grip
Mark Davison	....	first assistant camera
David G. George	....	video assist operator
Bruce Alan Greene	....	Steadicam operator (as Bruce Greene)
Brett Laumann	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Duane Manwiller	....	second assistant camera
Steve Mathis	....	chief lighting technician
John O'Connor	....	film loader
Jesse Wayne Parker	....	best boy grip
Andres L. Porras	....	camera operator
C. Alan Rawlins	....	key grip
Douglas Ryan	....	camera operator
C. Ashley Sudge	....	dolly grip (as Charles Ashley Sudge)
Joseph Trammell	....	video playback operator (as Joe Trammell)
Joel David Warren	....	still photographer
William M. Weberg	....	grip
Daryn Okada	....	additional photographer (uncredited)

Casting Department
Kari Strom Bush	....	casting associate: New York
Dee Cooke	....	extras casting
David H. Kramer	....	adr voice casting
Ronna Kress	....	casting associate
Lilian Silva	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Elaine Bergeron	....	costumer
Michael Castellano	....	costume supervisor: men
Elana Fisher	....	wardrobe production assistant
Austin Myers	....	costumer
Cheryl G. Smith	....	costumer
Taryn Weaver	....	wardrobe supervisor (as Taryn Walsh)

Editorial Department
Sherrye Gibbs	....	assistant editor
Brad Jacques	....	apprentice editor
Mark Solomon	....	assistant film editor
Matthew Tucker	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Jim Henrikson	....	music editor
Shawn Murphy	....	score mixer
Thomas Pasatieri	....	orchestrator (as Tom Pasatieri)
James Horner	....	conductor (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Michael Coady	....	driver
Jimmy Flynn	....	transportation coordinator
Michael Forte	....	driver: cast
Brian Maguire	....	transportation captain
William O'Brien	....	transportation coordinator
Marty Radcliff	....	driver
Jonathan A. Rosenfeld	....	transportation coordinator (as Jonathan Rosenfeld)

Other crew
Andy Arey	....	location manager
Michael Battaglia	....	unit publicist
Timothy A. Burris	....	assistant production accountant
Elizabeth S. Clarke	....	assistant production coordinator
Matilda de Cagny	....	animal trainer
Maureen Duffy	....	completion guarantor: Film Finances
Chris Silver Finigan	....	production accountant
Michael Forte	....	security consultant
William Shane Grisco	....	animal trainer
Dennis Hawkesworth	....	production assistant
Adrienne King	....	looping voices
Shauna L. Kroen	....	assistant accountant
Suzanne Lambert	....	stand-in
Mable Lawson-McCrary	....	script supervisor
Diane Lee	....	assistant location manager
Paul Lenart	....	assistant to associate producer: Bob Schulz
Elizabeth A. Miller	....	craft service
Tim Monich	....	dialect coach
Frederic Perrin	....	caterer
Andrew Shapiro	....	consultant: boat
Karen Shaw	....	production coordinator
Jim Thomas	....	assistant location manager
Tristan Whalley	....	international publicity
Julie Adams	....	dialect coach (uncredited)
Erica Kissack	....	contact lens technician (uncredited)
Bill Timoney	....	adr voice group (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Icon Entertainment International

Distributors

• Warner Bros. (1993) (USA) (theatrical)
• Entertainment Film Distributors (1993) (UK) (theatrical)
• Icon Film Distribution (1993) (UK) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1994) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Transmundo Films (1994) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Bac Films (1994) (France) (theatrical)
• Aquarius TV (2008) (Greece) (TV)
• Arcade Movie Company (199?) (Netherlands) (VHS) (retail)
• CNR Film & Video (199?) (Netherlands) (VHS) (rental)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1997) (USA) (TV)
• Europa Filmes (Brazil) (DVD)
• Europa Filmes (Brazil) (VHS)
• Indies Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Paris Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Tanweer Films (2012) (Bangladesh) (TV)
• Tanweer Films (2012) (Bhutan) (TV)
• Tanweer Films (2012) (India) (TV)
• Tanweer Films (2012) (Nepal) (TV)
• Tanweer Films (2012) (Pakistan) (TV)
• Tanweer Films (2012) (Sri Lanka) (TV)
• Transmundo Home Video (THV) (1994) (Argentina) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Makeup Effects Laboratories

Other Companies

• Abbey Road Studios  music recorded at
• Atlantic Cine Equipment  cranes and remote heads
• Berliner Bank  bank services
• Casco Bay Lines  on screen/off screen ferry service
• Film Investment & Loan Management Services Ltd. (FILMS)  bank services
• High Output  grip and lighting equipment
• Lightnin' Production Rentals  transportation equipment
• London Symphony Orchestra, The (LSO)  music performed by
• Mercantile National Bank  banking services
• Peter Watson Associates  titles and opticals
• Philips Records  soundtrack
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script services
• Sinclair, Tenenbaum & Co. Inc.  legal services
• Twickenham Studios  sound re-recording (as Twickenham Film Studios)

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for mature subject matter

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DuArt)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-10/7 | Germany:6 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:10 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:L | Netherlands:6 (re-rating) | South Korea:12 | France:U | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

Bath, Maine, USA

Company:

Icon Entertainment International

Trivia:

Jeff Bridges was considered for the role of Justin McLeod.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): The method that McLeod gives for finding the center of a circle will not always work. He also says and draws that the line perpendicular to the midpoint of AB goes through C, which is extraneous and incorrect.

Quotes:

McLeod:You gave me what I never expected to find again. A gift of your trust and love. And nothing can take that grace away. The best is yet to be, Norstadt. So do it well...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Tosh.0: The Average Homeboy (#2.5)" (2010)

Soundtrack:

BORN A WOMAN

For those with an open mind...

A disfigured face as a result of a tragic accident, and unresolved suspicions, result in a life of hermitage for Justin McLeod. His past life as a teacher becomes reawakened by 13 year old Charles, who is on a mission to become educated well enough to pass a military school's entrance exam, and he pleads with McLeod to become his tutor.

McLeod's dark past and Charles' unrelenting motivation become unlikely allies as the two of them begin a relationship born of the common thread that each are misunderstood by others.

This is an outstanding movie, which is much misunderstood by many viewers and reviewers alike. It's a simple case of an adult taking an interest in and making a difference in a young man's life. The movie is even more poignant because McLeod loses the safety of the anonymity he had worked so hard for, when he opens his mind and heart to young Charles.

I have read all of the reviews on this site for this movie and object to those who attempt to review both the movie and the book at the same time. The movie should be reviewed here, and the book at a site for reviewing books. To do both at one time is akin to going to Burger King and ordering a Big Mac.

You don't need to be a Mel Gibson fan to love this movie, but you do need to have an open mind and an unfettered agenda. This is a powerful performance by actors Mel Gibson and Nick Stahl, one that will leave your heart happy and your mind engaged.

Both thumbs up from me for this movie.