Eyes Without a Face (1960)

A surgeon causes an accident which leaves his daughter disfigured, and goes to extremes to give her a new face.

Director:

Georges Franju

Writers:

Jean Redon (novel), Pierre Boileau (adaptation) (as Boileau-Narcejac)

Stars:

Pierre Brasseur, Alida Valli, Juliette Mayniel

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Pierre Brasseur	...	Le docteur Génessier
Alida Valli	...	Louise
Juliette Mayniel	...	Edna Grüber
Alexandre Rignault	...	L'inspecteur Parot
Béatrice Altariba	...	Paulette Meroudon (as Beatrice Altariba)
Charles Blavette	...	L'homme de la fourrière (scenes deleted) (as Blavette)
Claude Brasseur	...	Un inspecteur
Michel Etcheverry	...	Le docteur Lherminier - médecin légiste / Forensic surgeon
Yvette Etiévant	...	La mère du petit malade (as Yvette Etievent)
René Génin	...	Henri Tessot
Lucien Hubert	...	Un homme à l'enterrement
Marcel Pérès	...	Un homme à l'enterrement (as Marcel Pères)
François Guérin	...	Le docteur Jacques Vernon (as Francois Guerin)
Edith Scob	...	Christiane Génessier

Storyline

After causing an accident that left his daughter Christiane severely disfigured, the brilliant surgeon Dr. Génessier works tirelessly to give the girl a new face. He does so however by kidnapping young women and attempting face transplants. He has been woefully unsuccessful to date. The doctor's world begins to collapse around him when his daughter realizes just what he has been doing.

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Plot Keywords:

captive woman | disfigured face | surgeon | experiment | face transplant | 

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Taglines:

Beautiful women were the victims of his FIENDISH FACIALS!!! [American retitled and dubbed version poster]

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Genres:

Drama | Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally released in the US in an edited version titled "The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus" - an odd title considering there's no one named Dr. Faustus in the film.

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Goofs

Christiane's face was severely burned in a traffic accident, but there are no scars on her cheeks, ears, neck and hands.

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Quotes

Louise: She's happy this time. She has faith.
Doctor Génessier: Finally.
Louise: I showed her how nicely it's healing. I changed the bandages. It looks fine. Much better than yesterday.
Doctor Génessier: I'm so afraid.
Louise: Don't be. I have faith this time, too.
Doctor Génessier: All I can do is hope.

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Alternate Versions

The films initial 1962 release to the US was edited and the film was re-titled. The surgery scene was cut down for content, while scenes that made Dr. Genessier seem sympathetic (particularly the scene where he cares for an ailing boy) were also edited.

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Connections

Referenced in Lost in New York (1989)

User Reviews

A masterpiece of horror and poetry

Along with THE SHINING, THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN and PSYCHO, the best horror film ever made. Franju forsakes the usual signifiers of the genre - hurtling pace, quick editing, signalling music, hysterically scary scenes - in favour of a pace as funereal and petrified as its heroine's face. A soul-chilling film, seeped of all emotion, its scientific subject matter belies a timeless, complicated, non-judgemental Gothic fable about the destruction of innocence, the carelessness of masculine authority and the exploitation of women (especially in art). The many paralells with VERTIGO (the source novel was written by the same writers), the startling tree and animal imagery, the suspended dream logic and the perverse comic sense ensure this film as a classic, and makes one yearn for more Franju.

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French

Release Date:

24 October 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus

Filming Locations:

River Marne, Noisiel, Seine-et-Marne, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$19,628, 2 November 2003

Gross USA:

$58,565

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$60,254

Company Credits

Production Co:

Champs-Élysées Productions, Lux Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1