Les yeux sans visage (1960)

Director:

Georges Franju

Writers:

Jean Redon (novel)
Pierre Boileau (adaptation) ...
(more)

Release Date:

24 October 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

A brilliant surgeon, Dr. Génessier, helped by his assistant Louise, kidnaps nice young women. He removes...

Plot Keywords:

Surgeon | Transplant | Experiment | Photograph | Scientist

Cast

Pierre Brasseur	...	Docteur Génessier
Alida Valli	...	Louise
Juliette Mayniel	...	Edna Grüber
Edith Scob	...	Christiane Génessier
François Guérin	...	Jacques Vernon
Alexandre Rignault	...	Inspector Parot
Béatrice Altariba	...	Paulette
Charles Blavette	...	L'homme de la fourrière (as Blavette)
Claude Brasseur	...	Un inspecteur
Michel Etcheverry	...	Le docteur Lherminier - médecin légiste / Forensic surgeon
Yvette Etiévant	...	La mère
René Génin	...	Emile Tessot
Lucien Hubert	...	Un homme au cimetière
Marcel Pérès	...	Un homme au cimetière
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
France Asselin	...	(uncredited)
Charles Bayard	...	Un homme à la conférence (uncredited)
Gabrielle Doulcet	...	Une admiratrice (uncredited)
Corrado Guarducci	...	(uncredited)
Brigitte Juslin	...	(uncredited)
Charles Lavialle	...	Le concierge (uncredited)
Max Montavon	...	(uncredited)
Jimmy Perrys	...	Un homme à la morgue (uncredited)

Directed by
Georges Franju

Writing credits
Jean Redon		(novel)
Pierre Boileau		(adaptation) (as Boileau-Narcejac) and
Thomas Narcejac		(adaptation) (as Boileau-Narcejac) &
Jean Redon		(adaptation) &
Claude Sautet		(adaptation)
Pierre Gascar		(dialogue)

Produced by
Jules Borkon	....	producer

Original Music by
Maurice Jarre

Cinematography by
Eugen Schüfftan		(as Eugen Shuftan)

Film Editing by
Gilbert Natot

Production Design by
Auguste Capelier

Art Direction by
Margot Capelier

Costume Design by
Marie Martine		(gowns) (as Marie-Martine)

Makeup Department
Georges Klein	....	makeup artist
Marcelle Testard	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Margot Capelier	....	assistant production manager
Pierre Laurent	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Claude Sautet	....	assistant director

Art Department
Claude Moesching	....	assistant art director
Jacques Mély	....	assistant art director
Albert Volper	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Antoine Archimbaud	....	sound

Special Effects by
Charles-Henri Assola	....	special effects (as Henri Assola)

Camera and Electrical Department
Pierre Brard	....	assistant camera
Jean-Louis Castelli	....	still photographer
Robert Schneider	....	camera operator

Editorial Department
Denise Natot	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Maurice Jarre	....	musical director

Other crew
Ginette Diamant-Berger	....	script supervisor
Marcel Lesourd	....	animal trainer

Production Companies

• Champs-Élysées Productions
• Lux Film

Distributors

• Lux Compagnie Cinématographique de France (1960) (France) (theatrical)
• Lux Film (1960) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Actionfilm (1961) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Lopert Pictures Corporation (1962) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• United Artists (1962) (Canada) (theatrical) (as "Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus")
• Rialto Pictures (2003) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled) (re-release)
• Atlantic Film (2010) (Finland) (DVD)
• Atlantic Film (2009) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Beam Entertainment (Japan) (DVD distributor)
• Canvas (2007) (Belgium) (TV)
• Concorde Home Entertainment (2009) (Germany) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Culture Publishers (CP) (Japan) (DVD)
• Imagica Corp. (Japan) (DVD)
• Interama Video (2000) (USA) (VHS) (as "Eyes Without a Face")
• Kino Video (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Les Acacias (France)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• Tohokushinsha Film (Japan) (VHS)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Lax

Other Companies

• Societe Optiphone  sound system
• Western Electric  sound system
• Éditions Transatlantique  soundtrack

Also Known As:

"Eyes Without a Face" - International (English title), UK
"House of Dr. Rasanoff" -
"Occhi senza volto" - Italy
"The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus" - USA (dubbed version)
"Das Schreckenshaus des Dr. Rasanoff" - Austria, West Germany
"Los ojos sin rostro" - Argentina, Spain (imdb display title)
"Augen ohne Gesicht" - West Germany
"De bestialiska" - Sweden
"Het masker met de levende ogen" - Belgium (Flemish title)
"Les yeux sans visage" - Belgium (French title)
"Los ojos sin cara" - Mexico (imdb display title)
"Matia horis prosopo" - Greece (imdb display title)
"Oczy bez twarzy" - Poland (imdb display title)
"Olhos Sem Rosto" - Brazil
"Os Olhos Sem Rosto" - Brazil (imdb display title)
"Schreckenshaus des Dr. Rasanoff" - West Germany
"Silmät ilman kasvoja" - Finland
"Szemek arc nélkül" - Hungary (imdb display title)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1962) | Australia:M (2007) | France:U (2007) | UK:15 (2007) | UK:18 (1995) | UK:X (1959) (cut) | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-15 (2010) | France:-16 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Studios de Boulogne, Avenue Jean-Baptiste Clément, Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France

Company:

Champs-Élysées Productions

Trivia:

Director Georges Franju never considered the film to be a horror story, but instead felt it was tale of "anguish."

Goofs:

Continuity: There are actually two different Citroen DS cars used in the film as the Doctor's car. One, presumably a DS21, has two spotlights built into the bodywork by the headlights and chrome trim, including a driver's wing-mirror (see 10:00 as he arrives with no lights and 12:50 as he leaves a few minutes later using headlights and spotlights, another continuity gaff in itself). At 12 :50 and 14:16 the DS with spotlights is seen but at 17:19 it has changed to one with no spotlights and no wing-mirror, presumably a DS19. Though its front plate is "7769-GR75", when the Doctor puts it into the garage, the rear plate reads "2923-GR75" and the assistant's Citroen Diane has the plate "7769-GR75" on the front. At 32:18 the Diane has "2923-GY75" on the rear and at 32:55 the same on the front, which was its registration when first seen near the start of the film. Finally, at 54:49 it's back to the DS with spotlights.

Quotes:

Doctor Génessier:Smile. Not too much.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ringu 0: Bâsudei (2000)

A classic, providing real chills

An early French chiller that set a benchmark in horror film making, with its unflinching depiction of horrific acts of surgery. The films sole purpose is to shock you in revealing things never before seen in 1959. Unfortunately, we are now in the age of cheap teen horror flicks and action films that feel the need to throw gore in our faces at every possible moment thus diminishing the impact of this film when watching it. Especially now we're in the 21st century, many of the scenes are comparatively tame. This does not mean, however, I disliked the film. Quite the contrary. Eyes Without A Face contains some truly terrifying images that make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. The use of a woman in a white mask (a technique used so well in films such as Halloween and Friday the 13th) provides the films more memorable and spine tingling moments. It's the clever use of shade and light that make this possible as the director and cinematographer provide us with long -lasting images to chill to the bone.

The pace of the film is also worth a mention. Franju (the director) keeps us on the edge of our seat as the rich upper class couple lead young women into their house in order to remove their face! For some the pace could prove rather too slow - as in truth it did for me once or twice. But the payoffs from the slow pace offset any problems posed by it. It actually comes as a relief from the many directors who, in this day, believe that quick cuts and loud noise provide terror. Maybe it's time they delved back into the likes of this film, Halloween and Psycho to provide them with a few inspirations. I can think of only a handful of directors that have provided me with any real fright in the past ten years - M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense and Signs), Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez (The Blair Witch Project) and Wes Craven (Scream) are some of the few I can mention. Other films like the truly awful Jeepers Creepers and Thirteen Ghosts, which served no real purpose what-so-ever, provided me with quick cuts and loud noises - neither of which particularly endeared me to their cause. Call me an old fuddy duddy, but it's time they made more horrors like they did in the old days - films with real suspense and images which truly frighten; films like this one.

Well, that's my moan over with. I gave this film 8/10, for those that care.