The Face at the Window

Yes, this film is dated. Yes, it is muddled with every possible plot contrivance imaginable in a mystery-melodrama. But, this film stars one of the kings of the horror screen - a forgotten king named Tod Slaughter. And if you have never had the opportunity and privilege to see him on screen, then you are missing out on a pure cinematic joy. He is the hammiest of the hams with his eyes rolling incessantly, his mischievous leers, his over-pronounced dialogue, and his bombastic gestures. He makes Vincent Price look like an actor accustomed to giving understated performances. Plainly put - he is fun to watch! Slaughter was a British actor known primarily for his stage work but he made several pictures. As with all his films, he is the primary focal-point of attention, and A Face at the Window is no exception. This is a fun movie to watch and should make you a Tod Slaughter fan. The story of the movie is complicated and stretches credibility at times, but is to be taken in fun....that is apparent as soon as you see Slaughter say something and gesture about.

Forget Karloff & Lugosi. Forget Cushing & Lee, even Price and the Chaneys. Tod is king of horror for one very important reason - he quite evidently enjoys his work. This was the first Tod film I saw and - having heard so much about him prior to this - I feared disappointment. No worries. Despite the cardboard settings and woeful support cast, from the moment he strides masterfully in, we are in the capable hands of a classic film villain. The opening murder with the eerie wolf howl on the soundtracks sets the scene perfectly and then we are treated to an acting masterclass from the great man himself. Whether innocently acting the concerned friend, lecherously trying to sneak a kiss from the heroine, threatening his low-life confederates with a grisly end if they cross him or, worst of all, holding somewhat one-sided conversations with his demented foster brother, Tod holds the film together. The Chevalier is underplayed by Tod compared to Sweeney Todd - but seldom has one man wiggled his eyebrows to more sinister effect. It's a great pity that Universal studios didn't try to to entice him over for their classic horror cycle - Tod would've made a far more spirited Dracula than John Carradine in the later sequels and can't you just see him going toe to toe with Basil Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes. Shame nobody thought of putting him up against Arthur Wontner's in the UK. The double-exposure effects for the appearance of the "face" are well done for their time and the whole film compares favourably with the Universal classics of the period.

The production values are far higher than is normal for a British quota quickie of the period. The contrast between the spacious elegant rooms of the moneyed classes and the clutter of the Blind Rat - with a wealth of extras and charming Parisian detail such as the dancers - more than foreshadows the class-consciousness Hammer brought to its gothics a few decades later. So does the violent action with Lucien using an oil lamp to devastating effect - his disguise as "Renard" could have been a bit more convincing - and Tod making a sudden getaway by leaping from the window of the scientist's house and swimming the Seine to safety. John Warwick and Marjorie Taylor make an appealing couple - although Warwick is no match for Eric Portman in the earlier melodramas - and George King is improving as a director with a tightly edited montage of tense faces as the "corpse" slowly stirs into action to write its incriminating message. Tod is less of a central figure with whom we are expected to side with - even through his setbacks - as Stephen Hawke and Sir Percival Glyde were, but is still a marvellously blackhearted villain, as seen in his unsporting behaviour at the duel with pistols with Lucien. This is his finest film.

In 1880, the criminal called The Face is responsible for a murderous rampage in France. When the Brisson Bank is robbed in Paris and the employee Michelle is murdered, the wealthy Chevalier Lucio del Gardo (Tod Slaughter) is the only chance to save the bank. Chavalier proposes to the owner M. de Brisson (Aubrey Mallalieu) to deposit a large amount of gold, but in return he would like to marry his daughter Cecile (Marjorie Taylor). However, Cecile is in love with the efficient clerk Lucien Cortier (John Warwick) that belongs to the lower classes and refuses the engagement. In order to get rid off the rival, Chavalier uses evidences to incriminate Lucien, manipulating the incompetent Parisian chief of police.

"The Face at the Window" is dated and delightfully naive, but is also a great entertainment. The story has a despicable villain; the good guy is unfairly accused and has to prove his innocence; the heroine is extremely naive, but has strength to fight for her love; the chief of police is a complete stupid. Tod Slaughter performs another villain with his usual efficiency. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Um Vulto da Janela" ("A Face at the Window")

Face at the Window, The (1939)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

A deranged killer known as "The Wolf" strikes terror into 1880's Paris. Is it the poor banker out to get money or the rich playboy (Tod Slaughter)? This is the best film from Slaughter that I've seen but his hammy performance, while getting laughs, makes it a bit hard to take the film too serious. The Wolf is a pretty good character and certainly a step up from Werewolf of London but the ending is wildly out of control. An interesting film nonetheless. The look and howl of the "wolf" here is a lot more effective than Universal's Werewolf of London.

Tod Slaughter has to be one of the most reliably entertaining screen actors of the 30's. I've seen most of this guys films and he never disappoints. There's no doubt that his acting style is hammier than a hammy thing but there's nothing wrong with that surely? It takes considerable charisma and skill to overact as compellingly as Slaughter. This film follows a very similar narrative path to many of his other vehicles, i.e. Slaughter plays a rich pillar of the community who lives a double-life as an evil criminal, he lusts after a woman half his age who is not interested in him, so he sets about framing her fiancé with a crime he did not commit leaving the poor girl easy prey for him. Almost all his movies could be described thus. But it doesn't really seem to matter very much as Slaughter is always terrific as the leering cad and is easily the best thing about the films he stars in.

Slaughter's films were all Victorian melodramas first and foremost but this one definitely moves into more definite horror and even science fiction territory. The monster who is the face of the title is an effective looking baddie although he doesn't really get to do much and his presence in the movie doesn't make an awful lot of sense. But not to worry because, as I mentioned earlier, this is Slaughter's film and he delivers the goods as usual.