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Eyes Without a Face (1960)
It's the ugliest work of beauty I've ever seen, and a true testament to the power of the horror film. The physical absence of the face, of course, is what causes some of the movie's most visually frightening moments, but it is the ever-presence of the eyes which is ultimately most shocking- and I'm not only speaking of the title pair. This story is really about the terrifying judgement of a world that refuses to see anything but blatant and material beauty, and what that world will do to escape, correct, or extinguish the things that threaten that definate idealism. Here what is certainly a blessing- survivial in the face of almost certain death- is treated as a curse and a burden, and the only way to right this hideous wrong is to paint over the canvas, cover ugliness with falsity. Franju's film is a true gem not only because it dares to merge the arthouse picture with the horror flick, but it has the audacity to exploit the extremes of both styles; when the movie is going for shock it delivers it with bloody, sickening depravity- one particularly memorable scene stretches far beyond the average viewer's nausea limit; but when Franju unveils his poetry he does so in an incredibly serene way, turning the horrific into a momentary exhibition of sheer delicacy. From its eerie and puzzling beginnings to its unforgettable climax, this film is shockingly unique.
Thanks, Fort, for the excellent recommendation.
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