Faces in the Dark (1964)

So much average

As Good As It Gets

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

FACES IN THE DARK is a rather forgotten film in the British noir genre. The movie is a bit slow but totally worth hanging in there - the TWIST is quite staggering & very well done (no surprise it is based on a book by the writing team that also wrote the novels that VERTIGO, LES DIABOLIQUES and EYES WITHOUT A FACE were based on). John Gregson is very good as the rich successful man who is blinded in an industry accident. He is angry at the world with his fate and slowly begins to worry that he is losing his mind. Is he just paranoid or is his "loving" wife too good to be true? I watched this with a few friends and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.

FACES IN THE DARK is one of those intriguing, long-forgotten little British thrillers of the early '60s. It's an essential three-hander in which the unlikeable John Gregson plays an industry boss who ends up getting blinded in a freak factory accident. He's forced to recuperate, being looked after by his wife Mai Zetterling and second-in-command John Ireland, but soon becomes convinced that everything isn't as it should be.This is a film that makes the very best of a low budget thanks to a unique-feeling storyline and plenty of suspense that builds up, particularly in the second half. The first half is a little slow and stately, but as a mystery this throws clues at you every now and then before finally letting rip towards the climax with an excellent twist. From that point in it never disappoints, right up until the arresting climax. FACES IN THE DARK certainly holds its own against bigger budget fare in this viewer's opinion.

Some movies just don't need to be made, and that is the case with "Faces In The Dark", a turgid, uneventful movie which lacks tension, suspense and, especially, mystery. Actually, the mystery may be why this picture was produced in the first place. A grouchy, self-absorbed CEO is blinded in a laboratory accident and spends the rest of the film making himself even more unappealing. The picture is well-acted and produced but is too long by half. Well done but not interesting.May I digress for a moment? I have lately begun to feel that UK viewers consistently overrate films made in the UK. Is it because they feel intimidated by Hollywood? We make a lot of clinkers over here, too. But often when I obtain a UK film recommended by British viewers, it is not as good as advertised. So, with "Faces In The Dark" I got taken again. C'mon folks. A little unflinching honesty goes a long way.

John Gregson plays a hard nosed businessman who is a workaholic. He gets blinded by a prototype lightbulb blowing up in his face. As he was the one to push the lightbulb to its maximum he caused his own fate and this film sees him in a tortured painful state throughout.One advantage of his blindness is that he cannot see the dire wooden acting!! of Michael Dennison. Dennison is someone I like but his performance in this film must have stunk the place out.The music in this film is quite brilliant and counter balances Gregsons state of mind and he slowly believes that he is going mad. John Ireland probably offended by Dennisons acting disappears from the film about three quarters through. All in all an effective little shocker except for Dennison whose acting is abysmal.