The Face Behind the Mask

The Face Behind the Mask (1941)

Runtime: 69 minutes-heh

Directed by: Robert Florey

Starring: Peter Lorre, Evelyn Keyes, Don Beddoe, George E. Stone, John Tyrrell

From: Columbia

The first of several film noirs this Noirvember is a film new to me. The Criterion Channel added both the Columbia Noir collection and the Noirvember Essentials collection; the latter is a great way to dip your toe into the genre if you know precious little about where to stop. The reason why a film new to me was selected: a few mutuals have already viewed it & gave positive reviews. Peter Lorre as the lead was also enticing.

He portrayed lead Janos Szabo; like Lorre in real life, Szabo emigrated to the United States from Hungary. The American Dream became a nightmare after he was badly burnt in a hotel fire. At first it wasn’t so bad; at least Szabo was treated fair when first arriving; a police officer helped him out and he got a job washing dishes right away at a hotel café. After the blazing inferno, though—Janos doesn’t react well to seeing his damaged face; no wonder when employers discriminate against him and everyone is horrified at his appearance. To think that the one guy who doesn’t care is a sick hoodlum named DINKY. Lest you think that’s the wackiest name, an important character is JEFF JEFFRIES.

As American healthcare is little-improved from then to now, it meant that the cost to fix the damage to his face would be prohibitively expensive--actually, let me not joke about the United States and healthcare on the eve of the Presidential election, where I fear things will be worse than in 2020, no matter the result. I especially better not broach the topic of immigration… this is why Janos turns to a life of crime and eventually affords a Mission Impossible-like mask which looks just like him. The makeup department did a swell job in both the burns we briefly see and the Uncanny Valley look of his masked face. There’s also nice direction & cinematography.

It must have been a cliché even in 1941 for someone with a “different” appearance to find a love interest who is blind, but at least this makes Szabo sympathetic and Evelyn Keyes was likable as his girlfriend Helen. This early effort in the genre isn’t the most hard-boiled tale yet it is still compelling due to Lorre’s great performance and the film centered around humanity & relationships rather than crime. Those that are fans of Peter Lorre stand a good chance of enjoying this motion picture. It’s 69 (nice) minutes long, furthermore.