Midnight Faces

I come out in favour of Midnight Faces, and even though I agree with both of the two previous posts makes it 2 - 1 for the moment! I too got this from AV, I'd not heard of it before and it was too irresistible and beguiling a title for me: to get it right I even watched it at midnight. The DVD is a budget release, so when the initial film frame wobble didn't go away I feared the worst, but it was suppressed after about 5 minutes, and although the print isn't in the best of shape it's bearable.

The story itself? Likable, implausible, utter nonsense, but you can clearly see the links from Phantom Of The Opera to The Bat and Cat And The Canary, and as such I suppose makes it perhaps more interesting from the historical point of view. The "hero" Ralph Bushman was a bit of a serious wimp, but his "man" Martin Turner still had to call him Boss dozens of times throughout - and even he was under mortal threat from the mysterious figure lunging about the house: no favourites here! What I really liked about MF though is the atmosphere of the spooky old house, and the outside shots of it, a splendid wooden Gothic pile - it was fascinating watching the endless fight on the roof - for the house itself! Incidentally Bushman was rather hard pressed fighting a cloaked figure who insisted on continuously holding one arm up to hide his face.

What a shame it wasn't just 10 minutes longer, and also what a shame if there isn't a better print extant.

Midnight Faces (1926)

** (out of 4)

Lynn Claymore (Francis X. Bushman, Jr.) inherits an old house out in the swamp in the middle of nowhere. Once there he sees a mysterious figure and lady a woman comes running in the house saying a madman with a knife is stalking her. This is an early "old dark house"/horror film that really doesn't know what it's trying to be. There's some minor comedy from the typical stereotyped black man, the horror elements aren't really creepy and the old dark house isn't all that creepy either. Even at 56-minutes this here seems a bit too long.

As of now, this film is only available through the public domain company Alpha, so don't expect perfect quality.

This melodrama finds itself changing in tone throughout, from mystery to comedy to romance to horror, and fails on all counts to produce a reasonable degree of entertainment. Set in, on and about a deserted house in Florida's Bayou region, the plot involves inheritance of the house by Lynn Claymore, (Francis X Bushman, Jr.) from an uncle of whom he was unaware and his arrival at the property to take possession, while having to deal with a hotchpotch of odd characters, each of whom presents an unknown agenda. These include a damsel in apparent distress, played by Kathryn McGuire, a favorite leading lady of Buster Keaton, a lawyer, a Chinaman, a negro valet, a united and sinister butler and housekeeper, a paralytic gentleman, and others. In addition, the influence of a cloaked individual must be mentioned, as he is continually skulking about, disappearing into secret passages, and generally making the rest of the cast quite uneasy. The valet is played by Martin Turner who must have influenced Eddie (Rochester) Anderson's style, as the latter's mannerisms are virtually interchangeable with those of the whimsical Turner, upon whose scenes one becomes increasingly willing to invest attention, as they are a welcome shift from the preposterous and cliche-beholden script. The editing is indifferent at best, with some scenes being switched in continuity, and the direction by Bennett Cohen is by the numbers. Those minutes when Bushman, and Jack Perrin as the probate lawyer, are alone and in conversation are effective due to their relaxed rapport and, if there were more of such, the grotesquerie would have been more palatable. The film includes a most quaint fight sequence with the large and athletic Bushman having an extraordinarily difficult time in subduing a somewhat unprepossessing rival, with the action, because of odd editing, continuing for about 20 minutes, while the other players remain determined to go about their business. The engagingly original and motific score is played in witty fashion at the Wurlitzer by the talented Rosa Rio, who began her career in the 1920s in large theatres about New York and who achieved widespread and national acclaim for her musicality as accompanist to silent cinema. Her contribution and the efforts by Turner are not enough aid in suppressing feelings of ennui for most viewers of this cartoonish mishmash.

In the 1920s through the 1930s, Hollywood made quite a few old dark house movies--ones which have very, very similar plots involving a group of people stuck in a place with some maniacs. In light of this, "Midnight Faces" already has a major strike against against it. Just a few similar films would include "The Old Dark House", "The Cat and The Canary". "The Bat", "The Black Cat", "The Bat Whispers" and even comedies such as Harry Langdon in "The First Hundred Years", Buster Keaton in "The Haunted House" and Bob Hope in "Ghost Breakers"--and I'm sure I could come up with quite a few others if I tried!

This film finds out hero inheriting an old estate in Florida. However, when he, his friend and his black man-servant (thrown in for comic relief) near the home, they think they see something moving inside. Once they take possession, some of the dead uncle's old servants arrive and they are a bizarre assortment of stereotypes--including a supposed Chinese man who look like he's just walked off a Fu Manchu film set! At night, trouble erupts and it's up to the leading man and his friends to get to the bottom of it. Much of it didn't make much sense until the very end--when the long and complicated plot is explained--including what REALLY happened to the uncle. There were a few surprises but all in all, the movie seemed terribly derivative--just like the many other similar films I've seen. It's pleasant enough but nothing special.

By the way, one sour note in the film is the black servant. While he didn't over-react as badly as some black men in these films did, all too often they were included as a cheap laugh. Back then, white folks though it was hilarious to see a black man act cowardly and scared in these films. This role, like most of the films listed above, was present in this film but fortunately his performance wasn't as over the top or offensive as most--but it still wasn't necessary.

I'd like to give this film a higher rating but the poor editing and lack of continuity hurt the film. While it seems to a rip-off of the Cat and the Canary and The Bat, Midnight Faces does offer an enjoyable almost hour of viewing (the film clocks in at 53 minutes. While the acting is static (it is apparent that this is a poverty row production) the plot is good but the directing is another story (message to directors: either be a writer or a director, don't try to impress moviegoers by being a triple threat! It rarely works.) Bushman is tall, handsome, and virile. Kathryn McGuire is an attractive flapper type, and the rest of the rest is adequate. The biggest problem with this film is that the end comes so quickly. Other issues I noticed, why do the other cast members stand and watch Bushman beating the pulp out of the villain instead of rushing to his aid? Also, why is Bushman's valet seen crawling on the ground at the end of the film attempting to sprinkle salt on a pigeon or it is a pathetically small chicken? Lastly, why is the action in the film taking place at midnight when it is obviously daytime? This could have been an impressive late silent era film but the crude presentation of it makes it a film few will want to see. Still, give it a look if for just curiosity sake.