The Human Face

In short, I found this very entertaining miniseries both interesting and informative. John Cleese's presentation as well as the appearances by familiar actors and actresses alone make it worth watching, but the topic itself just happens to be very interesting: the complexities of the human face, and the way we respond to faces mentally, make for a fascinating bit of viewing.

John Cleese doesn't seem to have gotten the credit he deserves in some of the other reviews here. He is not just a celebrity who knows nothing about the topic he is presenting--he in fact conceived and wrote "The Human Face."

In short, "The Human Face" is both comical and scholarly and definitely worth watching if you have an opportunity.

It seems that a BBC documentary series can't be made these days without a celebrity to promote it. Recently we've had Sam Neill with "Space" and this series presented by comedy veteran John Cleese. What qualifies these people escapes me, since they appear to have no real expertise at all, just a curiosity like the viewing audience. If you think John Cleese is God (like some people do), or even if you just like him (and I realise how popular the cult "Monty Python" was/is in the US), you'll be immediately interested in any series he gets involved in. Personally, I think that John Cleese is about as funny in this series as he was in those supermarket commercials (to viewers outside the UK, that isn't very funny). He does tend to be a bit OTT at times, but the premise of the series has its merits. It was certainly an unusual idea to dedicate a show to the human face, and you learn plenty of things you'd never have known, and could easily have lived without knowing. Mr Cleese isn't the only celeb appearing in the show. Liz Hurley makes an appearance as an example of the human face at its most beautiful, and we learn the mathematical formula that makes her so incredibly gorgeous (shame I can't remember what it is).

I loved this series. It appears as if John Cleese is not only a great comedian, but a great narrator and writer, he can be good in so many areas, that I don't hesitate when I say he did a great job here. The subject is highly interesting, I learnt a lot of things about the human face that I never ever imagined before, and it is inspiring for human contact(just watch for the final comments about the internet on the first episode). Just for that I would watch it, but remember you also have the great performances of Cleese and Liz Hurley amongst others, and great chances for a good laugh. It's a real treat. And if you are a fan of Cleese, this is of course, a must see.

By and large this is an enjoyable, well produced/researched compilation, but two things touch on my own sensitivities. Microexpressions, are they really very accurate? Facial ticks, hellooo! We do make expressions to try to alter our emotions certainly; the person who lies could be hoping to make a grimace. You really have to have a history of watching the person. Along with that, is the claim for the appeal of white; Assessing health of a person by skin hue on a first encounter? Probably not the best selection process.. This is painting with too broad a brush, but just expresses the direction of the wind. A strong 6.

Funny and informative. I never thought the subject of human face could be stretched into four 50-minute episodes. But it can, easily as it seems. I learned a lot and laughed a lot as well. And this Elisabeth Hurley, well, she has a face I could look at for hours and hours and never get tired of it. John Cleese was able to use his comedy talent and proved that he can be a great host.