Fuego

Love is a passion that burns like a fire. So it has been said for centuries. This cautionary tale takes a rather literal view of that assertion, and brings us a surprisingly good thriller.

Vance Pierson (Barry Sullivan) is an engineer who moves to Spain for work related reasons. Accompanying him are his wife Verna (Sherry Moreland), and daughter Sally (oddly, this small part doesn't appear to be credited to the actress who played her). They are a happy family, crammed into a tiny apartment. So Vance decides to buy a house. He goes to look at a rather impressive one, and arrives just in time to stop the owner, Laura (Martha Hyer), from burning it down so she can collect the insurance money. While Vance convinces her that she'll do better with the proceeds from a sale of the house, sparks of a different kind fly between the two of them, and soon they are involved in a passionate affair. However, when first a co-worker, and then Verna learn of the affair, Vance decides it's time to end it. As he is breaking things off with Laura, he makes the mistake of telling her that if it weren't for Verna and Sally, he would be with her. Laura decides that perhaps the best thing to do is to get rid of Verna and Sally, and since she has already mapped out a strategy for burning down the house, she simply waits until Vance has gone out for the evening and Verna and Sally are asleep upstairs, and then she sets fire to it. Vance returns unexpectedly, and runs into the burning house to try to save his wife and daughter. Unfortunately, all he succeeds in doing is getting badly burned himself while Verna and Sally die in the fire. Laura goes to visit Vance in the hospital, and when she confirms Vance's suspicions that she set the fire, he orders her out of his room, telling her that if he ever comes across her again, he'll kill her. Horrified, Laura leaves. The action shifts forward a few years, and Vance, now horribly disfigured, and wearing a mask all the time, is a roustabout with a carnival. For some strange reason, the owner's daughter, Liz (Soledad Miranda) is smitten with him, but given Vance's past, he is understandably unwilling to get involved with her. And then one day the carnival arrives in the town where Laura lives...

Given the setup, this could have been a really cheesy movie, but the writing is surprisingly good, giving the story twists and turns that keep it from becoming predictable, and a few nasty shocks that definitely grab the viewers' attention. Vance's ultimate revenge on Laura is presented in a way that is not satisfying, helping to point out that perhaps revenge was not the right solution to his problems. All in all, a more thoughtful script than one would expect from this kind of movie.

From a production standpoint, the best part of the film was watching Laura set up the fire by splashing gasoline throughout the house, taking the added step up hooking the plumbing up to a gas can, and then setting a fuse to give herself time to get away. When the fire spreads through the house, it is an exciting, if frightening scene. Contrasted with that, the scene where Vance renders Laura unconscious, and sets her apartment on fire is much tamer, helping to make his revenge on her unsatisfying. And the makeup used to show Vance's face when he reveals his disfigurement was also impressive.

The acting is a bit stylized, as was typical of the time period, but overall it is good. Sullivan gives an excellent portrayal of a complex man, delving into the dark corners of the mind of a man who first succumbs to lust, and then is driven by guilt and anger. Hyer's performance sizzles. Her beauty bewitches, and while her actions are deplorable, her regret at the outcome of what she has caused gives you a small amount of sympathy for her. Moreland's betrayed wife is well done, and the uncredited actress who plays Sally turns in a good, if occasionally cloying performance. The only real puzzle is Miranda, who gives us no clue as to what her character's attraction to Vance is all about, thus while her actions speak of good intentions, they make little sense, since we have no context in which to put them.

A dark, cautionary tale, surprisingly well done. A curiosity piece, but one well worth seeing.

I watched this movie one Saturday night on Creature Features when I was about 10-years-old and it scared the hell out of me. I had to climb in bed and sleep with my mother for the rest of the night. I didn't scare easily, I had watched The Exorcist, The Omen and every other horror movie of that day, but this one did it to me. It was the shot where Barry Sullivan reveals his face and it is burned and scarred. It truly was a scary moment for me. I bought the DVD a few years ago and rewatched it. I was 35 and didn't have to go sleep with my mother, but it was still creepy. This is a pretty good movie to seek out. Even 25 years later it still had the ability to creep me out.

Engineer Vance Pierson moves to Spain, where he will oversee the construction of his invention: a generator shaped like a ferris wheel. He meets a desperate young woman, Laura, who is trying to burn down her home for the insurance money she so badly needs. He stops the woman and they become passionate lovers. But soon Vance wants to end the affair he's having with Laura and go back to his wife and daughter. The jilted mistress flares up into a jealous rage and gets revenge on Vance...and he makes it his mission in life to get his own revenge on her. Barry Sullivan and Martha Hyer are excellent as the leads. Cult star Soledad Miranda appears as Liz, the daughter of a carnival worker, who falls for a mysterious older man. This was the first movie to have a $50 million set (Spain's Belesar Dam). Additionally, it was the first horror suspense movie filmed in Spain. It also was the first movie ever to be filmed in the province of Galicia, which is in northern Spain.

A married man named Vance Pierson (an aged Barry Sullivan , though Vincent Price was firstly slated for the character) has a brief affair with a beautiful blonde divorcee called Laura Blanco (Marta Hyer) , but he doesn't want to continue their relationship and returns to his spouse Verna Pierson (Sherry Moreland ) and 10 year-old daughter . Laura's obsession knows no bounds and she becomes increasingly violent , putting Vance's life - and that of his family's - in danger. She begins to threaten him with possesive and violent acts . This unsettling mistress, believing that if he had no more family he'd come back to her, sets fire to his house, hoping to kill them. The man, unsuccessfully attempting to rescue them, is horribly burned . After he undergoes an operation to reconstruct his face. PURE FEMALE every gorgeous inch of her...yet the strange desire that feeds on her cannot be quenched by love alone! Look at this "man" and BEWARE! There is nothing human about him except his desires! See The Thing Without A Face

Intriguing and creepy film with suspense , thrills , chills and terrifying scenes . It has a plot similar to Fatal attraction by Adrian Lyne , adding eerie elements . As a happily married has an affair with a disturbing woman resulting in unexpected and fateful consequences , then the family man starts to plot a merciless vengeance against his former jilted mistress and he will stop at nothing to have his relentless vendetta , as tension is slowly but surely built up . An expertly made , manipulative thriller , one of the most unknown films of the Sixties. This movie had memorable moments that have stayed with us who first saw it at the theater long years ago . A successful change of roles for Barry Sullivan and Martha Hyer , especially the latter as the sexy , scorned and deadly other woman . Both actors do a superb job in here , but kudos also to the rest of the cast as Luis Prendes as Police Inspector , Fernando Hilbeck as Pierson's colleague , Carlos Casaravilla , Hugo Pimentel and special mention for Soledad Miranda , Jesus's Franco muse , and who , unfortunately died early by car accident at 27 .

Colorful and evocative cinematography in Eastmancolor and Panacolor by Manuel Berenguer shot on location in Viveiro, Lugo, Galicia, Spain. However , being really necessary a perfect remastering .This motion picture "Phantom of the Ferris Wheel" or ¨Pyro... The Thing Without a Face¨ or ¨A Cold Wind from Hell¨ or ¨Wheels of fire¨well written/produced by Sidney W. Pink and was professionally directed by Julio Coll , it had an uneven hit , it bombed in some overseas countries , in others was a blockbuster and in Spain had a certain success . Winning some Spanish prizes as Winner Prize of the National Syndicate of Spectacle : Best Music : José Solá . Filmmaker Julio Coll had an important career , being expert on ¨Noir film¨ , he started collaborating in more than 30 scripts , as the classic ¨Apartado De Correos 1001¨(50) by Julio Salvador . His best works were at the beginning his career as ¨Nunca Es Demasiado Tarde¨ , ¨Carcel De Cristal¨, ¨Un Vaso De Whisky¨ and ¨Los Cuervos¨ in which there is social drama , intriguing elements and solid dramatic narrative . In 1958 he created the production company ¨Juro Film¨ with whom he writes , produces and directs his films . As he shoots ¨La Cuarta Ventana¨ (61) , ¨Ensayo General De La Muerte¨ and ¨Los Muertos No Perdonan¨ (63) . Julio , subsequently , made international co-productions as ¨Fuego¨ with Barry Sullivan , ¨Comando De Asesinos¨ with Peter Van Eyck , ¨Persecución Hasta Valencia¨ with Tom Tryon and the historical ¨La Araucana¨ with Elsa Martinelli and based on Luis De Camoens book until his death at 73. Rating : 6.5/10 . Decent and acceptable horror thriller .

In PYRO... THE THING WITHOUT A FACE, Vance and Verna Pierson (Barry Sullivan and Sherry Moreland) are the happily married parents of a lovely daughter. Vance is a successful engineer, spending his off hours searching for his dream home.

One day, Vance stumbles upon a house where a woman named Laura (Martha Hyer) is about to commit arson. The two hit it off, and an affair ensues. Things get complicated when Vance decides to break it off. Laura's not ready for this, and her firebug ways reemerge with horrific results.

This movie is a grim story of fiery death, anguish, and vengeance. Sullivan is very convincing in his tortured, sympathetic role. His singular mission isn't merely revenge. He's trying to blot out the agony of what happened to his family. An agony that can't be extinguished.

This film deserves to be more widely known...