''The False Faces'' is a 1919 American silent action film written and directed by

Irvin Willat Irvin V. Willat (November 18, 1890 – April 17, 1976) was an American film director of the silent film, silent film era. A short biography reprinted from ''Blue Book of the Screen'' (1923). He directed 39 films between 1917 and 1937. Early i ...

, based on the novel by

Louis Joseph Vance Louis Joseph Vance (September 19, 1879 – December 16, 1933) was an American novelist, screenwriter and film producer. He created the popular character Michael Lanyard, a criminal-turned-detective known as The Lone Wolf. Biography Louis Jo ...

, and starring

Henry B. Walthall Henry Brazeale Walthall (March 16, 1878 – June 17, 1936) was an American stage and film actor. He appeared as the Little Colonel in D. W. Griffith's ''The Birth of a Nation'' (1915). Early life Henry B. Walthall was born March 16, 1878 on a ...

as Michael Lanyard, the "

Lone Wolf A lone wolf is a wolf not belonging to a pack. Lone wolf or Lone Wolf may also refer to: Literature *''Lone Wolf'', a book by Kathryn Lasky, part of the series called ''Wolves of the Beyond'' *''Lone Wolf and Cub'', a 1970 Japanese graphic nov ...

," and

Lon Chaney Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) was an American actor. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and affli ...

as Karl Ekstrom, the villain. A complete print of the film survives at the

George Eastman House The George Eastman Museum, also referred to as ''George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film'', the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in ...

and at the Turner Film Library. It was thought to be lost for years, but was later found and somewhat restored. Director Willat was originally to have shared co-directing chores with Jerome Storm, but when the film's production was moved back from August to October, he ended up being the sole director. Lon Chaney's energetic performance, especially in the film's furious finale, remains an early example of his celebrated work. Chaney is shown applying a fake beard to his face in one scene, the only time he was ever photographed in a film applying his makeup. Chaney also designed and applied actress Jane Daly's makeup to give her the appearance of a "sea-corpse" as she appears to the haunted U-boat captain in the film. A cover reproduction of the film's sheet music exists. Based on a series of novels begun in 1914 by

, the

character remained a part of popular culture for generations, with movies ranging from 1917 to 1949 starring Jack Holt,

Melvyn Douglas Melvyn Douglas (born Melvyn Edouard Hesselberg, April 5, 1901 – August 4, 1981) was an American actor. Douglas came to prominence in the 1930s as a suave leading man, perhaps best typified by his performance in the romantic comedy ''Ninotchka ...

Warren William Warren William (born Warren William Krech; December 2, 1894 – September 24, 1948) was a Broadway and Hollywood actor, immensely popular during the early 1930s; he was later nicknamed the "King of Pre-Code". He was the first actor to play Perry ...

Gerald Mohr Gerald Mohr (June 11, 1914 – November 9, 1968) was an American radio, film, and television character actor and frequent leading man, who appeared in more than 500 radio plays, 73 films, and over 100 television shows. Early years Mohr wa ...

(who had also played the part in a radio series) and others in the Michael Lanyard role, as well as a 1954-55 "Lone Wolf" television series with

Louis Hayward Louis Charles Hayward (19 March 1909 – 21 February 1985) was a Johannesburg-born, British-American actor. Biography Born in Johannesburg, Louis Hayward lived in South Africa and was educated in France and England, including Latymer Upper Scho ...

delineating his fictional exploits.

had starred in D. W. Griffith's seminal ''

The Birth of a Nation ''The Birth of a Nation'', originally called ''The Clansman'', is a 1915 American silent epic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. The screenplay is adapted from Thomas Dixon Jr.'s 1905 novel and play ''The Cla ...

'' four years earlier, while

went on to become one of the world's most enduring cultural icons with performances in films such as the ''

Hunchback of Notre Dame ''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (french: Notre-Dame de Paris, translation=''Our Lady of Paris'', originally titled ''Notre-Dame de Paris. 1482'') is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. It focuses on the unfortunate story o ...

'' four years later and the

Phantom of the Opera ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pierr ...

in 1925.

Plot

During World War I, Michael Lanyard, a professional thief known as "The Lone Wolf" (

), is assigned to cross No-Man's-Land to steal a cylinder with important information from behind the German lines and bring it to Allied Intelligence headquarters on the British side. Once there, the British Captain Osbourne sends him on a mission to the United States, crossing the Atlantic by ship. However, German agents are out to stop him, headed by the dreaded Karl Eckstrom (

), the man who was responsible for murdering Lanyard's sister and her family. On the boat, Lanyard meets Cecilia Brooke who gives him a secret message. Eckstrom is able to signal a German submarine in the area and causes the ship to be torpedoed. Lanyard is thrown overboard and picked up by the crew of the German sub, but he fools them by posing as Eckstrom. He is able to destroy the sub as it nears Martha's Vineyard, and heads for New York City. He discovers the Germans have kidnapped Cecilia and are holding her in a secret headquarters there. Lanyard breaks in and fights Eckstrom to rescue Cecilia, tricking Eckstrom's own men into shooting him in a hail of bullets. He then exposes the German spy ring to the police and completes his secret mission.

Cast

as Michael Lanyard, the "

" * Mary Anderson as Cecilia Brooke *

as Karl Eckstrom *

Milton Ross Milton Ross (December 2, 1876 – September 6, 1941) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1914 and 1948. Selected filmography * ''The Green Swamp'' (1916) * ''The Gunfighter'' (1917) * ''The Desert Man'' (1 ...

as Ralph Crane * Thornton Edwards as Lieutenant Thackery *

William Bowman William, Willie, Will, Bill, or Billy Bowman may refer to: Sportspeople * Bill Bowman (baseball) (1867–1944), American baseball player for the Chicago Colts * William Bowman (fencer) (1881–1947), American Olympic fencer * Bill Bowman (American ...

as Captain Osborne * Garry McGarry as Submarine Lieutenant * Ernest Pasque as Blensop

Reception

"Whereas other melodramas make some effort to create the temporary illusion of possibility and consistency, THE FALSE FACES soars through its own high course of fights, feats and thrills, regardless of all laws, human and divine. Thomas H. Ince, who produced the photoplay, and Irvin V. Willatt, who directed it, seem to have set out to make No Man's Land look tame compared to the New York battlefront, and they have done so." ---The New York Times "There are several reasons why this offering should please picturegoers, especially those who enjoy the kind that are strong and virile. To begin with, it is full of high speed action; again, due to the logical development of the story, it keeps one in continual suspense; further, it contains no gruesome or repulsive situations." ---Motion Picture News "(The film) is derived from one of the best stories of its kind. It is also one of the best released by Paramount-Artcraft....''The False Faces'' will hold closely the attention of any audience.... With all this masterly handling of incident, there is lacking at moments that dramatic quality which leads up to a crisis. This is compensated for in a measure by the fine impersonation of Walthall, whose native ability and admirable training enable him to make effective use of his opportunities. He is capably supported by Lon Chaney as "Eckstrom" and practically all the men in the cast, but Mary Anderson seldom rises to the gravity of her role." ---Moving Picture World "It's a sure 'nuff thriller from beginning to end, with a mystery plot that introduces a succession of surprises and a lot of situations that will get any crowd by reason of their novelty and dramatic strength... Lon Chaney is the personification of villainy as Eckstrom." ---Wid's Film DailyBlake, Michael F. (1998). "The Films of Lon Chaney". Vestal Press Inc. Page 92. .

References

External links

*
''The False Faces'' synopsis at allmovie.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:False Faces, The 1919 films 1919 crime drama films American crime drama films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Films directed by Irvin Willat Films based on American novels Paramount Pictures films The Lone Wolf films American World War I films 1910s American films Silent American drama films