Yeux sans visage, Les (1960)

Director:

Georges Franju

Writers:

Pierre Boileau (adaptation)
Pierre Gascar (dialogue)
(more)

Release Date:

24 October 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Plot:

A brilliant surgeon, Dr. Génessier, helped by his assistant Louise, kidnaps nice young women. He removes...

Plot Keywords:

Dead Woman Dragged | Dead Woman Car Trunk | Pearl Necklace | Stockings | Poetic

Cast

Pierre Brasseur	...	Docteur Génessier
Alida Valli	...	Louise
Juliette Mayniel	...	Edna Grüber
Edith Scob	...	Christiane Génessier
François Guérin	...	Jacques Vernon
Alexandre Rignault	...	Inspector Parot
Béatrice Altariba	...	Paulette
Charles Blavette	...	L'homme de la fourrière (as Blavette)
Claude Brasseur	...	Un inspecteur / Inspector
Michel Etcheverry	...	Le docteur Lherminier - médecin légiste / Forensic surgeon
Yvette Etiévant	...	La mère
René Génin	...	Emile Tessot
Lucien Hubert	...	Un homme au cimetière
Marcel Pérès	...	Un homme au cimetière
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
France Asselin	...	(uncredited)
Charles Bayard	...	Un homme à la conférence (uncredited)
Gabrielle Doulcet	...	Une admiratrice (uncredited)
Corrado Guarducci	...	(uncredited)
Brigitte Juslin	...	(uncredited)
Charles Lavialle	...	Le concierge (uncredited)
Max Montavon	...	(uncredited)
Jimmy Perrys	...	Un homme à la morgue (uncredited)

Directed by
Georges Franju

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Pierre Boileau		adaptation
Pierre Gascar		dialogue
Thomas Narcejac		adaptation
Jean Redon		novel & adaptation
Claude Sautet		adaptation

Produced by
Jules Borkon	....	producer

Original Music by
Maurice Jarre

Cinematography by
Eugen Schüfftan		(as Eugen Shuftan)

Film Editing by
Gilbert Natot

Production Design by
Auguste Capelier

Costume Design by
Marie Martine		(gowns) (as Marie-Martine)

Makeup Department
Georges Klein	....	makeup artist
Marcelle Testard	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Margot Capelier	....	assistant production manager
Pierre Laurent	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Claude Sautet	....	assistant director

Art Department
Jacques Mély	....	assistant art director
Claude Moesching	....	assistant art director
Albert Volper	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Antoine Archimbaud	....	sound

Special Effects by
Charles-Henri Assola	....	special effects (as Henri Assola)

Camera and Electrical Department
Pierre Brard	....	assistant camera
Jean-Louis Castelli	....	still photographer
Robert Schneider	....	camera operator

Editorial Department
Denise Natot	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Maurice Jarre	....	musical director

Other crew
Ginette Diamant-Berger	....	script supervisor
Marcel Lesourd	....	animal trainer

Production Companies

• Champs-Élysées Productions (in association with)
• Lux Film

Distributors

• Lux Compagnie Cinématographique de France (1960) (France) (theatrical)
• Lux Film (1960) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Actionfilm (1961) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Lopert Pictures Corporation (1962) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• United Artists (1962) (Canada) (theatrical) (as "Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus")
• Rialto Pictures (2003) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled) (re-release)
• Beam Entertainment (Japan) (DVD distributor)
• Canvas (2007) (Belgium) (TV)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Culture Publishers (CP) (Japan) (DVD)
• Imagica Corp. (Japan) (DVD)
• Interama Video (2000) (USA) (VHS) (as "Eyes Without a Face")
• Kino Video (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Les Acacias (France)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• Tohokushinsha Film (Japan) (VHS)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Eyes Without a Face (UK)
House of Dr. Rasanoff
Occhi senza volto (Italy)
The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus (USA) (dubbed version)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:X (1959) (cut) | Argentina:16 | France:U (2007) | UK:18 (1995) | Australia:M (2007) | UK:15 (2007) | Finland:(Banned) (1962) | France:-16 | USA:Unrated

Company:

Champs-Élysées Productions

Trivia:

Hubert de Givenchy created the gowns that Christiane wears throughout the movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: There are actually two different Citroen DS cars used in the film as the Doctor's car. One, presumably a DS21, has two spotlights built into the bodywork by the headlights and chrome trim, including a driver's wing-mirror (see 10:00 as he arrives with no lights and 12:50 as he leaves a few minutes later using headlights and spotlights, another continuity gaff in itself). At 12 :50 and 14:16 the DS with spotlights is seen but at 17:19 it has changed to one with no spotlights and no wing-mirror, presumably a DS19. Though its front plate is "7769-GR75", when the Doctor puts it into the garage, the rear plate reads "2923-GR75" and the assistant's Citroen Diane has the plate "7769-GR75" on the front. At 32:18 the Diane has "2923-GY75" on the rear and at 32:55 the same on the front, which was its registration when first seen near the start of the film. Finally, at 54:49 it's back to the DS with spotlights.

Quotes:

Doctor Génessier: The future, Madame, is something we should have started on a long time ago.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Face/Off (1997)

Dark, desolate and diverting

This film is dark and somber with a sparse, repetitive music score that suggests impending danger. A brilliant but deranged surgeon, having caused his daughter's disfigurement in a car accident, loses touch with reality and tries to restore her beauty in a most repulsive manner. Undeterred by failure, Doctor Genessier continues his gruesome work, hoping to find a miracle cure that will reconstruct Christiane's facial features and also relieve him of his tremendous burden of guilt. Christiane realizes that she will never enjoy a normal life or see her beloved fiancé Jacques again. Her mute telephone calls to him just to hear his voice show how empty and lonely her life has become. Juliet Mayniel is touching as Edna, the young woman snared by the doctor's assistant, Louise. The unfortunate girl, now imprisoned and a post-surgery victim, her face wrapped in gauze and bandages, conveys the horror of her situation with her eyes in a heart-wrenching scene that is one of the film's best. Each character in this grim, unhappy feature is victimized in some fashion, but in spite of its subject matter, this cult classic is lean, first-rate storytelling.