Now available on DVD & Blu-Ray
Cast:
Michael Carr as Dr. Francis B. Gröss
Directed by John Alan Schwartz
Movie:
I’ll admit it upfront – I’ve always taken a dismissive attitude towards Faces of Death. Even as it was becoming a home video legend in the early ’80s, I carried such an aversion to this notorious faux documentary that this Blu-Ray special edition represents my first viewing of one of the key titles of the original VHS boom. While my junior high schoolmates were convinced that the atrocities Faces of Death presented were at least 97% real, I knew from what I read in the horror press that it was largely comprised of bogus material. And what authentic stock footage that was utilized didn’t hold much appeal for me either. Maybe I was just a sensitive kid back then but checking out actual animal slaughter and concentration camp footage seemed like a degrading, depressing way to pass the time. At least with something like Cannibal Holocaust (1979) there was the pretense of a story and it wasn’t exploiting anyone’s real suffering (all apologies to defenseless sea turtles everywhere) so I always gave Faces of Death a wide berth. Although truthfully, even if I had an interest in this exercise in mock-mondo filmmaking way back when, it wouldn’t have done me much good as it was constantly missing from any mom and pop video store that dared to stock it. Sadly, those much-loved mom and pop stores have since become a relic of the past but thanks to the glory of Blu-Ray technology, this scandalous staple of their inventory is back.
To see Faces of Death carried in a sleek, compact Blu-Ray box (with a back cover boast of a “new HD transfer,” as though this film would benefit from that) rather than in the familiar VHS sleeves of old is to immediately be struck at how times have changed. It’s impossible to be sold as a Blu-Ray disc and still appear to be seedy or underground so it’s something of a jolt to see Faces of Death taking on the look of a respectable, legit title. Even though the front cover of this disc still carries the claim that Faces of Death was “banned in 43 countries,” when it says that on a Blu-Ray box it somehow doesn’t come across as the same cool exploitation come-on that it used to. And to see that this is the “30th Anniversary Edition” is a shock all to itself. It’s hard to believe this film – that for many once represented the limits of extreme cinema – is now three decades old.
How well does Faces of Death hold up now in an era where real scenes of death and torture are as close to us as an internet browser? As someone who never saw Faces of Death during its hey-day, I can’t compare the experience of watching it then and now but I will say that I was marginally surprised by what I saw. Not in the sense that I was surprised to find out it was good – it isn’t. But it is more creative (given the canny way that editor Glenn Turner manipulated often innocuous footage – mostly the material involving animals – to appear lethal, maybe ‘resourceful’ is the appropriate term) and occasionally wacky than I expected. Faces of Death could’ve been an entirely callous, cold-blooded enterprise but that’s not the tone that writer/director John Alan Schwartz (listed in the film’s credits twice under the dual pseudonyms of ‘Conan LeCilaire’ for directing and ‘Alan Black’ for writing) goes for. The film’s framing device provides an unexpected tongue-in-cheek aspect as a phony M.D. known as “Dr. Francis B. Gross” (played by Michael Carr) guides us through his personal obsession with all the ways that the frail living things of this world meet their often-untimely ends.
In commenting on the catalog of human, animal, and even environmental carnage he’s come in contact with (yes, even our planet’s natural resources aren’t spared the ravages of death), Dr. Gross proves to be something of a philosopher. But while the subject of death has inspired many deep thinkers over the years to make poignant, piercing observations about the human condition, Dr. Gross isn’t among that company. Maybe we’re meant to understand that seeing so much death over the years has jaded the doctor’s bedside manner but courtesy of Schwartz’s script, Gross’ musings on the various tragedies that play out during the course of the film are often dryly hilarious in their mix of inquiry and vapidness. Somebody ought to collect ’em in a book:
On drowning: “â¦I find this kind of death particularly tragic. It’s caused by sheer stupidity.”
On spelunking: “â¦Many meet their end when it could easily be avoided by using some common sense.”
And in regards to an ill-fated sky-diver: “â¦The man plummeted to Earth from 2,000 feet when his parachute malfunctioned. I wondered what thoughts ran through this man’s mind as he fell from the sky at 80 miles an hour.”
I’m no student of human nature but after watching the footage of that particular accident, I’ll hazard a guess and say that gentleman’s last thought was something along the lines of “SSHHIITT – – !!” Apparently, the decades that the character of Dr. Gross has supposedly spent mulling over death and dying haven’t sharpened his insights.
But ultimately, Dr. Gross’ observations can only do so much to buffer the grimness of Faces of Death. Those inclined towards the darkest of gallows humor will find a forced chuckle here and there (mostly in those moments when the film too obviously becomes a put-on, such as during an unconvincing grizzly bear attack). But then there’s the footage that is all-too real. We see cattle meeting their brutal end in a slaughterhouse, baby seals being clubbed to death on a frozen tundra, and post-mortem views of the real victims of drowning, of vehicular accidents, and train wrecks. Pushing on further, there’s concentration camp footage as well as the sight of children dying of starvation in Third World countries. In fairness to the filmmakers, these sights are not meant to be taken lightly and are presented as unfortunate instances of suffering and losses of life. But yet, the makers of Faces of Death still chose to make a buck off of other people’s misery and that’s something that many viewers may not care to reconcile with – even thirty years later.
In the filmmaker’s defense, there’s an argument to be made that the subjects that Faces of Death deals with (such as animal cruelty, concentration camps, world hunger) have all been dealt with in more serious documentaries using the same sort of footage – none of which have ever had to contend with cries of exploitation (if anything, such films are typically lauded for their humanitarian work). So should the makers of Faces of Death be judged as immoral for presenting the same material in a different context? In my view, no – but that’s only on a technicality. What Faces of Death does may not be wrong but it’s not exactly commendable, either, and it doesn’t even begin to rate as entertainment. With the world of 2008 being desensitized to what used to be only fit for the most jaded eyes, Faces of Death is no longer so much shocking as it is simply ugly to look at.
Extras:
Feature-length commentary with director Conan LeCilaire: In a commentary track moderated by Michael Felcher, director John Alan Schwartz (aka ‘Conan LeCilaire’) comes across an amiable speaker, more than comfortable talking about Faces of Death. If Schwartz was ever embarrassed by the film’s notoriety, it doesn’t show here. This commentary is invaluable for fans of the film as Schwartz is diligent in pointing out all the film’s examples of sleight-of-hand.
“Choice Cuts” Featurette: This interview with editor Glenn Turner sheds further light on the origins of Faces of Death and its makers’ intentions.
“The Death Makers” Featurette”: FX creators Allan A. Apone and Douglas J. White, the men responsible for recreating moments that cameras didn’t originally capture (the last text to appear on screen addresses the inclusion of their work with the words
