April 12 - Georges Franju

Happy Birthday, Georges Franju! Born today in 1912, this French screenwriter and director was born in Fougères, Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, France. 

  

Among his credits, Franju is best known for co-writing and directing the 1960 French black and white horror/drama film 'Les Yeux sans visage' ('Eyes Without a Face'). 

The film was based off of French writer, screenwriter and dialogist Jean Redon's eponymous 1959 novel from the “Angoisse” collection by Fleuve noir editions. 

  

The film follows Dr. Génessier (Pierre Brasseur). He is riddled with guilt after an accident that he caused of which disfigured the face of his daughter, the once beautiful Christiane (Édith Scob), who outsiders believe is dead.  

  

Dr. Génessier, along with accomplice and laboratory assistant Louise (Alida Valli), kidnap young women and bring them to Génessier's secluded chateau. After rendering his victims unconscious, Dr. Génessier removes their faces and attempts to graft them on to Christiane's. 

  

Rare in horror cinema, the film is an odd mixture of the ghastly and the lyrical, and it has been a major influence on the genre in the decades since its release. There are images here—of terror, of gore, of inexplicable beauty—that once seen are never forgotten. 

  

The film has a unique blend of pulp, horror and poetic realism. In the decades since its release, it has been a major influence on filmmakers such as John Carpenter, Jesús Franco and, more recently, Pedro Almodóvar. 

  

During the film's production, consideration was given to the standards of European censors by setting the right tone, minimizing gore and eliminating the mad scientist character.  

  

Although the film passed through the European censors, the film's release in Europe caused controversy nevertheless. Critical reaction ranged from praise to disgust. 

The film received an American debut in an edited and dubbed form in 1962 under the title of 'The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus'. 

In the United States, 'Faustus' was released as a double feature with the 1959 American black and white science-fiction horror film 'The Manster'.  

However, the initial critical reception for 'Eyes Without a Face' was not overtly positive, but subsequent theatrical and home video re-releases improved its reputation. Modern critics praise the film for its poetic nature as well as being a notable influence on other filmmakers. 

  

Franju had an individualistic style that fits into no particular school of filmmaking. He was a director of some of the most dark and disturbing documentaries and dramas ever made.  

  

Combining realism and fantasy, lyricism and brutality, cruelty and tenderness, Franju was a cinematic poet who showed humanity’s capacity for hypocrisy and ruthlessness while sympathetically portraying the plight of its victims. 

  

Franju had been active from 1934, 1949–1978. 

  

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