<p>Eyes Without a Face (Le Yuex sans visage) (1959) </p>
<p>A film review by Jason Pitt </p>
<p>For Critical-film.com </p>
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<p>After a car accident leaves his daughter with a terribly disfigured face now covered by a plastic mask, an obsessive doctor attempts to repair his daughters face, using pieces from other women. That's the story in a nutshell, and I'll tell you, “Eyes without a Face” is something else. It is completely unique, and has been the inspiration for a number of films since. Everything is dealt with so tastefully, as it is truly a beautiful film to look at, there is an incredible amount of atmosphere in every scene, and is an incredible production in all respects. </p>
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<p>Firstly, the doctor's daughter, Christiane, wears a mask which covers her disfigured face, which is described as a sort of gaping wound with eyes (ewww). The mask itself is very unsettling, as it very accurately resembles a female's face. Obviously it is completely devoid of emotion, making Christiane seem almost like a living mannequin. It's very creepy, even more so when the lips slightly move when Christiane speaks. </p>
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<p>The reason the film succeeds, is a combination of factors. While the subject matter is hardly taboo anymore, at the time of its release, a film that deals with graphic facial transplants and animal cruelty was very disturbing to the average movie-goer. “Eyes Without a Face” still holds up very well by today's standards, providing an incredible amount of atmosphere and tension. One particular sequence still freaked the hell out of me. That's definitely worth some kudos. </p>
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<p>As time passes, Christiane has an increasingly difficult time dealing with her disfigurement. It begins to wear on her psychologically, leading to a climax which shows us that with all the advances we've made scientifically, we are all human, and we need to be shown a little compassion, from time to time. This film lacks all compassion toward its characters, is completely emotionless and scientific. This is exactly why it is such an incredible film. I will not comment further, as I believe the film which truly needs to be experience with as little prior knowledge as possible. </p>
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<p>(Four-and-a-half Stars) </p>
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