Rating of
3/4
Are we missing one more face?
kcvidkid - wrote on 12/01/08
Interesting biopic of Lon Chaney that seems dated, not because of the era in which the movie was made, but because of the era in which the man was born and raised.
I am not of an age to remember that being deaf-mute was such a tragedy. We've seen an awful lot of movies about people overcoming diversity; having deaf parents has not been one of them. And that's the situation that really propels Chaney's life, according to this movie. His wife is terrified that their child will be born "dumb", starting a chain reaction that causes tragedy throughout their lives.
I kept watching for events that would eventually turn Creighton (Lon Chaney Jr.) into a raging alcoholic, but other than a small period of estrangement from him, his dad was really a nice guy. I guess from what I know (or think I know) about these people, the movie didn't seem authentic.
Nevertheless, it's an entertaining Hollywood epic, even though the standards for such are certainly different today.
