John Alan Schwartz's - Faces of Death. Possibly one of the most talked about series of all time, Faces of Death examines the many guises of death in the extreme close- up. Its premise is to showcase a supposedly educational kaleidoscope of the various forms, or “faces,” of death that take place in the world, and naturally, such a claim allows the filmmakers hide behind the mask of legitimacy. Although Faces of Death is far less exploitative and insulting than its successor series Traces of Death and Faces of Gore, its true colors as exploitation bosh are all too apparent. The pathetically staged bear attack in an unnamed national park is a recreation of the infamous death of Pit Dernitz from Savage Man Savage Beast, and Climati’s classic use of cin. Video: Faces Of Death. More Faces of Death Videos. Faces of Death Photos. View All Photos (8) Help; About Rotten Tomatoes; What's the Tomatometer?
Although the death scenes from Savage Man Savage Beast are also staged, Climati’s lifelong cinematographic training adds a professional edge to the deception. In Faces of Death, the efforts to replicate these tactics are laughably bad, and only the most trusting individuals will believe the scenes are genuine. Also, Climati’s wise decision not to include sound while working with amateur actors is ignored by Schwartz, as the pathetic dialogue and delivery help to destroy any leftover credibility. Comic relief that is inserted into the scenes becomes inane and offensive instead of serving its purpose. For instance, a rather bloated version of “Old Mac. Donald” plays while a chicken is beheaded, and voiceover excitedly counts down, “One, two, one, two, three, four!” before a suicide jumper hurls herself from a window. Schwartz’s rather inept portrayal of a truly concerned medical professional doesn’t help matters. Indeed, the staged scenes serve as examples of each death they depict, yet they also happen to be the most exploitative sequences had they been genuine. This is no coincidence; Schwartz chose to stage the most exploitative examples he could imagine in order to draw an audience, which also proves that the film is intended merely as another exploitation showcase. Although the same can be said for all Mondo films (Climati’s Savage Man Savage Beast is often labeled similarly), classic Mondo cinema is able to mask its exploitation much more competently, refrains from mocking the victims, and retains some respectability through technical prowess. All these aspects are absent from Faces of Death. The blame doesn’t lie with the film itself as much as with Schwartz’s decision to partake in Mondo cinema. Mondo serves as a showcase and often lacks a coherent narrative or argument. This has been true since Jacopetti revolutionized the kaleidoscopic strategy way back in Mondo cane. The problem with this direction is that even Mondo cane becomes rather tedious after a certain point, even though the film is technically marvelous and heralded as a cinematic breakthrough. The tedium of Faces of Death doesn’t result from the fact that it’s a bad film rather than it is unavoidable. His decision not to mock the victims with his narration (although he can’t resist to include a few laughs at another’s expense) places his film several levels above the newer death films of the eighties and nineties, and the incredible influence of Faces of Death is undeniable. Although Faces of Death is far less exploitative and insulting than its successor series Traces of Death and Faces. Faces of Death Collection (Vols. 1-4) by Michael Carr DVD $46.18. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Faces of death the most forbidden film of the 80's. Two Insiders Uncover the Not-so-real Faces. Apone and Petty’s testimonials will rinse away the grimy stain that Faces of Death. Original Faces of Death + Faces of Death Fact or Fiction. Standard YouTube License. FACES DA MORTE 4 Legendado (Portugu He should also be praised for shooting his own footage (even if it is staged) instead of lazily incorporating stock footage or stealing scenes from other films, to which the Mondo genre has since degenerated. Make no mistake, I am admittedly an avid fan of exploitation and schlock cinema, but most exploitation is fictional garbage that never tries to be any more than such (except for Cannibal Holocaust, which transcends its boundaries brilliantly). Rather, it is Schwartz’s disingenuous approach and intentional failure to properly handle the subject matter that drags his film to lower standards. He was swimming in the ocean four days before they were to shoot. It turned out. to be the hippy's body. Schwartz's middle name is Alan, and Schwarz means black. German. Schwartz. Hustler magazine on electrocution as research material. Gesichter des Todes Vol. Edit. A 'mockumentary' hosted by Dr. He is trying to show you the different 'faces' of people while dying. There are faked scenes of people getting killed intermixed with footage of real accidents. There are executions by decapitation (in an unknown Arab country) and the electric chair. One scene shows a group of tourists in Egypt smashing a monkey's head while still alive and eating its brains. There are shots of animals eating people and Satanic orgies using dead bodies. There is a segment that deals with an alligator that accidentally entered 'residential' waters. The local warden goes in his boat to get the alligator back into the sea when he accidentally falls over and becomes gator bait. The film ends with newsreel footage of people jumping off buildings and major accidents.
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