The Face at the Window (1939 film)

The Face at the Window

Company type	Film
Industry	Motion picture
Founded	1939
Founder	George King
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Horror film

The Face at the Window is a British horror motion picture from 1939, both directed and produced by George King. This film represents the second sound-era adaptation of F. Brooke Warren's 1897 theatrical melodrama, succeeding an earlier 1932 rendition. The cast includes Tod Slaughter portraying Chevalier Lucio del Gardo and John Warwick in the role of Lucien Cortier.

Plot

The narrative unfolds in Paris during the year 1880, focusing on a string of homicides connected to a terrifying visage seen at the windows of victims, attributed to an enigmatic Wolf Man figure. Lucien Cortier, a bank employee wrongfully implicated in these offenses, endeavors to clear his name while being pursued by the relentless Chevalier Lucio del Gardo.

Cast

• Tod Slaughter – Chevalier Lucio del Gardo
• Marjorie Taylor – Cecile de Brisson
• John Warwick – Lucien Cortier
• Leonard Henry – Gaston, the Cook
• Aubrey Mallalieu – M. de Brisson
• Robert Adair – Police Inspector Gouffert
• Wallace Evennett – Professor LeBlanc
• Kay Lewis – Babette, the Maid
• Bill Shine – Pierre, Babette's Beau
• Margaret Yarde – La Pinan
• Harry Terry – The Face at the Window

Critical reception

Film Weekly characterized the movie as "a classic thriller, delivered with the authentic spirit of a bygone era"; in more recent commentary, Britmovie highlighted "Tod Slaughter's delightfully exaggerated sinister performance," whereas the Radio Times observed that without Slaughter's dramatic flair, the slow-paced, stage-like murder mystery would lack appeal.

External links

• Face at the Window at BFI Screenonline