Oct 27th   
Man of a Thousand Faces**    
(US 1957)                           
Universal-International. 122m.

Selective dramatised biopic of Lon Chaney, focusing on the perceived prejudice of his being born to deaf and dumb parents as being the cause of his divorce and subsequent custody battle for his son. The film is commendably frank in this respect, tailoring to Cagney's compatibility for the role, and carefully reconstructing the nostalgia of the original silent classics, even if the original make-up is a pretty hard act to follow.

Written by: R. Wright Campbell, Ivan Goff, Ben Roberts.
Producer: Robert Arthur.
Director: Joseph Pevney.
Starring: James Cagney, Dorothy Malone, Jane Greer, Jim Backus, Roger Smith, Robert Evans (as Irving Thalberg), Celia Lovsky, Jeanne Cagney, Snub Pollard.
Photography: Russell Metty.
Music: Frank Skinner.
Make-up: Doug Westmore.

James Cagney: man of 5 or 6 faces, all of them James Cagney. He does however manage to capture the intensity of Chaney's eyes.

Oct 20th  
Foul Play*   
(US 1978)              
Paramount. 116m.

An attractive librarian is embroiled in an assassination plot in San Francisco.
Engaging Hitchcock pastiche of thriller and comedy elements, although flimsy in both respects, in spite of a frantic finale.

Written and Directed by: Colin Higgins.
Producers: Edward K. Milkis, Thomas L. Miller.
Starring: Goldie Hawn, Chevy Chase, Dudley Moore, Burgess Meredith, Brian Dennehy, Rachel Roberts, Marc Lawrence, Eugene Roach, Billy Barty.
Photography: David M. Walsh.
Music: Charles Fox.

Preceded by:
Dust* 
(GB 2012. 8m.; w,d: Ben Ockrent, Jake Russell; s: Alan Rickman, Jodie Whittaker, Lola Albert.)