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Columbia Noir

The Face Behind the Mask

1h 8m

Directed by Robert Florey • 1941 • United States
Starring Peter Lorre, Evelyn Keyes, Don Beddoe

Directed with striking expressionist flair by French émigré filmmaker Robert Florey, this poisonous tale of the American dream turned sour stars Peter Lorre as Janos, a Hungarian immigrant who arrives in New York City full of hope—only to be horribly disfigured in a hotel fire. With his scars making it impossible to find work, Janos falls in with the criminal underworld, rising through the ranks as he raises the money to create a mask in the form of his own face. When tragedy strikes again, the now disillusioned Janos sets out on a self-destructive quest for revenge.

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