Painted Faces Review: A Silent Backstage Mystery That Kinda Drifts

“Painted Faces,” a silent film from way back in the day, it's kinda hard to recommend broadly these days. If you're really into old silent mysteries, especially ones with a backstage vibe, then maybe, maybe you'll find something here. But for most folks just looking for a good movie night? Probably give this one a miss. It’s got some curious bits, but it doesn't really grab you.

The whole setup, a vaudeville murder backstage, feels like it should be juicy. And it starts with a certain kind of promise, you know? Like, “Oh, here's a classic whodunit.” But then it just... kinda drifts. There's a dancer, maybe a bit too dramatic for her own good, who gets bumped off. Everyone points fingers. It’s a whole thing.

Joe E. Brown is in this, actually. Not in his usual big, loud comedic role, which is kinda jarring to see him so restrained. He plays this guy, Gilly, who's not quite the sharpest tool in the shed, but he’s earnest. He’s the one who gets blamed. Poor Gilly. You really feel for him when he’s just trying to explain himself, and no one’s really listening. His big, expressive eyes, even without sound, really sell the confusion and fear. It’s good acting, actually. Just not what you'd expect from him. 🎭

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Painted Faces (1929) through its definitive frames.

Then there's Sôjin Kamiyama as this mysterious character, Chan. He's got this intense stare, always lurking in the background. His presence alone adds a layer of actual intrigue that the plot sometimes forgets to maintain. You keep watching him, thinking, “Okay, he's got something going on.” And he does, in a way. He moves with this quiet, almost predatory grace. Every time he's on screen, the film gets a little shot of something genuinely interesting.

The courtroom scenes, they go on for a while. You get all these different witnesses, each one trying to piece together what happened. It’s supposed to build tension, I think. But some of the testimony feels a bit repetitive. Like, we get it, everyone heard a scream. The film just really leans into that, hoping we're still hooked.

What really stuck with me was this one shot of the stage during a performance, just before everything goes wrong. The lights, the dancers, all this frantic energy. And then it cuts to the quiet, dusty backstage hallways. That contrast, that sudden shift in atmosphere, it's pretty effective. You realize how flimsy that “magic” of the stage really is. And how easily it can be broken.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Painted Faces (1929) through its definitive frames.

There’s this one moment where Gilly, our accused, is just sitting there, looking completely lost. The camera holds on him for a beat too long, maybe. But it works. You almost feel the weight of everyone's suspicion pressing down. He’s not a hero, he’s just a guy who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And the film does a decent job of making you believe that, at least for a while.

The ending... well, it ties things up. It gives you an answer, which is what a mystery needs, I suppose. But the journey there is a bit of a bumpy one. It’s not quite as twisty or as thrilling as you might hope for. It almost feels a little bit like they ran out of steam trying to make the vaudeville part interesting. The “faces” in the title, painted or otherwise, don't always reveal enough.

So, yeah. For silent film buffs, maybe. Especially if you like a good character actor like Joe E. Brown doing something different, or if you appreciate the subtle menace of Sôjin Kamiyama. For everyone else, there are probably more engaging old films out there. It’s got its moments, but it never quite gels into something truly memorable. 🤷‍♀️