Details
Movie Description
In Mel Gibson's directorial debut, THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE, Chuck Nordstadt (Nick Stahl) has idealized the memory of his deceased fighter pilot father so much that he dreams of one day walking in his footsteps by attending military school. When he fails the entrance exam at his father's alma mater, Chuck asks former teacher Justin McLeod (Mel Gibson), a disfigured recluse living in the coastal village where Chuck and his family are vacationing, to help tutor him. Chuck and McLeod develop a special friendship that helps both to overcome their tragic, difficult pasts.
Synopsis
Young Chuck Norstadt (Nick Stahl) is tired of his mother's ever-changing boyfriends, his obnoxious teenage half-sister and his younger tagalong half-sister, making the summer with them in a remote coastal town seemingly unbearable. More than anything, Chuck yearns to attend military school and follow in the steps of his deceased fighter pilot father, whose memory he has completely idealized. After he fails the entrance exam to his father's alma mater, Chuck is determined to spend his summer preparing to take the exam again. He enlists the help of the mysterious and reclusive Justin McLeod (Mel Gibson), a former teacher. Against his better judgment, McLeod, whose facial disfigurement is the source of constant town gossip, becomes Chuck's tutor. As the two prepare for the exam, they forge an unlikely friendship. Chuck begins to see McLeod as a father figure, and ultimately must come to terms with truth about his own father. McLeod, meanwhile, begins to feel human again as a result of his interaction with Chuck. Mel Gibson (BRAVEHEART) makes his directorial debut with this touching coming-of-age tale, based on the acclaimed novel by Isabelle Holland.
Film Notes
Theatrical release: August 1993.
THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE was shot on location in Maine.
The film was the directorial debut for actor Mel Gibson. Icon Productions is Gibson's own production company.
The film was also the acting debut for Nick Stahl.
Industry Reviews
"...A crisp, picturesque look and a believable manner....[Gibson] sustains a gravity..."
New York Times - p.C13 - Janet Maslin
"...Gibson makes a solid meat-and-potatoes directorial debut....Generous insights..."
Entertainment Weekly - p.63 - Entertainment Weekly Staff
"...Ample heart....In addition to the charm of the two main characters, the movie manages to glorify education without being heavy-handed..."
Variety - Brian Lowry
"...The movie is Gibson's debut as a director, and shows him not only with a good visual sense, but with what is even rarer, the confidence to know what needs to be told and what can be left unsaid..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (08/25/1993)
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