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Face Value aka The Marla Hanson Story
R0 - America - MPI Home Video Review written by and copyright: Pat Pilon (14th April 2007). |
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The Film
 At one point in their lives, every little girl dreams of becoming a model. Some go to New York to try to follow that dream, but even less make it. Marla Hanson grew up in Independence, Missouri and went to New York. On her rise, she met a jealous landlord, who eventually destroyed her career, as the first scene shows, by slashing her face. As a story, it's very dramatic, but as a TV movie, it's not the best, however. With stars in her eyes and dreaming of making a name for herself, Mrs. Hanson, in the movie, doesn't seem to bright. From the start, we can clearly see the landlord, Steve Roth, is a creep and shouldn't be trusted. She's clearly distressed but doesn't do anything about it. It's not the best thing in the world, and it wouldn't have been hard for her to go stay at her friend's house again. The last 20 minutes is better, though, and much more appalling considering it came from real life. You just want to throttle that defense lawyer. It's very satisfying when the movie ends. The acting is likewise a bit off. It's a bit stiff and the actors look uncomfortable. It's not the most natural, though the dialogue could easily be better again. Co-writer/director John Gray (who went on to work on 'Ghost Whisperer') isn't the best with dialogue. He does, however, have some interesting camera moves, which try to make the movie a bit better than it is. They aren't too many of them, so whether or not this intention succeeds is up to the viewer to decide.
Video
1.33:1 full frame. The picture is pretty bad. It's very soft and the contrast isn't very good. The colours in the background are consistently hazy, and the foreground isn't too detailed, either. Blacks are blacks, with no real delineation. On the plus side, the black levels are strong. Specks and other blemishes don't seem to be too prevalent, as well. Skin tones are also pretty good, though sometimes may seem a bit pink. The film stock used for filming didn't seem to be too good and there it really shows on this transfer.
Audio
The only comes in the original English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track, and it's an okay track. The movie is essentially all dialogue (and some really dated music), and it comes out clearly. It's not perfect, as it sounds a tiny bit rough, but it's not bad. The other elements are mixed in well enough and everything is at good levels. The range isn't too big and the track has no problems handling it.
Extras
No extras to be found.
Overall
This is part of The True Life Collection from MPI Home Video. It's a series of TV movies based on real life event. This movie is also known as The Marla Hanson Story. It's not a boring movie, it's just a bit stilted and simple. The characters, especially the landlord, aren't the most developed. What's on screen doesn't impress anyone, though, and it doesn't make anybody seem too bright. The movie is a bleak reminder of the bad things that can happen when you meet the wrong people. I wouldn't wish this on anyone, but it's a sad part of reality, and I'm glad to know that Marla Hanson did get changes made after the events of the movie, having certain changes made in the courts system and becoming a screenwriter for a while. It's great to see determination can win over adversity.
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