EMMETT Of The Unblinking Eye

TOP 10 CHANGED APPEARANCE MOVIES
OF ALL TIME!!!

February 6, 2004

John Kerry not only claims that he hasn't used botox, he's never even heard of botox.  Now, almost everyone knows that most politicians are out of touch, but no one's that out of touch! And no one's appearance changes that much in such a short period of time -- unless they're in the movies. So here we have the Top 10 Changed Appearance Movies of all time!!

	10.	The Wolf Man (1941): You can't have a Changed Appearance list without including at least one monster movie. And this is it. Lon Chaney, Jr., made a career out of playing the Wolf Man, and few actors could express anguish as well as he could. Although the special effects are not that great, given the passage of time, it's still a pretty creepy transformation, and the music is wonderful.
	9.	Face/Off  (1997): One of John Woo's first American-made films, and one of his best. John Travolta and Nicholas Cage star as an undercover FBI agent and a master terrorist who wind up changing identities -- and faces. Some truly lyrical scenes, and some very disturbing ones, make this one to watch.
	8	Tootsie (1982): Dustin Hoffman plays an out-of-work method actor who can't buy a job because he can't keep his mouth shut about the inadequacy of the roles he's offered. Only when he decides to audition for a woman's role in a soap opera does his life turn around. About the funniest movie Dustin Hoffman's ever made -- but then again, what's the competition, Ishtar?
	7	The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934): This one goes back a looooong way, but it's worth a look in any event. Leslie Howard plays English aristocrat Sir Percy Blakeney, who in his alter ego of The Scarlet Pimpernel, leads a double life rescuing French aristocrats from the Reign of Terror and the guillotine.  An old style adventure yarn.
	6	The List of Adrian Messenger (1963):  A fun old time  mystery movie with an interesting twist:  many of the all-star cast (Tony Curtis, Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, Robert Mitchum and Frank Sinatra) all appear in some kind of disguise.  The fun comes in trying to figure out who is who.  The unmasking in the end is actually a bit of a surprise and quite fun.
	5	The Four Feathers (1939):  Although the 2002 version has its moments, the all-time classic from 1939 (the greatest year in movies) is still the reigning champ.  A disgraced soldier who refuses to accompany his comrades to the Sudan disappears, only to save his friends from death.  Holds up quite well even after all these years.
	4	Witness for the Prosecution (1957):  One of the great trial movies ever.  In fact, one of the best movies ever, period.  Charles Laughton plays a British barrister called upon to defend Tyrone Power from a murder charge.  Help and hindrance come from all sides, including Marlene Dietrich.  If you haven't seen it, you really should.
	3	The Great Escape (1963):  How do you sneak 250 prisoners of war out of a POW camp?  Disguises help.  Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Donald Pleasence, Charles Bronson, James Coburn ... what a cast, and what a movie!  Always worth a watch.
	2	L.A. Confidential (1997):  Frankly, if this wasn't as good a movie as it is, it wouldn't be as high on this list as it is. But it is that good a movie, and the concept of having women of the evening undergoing plastic surgery to convert them into the likeness of famous movie stars does qualify it.  Russell Crow and Guy Pearce star as corrupt and clean cops, ably backed by Kevin Spacey, James Cromwell, and the always-enticing Kim Basinger.
	1	Some Like It Hot (1959):  Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis play two prohibition-era musicians who witness the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.  A strong desire for self preservation cause them to escape to Florida as part of an all-girls band.  Probably the best movie Marilyn Monroe ever made, and Joe E. Brown's portrayal of Osgood Fielding III is priceless.

Close, but no eyeglasses and fake nose: