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About Faces (1941)

1941 · Ephemeral film · 10 min

  • Documentary
  • Short
Watch now On the Internet Archive

Synopsis

As the nation prepares for war, the U.S. Public Health Service reminds people that the strength of the armed services depends on the health of the people, which depends on good teeth. At a Selective Service office, volunteers receive a physical exam. Bad teeth is the largest cause for failing the physical. With bad teeth, a person might be turned down by the army, business, and romance. Almost everyone has decayed teeth, says the narrator, so a regular visit to the dentist is a requirement. Danny Smith, age 24, is our example of someone who cares for his teeth, sees a dentist regularly, and occasionally gets tooth decay. What's all this got to do with defense? Plenty.

Synopsis from OMDb

Details

Released
1941-02-21
Running time
10 minutes
Language
English
Collection
Prelinger Archives

Subjects on the Internet Archive

Cast & crew

Reviews on the Internet Archive

★★★★★ · Worthy of David Lynch · Venckman · 2005-08-21

The banal subject matter (oral hygiene), the bizarre scenarios (long scenes of a man deciding whether or not to go to the dentist), and the terrifying earnestness (driven home Lowell Thomas' deeply professional narration) make this one a keeper. The clip goes from strength to strength, as we first watch a bunch of people run their tongues over their teeth, a task that seemingly takes all the mental powers they posses. We then follow the pathetic life of a man with lousy teeth as he's rejected by the army, various employers, and women. Then we are introduced to our somewhat peculiar but…

★★★★ · About Faces · Christine Hennig · 2003-02-01

This film, made by the Public Heath Service, laments the sad state of the nation's teeth and exhorts all audience members to see their dentists immediately. It was made on the eve of World War II, probably as a response to the large amounts of 4-Fs that were being given due to bad teeth. This film is a lot of fun and very mstable. Priceless moments include the narrator ordering everybody in the audience to run his or her tongue over his or her teeth (and we get to see a movie audience actually doing this), and a poor toothless sap getting spurned by a pretty woman ("He doesn't even make it to…

★★ · Doesnt live up to promise · Spuzz · 2002-12-09

For some reason, About Faces starts off strongly, with a great shot of an audience doing rather weird tongue exercises, but then gets sidetracked into a blah patriotic story about one Danny Smith, who is somewhat of a dental masochist I guess. Watch for the scene during the army physical where this guy's suspenders are hiking his pants to the middle of his torso.

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