History TheFaceless / Film

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* ''Film/MasterAndCommander'': The French captain's face is never seen by the audience throughout the movie, [[spoiler:until the end, when his body is seen lying in the sickbay. And then it's not even his real face yet, because the real captain swapped clothes with a dead marine, and dressed up instead as the ship's doctor, who pretended to be treating the 'captain's body' in the sickbay when Aubrey turned up (sort of a ChekhovsGunman). The real ship's doctor turned out to have died months earlier. Of course, Aubrey and Maturin only find out once the other ship is out of reach again... which means, '[[TheAdventureContinues Beat to Quarters]]']].
* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
** DarthWiki/DarthVader in the original trilogy, until his DramaticUnmask at the end of ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''.
** The Sand People of Tatooine cover their faces with goggles and wrappings to protect themselves from blowing sand. According to the Expanded Universe, they tend to get ''very'' offended if anyone tries to get a peek at what's underneath. The ''VideoGame/DarkForces'' game franchise eventually revealed what the Sand People look like without their masks: [[spoiler: vaguely like humanoid cats, with flat faces and drooping jowls]].
** The Jawas appear to be this as well. Very few of them in any material have ever removed their hoods--all anyone sees of their faces are two glowing [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]]. The Expanded Universe does mention that under their hoods they are "rodentlike" in appearance, and have "shrunken faces."
** The Imperial Stormtroopers. We never see any with their helmets off, keeping them as faceless goons.
** Boba Fett. The prequel trilogy revealed him to be Maori in appearance. In the ExpandedUniverse, the Mandalorian helmet is treated as being his "real" face, because it's what his identity is tied to. He occasionally takes advantage of this, because nobody will connect his human face to the legendary bounty hunter.
** [[InTheHood Darth Sidious]], until ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' and later.
** Subverted in ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' when [[spoiler:a captive Rey calls Kylo Ren "[[LampshadeHanging a monster in a mask]]" and, in response, Kylo unmasks himself to reveal a [[TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse normal, boyish face]].]] Played straight by Captain Phasma and all the [[FacelessGoons First Order Stormtroopers]], [[spoiler: except Finn.]]
*** Speaking of Phasma, she's the only one whom her Toys/{{LEGO}} counterpart is also faceless, while the rest of the First Order Stormtroopers have at least a Clone face.
* The Nazgûl from ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings''. Their faces aren't ''hidden;'' rather the Nazgûl are completely ''invisible'' to the normal world, and Frodo can see them when he puts on the Ring at Weathertop (clearly in the book, distorted in the movie). If the Nazgûl take off their robes, living people see nothing; this is revealed in the end, where (in the book, and partially in the film) the head Nazgûl takes off his hood, showing a crown sitting atop an invisible head.
* Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the BigBad of ''Film/FromRussiaWithLove'', ''Film/{{Thunderball}}'', ''Film/YouOnlyLiveTwice'', ''Film/OnHerMajestysSecretService'', and ''Film/DiamondsAreForever''. His face is finally revealed in ''You Only Live Twice'' (the first movie where he's the main villain instead of just telling Rosa Klebb and Largo what to do) when he meets Film/JamesBond, and is shown for the rest of his appearances, except for [[spoiler:his death in the beginning of]] ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly''. By then, the studio lost rights to SPECTRE and the bald guy with the white cat "technically" could have been anyone.
* ''Film/{{Octopussy}}'''s face is obscured when Kamal Kahn goes to see her early in the movie; only her hands are shown as she feeds her pet octopus while talking to Kahn. This, plus the way he takes orders from her and the fact that the movie is ''named'' after her made it seem like she would be the BigBad and not him.
* ''Film/{{Flash Gordon|1980}}'' (1980) - Klytus, Head of Ming the Merciless' Secret Police. His mask effectively obscures his features, though we're afforded a good view of his eyeballs and tongue when he gets tossed onto some spikes.
* In ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', Commissioner Gordon's daughter is at first completely unseen, and later we only see the back of her head (she looks to be about eight or nine). She is even only listed as "Gordon's Daughter" in the credits. Probably done to not get our hopes up about a possible future Batgirl appearance (or maybe just to not cause the confusion of the two Gordon kids both being Jrs. to their parents).
* In the movie ''Film/{{Ringu}}'', future StringyHairedGhostGirl Sadako is always shown with her long hair covering her face, even in flashbacks to when she was still alive. [[spoiler:Her grisly, rotted features are revealed in ''Film/{{Ringu 2}}'', however, and her "good" half in ''Film/Ring0Birthday'' always has her face on display.]]
** Even in ''Film/TheRing'', the ghostly form of Samara remains with her face hidden behind her hair in almost all of her appearances. TheReveal of her face near the end of the movie easily qualifies as terrifying, if only for the expression on it.
* In both the 1925 and 1959 versions of ''Literature/BenHur'', the face of Jesus Christ is never seen. In the sound version, nor is his voice heard. This is done out of reverence, of course. ''Film/TheRobe'', another big budget BibleTimes epic that came out in 1953, also uses this convention for Jesus, although in ''The Robe'' his voice is heard.
* Bill in ''[[Film/KillBill Kill Bill Volume 1]]'', but in ''Volume 2'' you see his face just about first thing.
* The driver of the semi in Steven Spielberg's ''Film/{{Duel}}''. Because the truck is the important character.
* King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem in ''Film/KingdomOfHeaven'', who suffered from leprosy, wears a mask in every appearance until [[spoiler: his sister Sybilla removes it after his death]].
* The DJ who acts as GreekChorus in ''Film/TheWarriors'' (although we do see her lips up by the microphone).
* Mara Chekhova, the operatic diva in Dario Argento's ''Film/{{Opera}}''.
* In ''Film/RaiseTheRedLantern'' The Master's face is seen clearly only at a distance, and even that only a couple of times.
* In ''Film/ErnestSavesChristmas'', Ernest has got a friend whose face we never see. All we see is his first person perspective, as Ernest clumsily bumbles about his house. This is a ShoutOut to Ernest's numerous commercials. Most of them had him talking about Product X to someone named "Vern", while "Vern" was doing something off-screen, like changing a lightbulb while Ernest held the ladder. Apparently, "Vern" is supposed to be a stand-in for the audience.
* ''Film/TheThing1982'' - Creator/JohnCarpenter invented another variant where the titular creature is seen frequently, but in forms which are obviously an ever-changing mishmash of other alien life forms, dogs, and/or men. Its natural shape is never revealed, even in death.
* The 1976 film ''Film/MohammadMessengerOfGod'' depicts early Islamic history. Mohammad never appears on-camera; his presence is indicated by the camera taking his POV, and an organ music {{leitmotif}} replaces his dialogue. It's longstanding Islamic tradition that Mohammad should never be seen in any form, under the premise that such depictions would run the risk of being used as idols, leading to worship of Mohammad rather than of [[{{God}} Allah]].
* ''Disney/TreasurePlanet'' - We viewers never get a good look at poor Jim's DisappearedDad; some people on the Internet have taken advantage of this for video crossovers and/or fanart.
* Irene Adler's enigmatic employer in ''Film/SherlockHolmes2009'' ([[spoiler: A.K.A. Professor Moriarty]]) is presented like this in his appearances. We finally get to see his face in [[Film/SherlockHolmesAGameOfShadows the second film]].
* In ''Film/CitizenKane'', Thompson, the reporter whose investigation into "Rosebud" is the backbone of the plot, is only shown from behind or with his face in shadow. In fact, ''all'' of the reporters and news-media personnel in the film (those not employed by Kane himself) are The Faceless, reinforcing that what they do is more relevant to the story than who they are.
* In ''Film/RadioFlyer'' Mikey and Bobby's abusive stepfather "The King"'s face is not fully seen throughout the movie until the end, reportedly this was done because his actor Adam Baldwin didn't want to be associated with child abuse.
* [[TheDragon Rinzler]] in ''Film/TronLegacy'', to hide the fact that he's [[spoiler: actually a [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashed]] Tron]].
* ''Film/DickTracy'' The Blank, until revealed to be [[spoiler:Breathless Mahoney]].
* The gangsters' leader from ''Animation/TheReturnOfHanuman''.
* John, the mysterious alien Guide in Enki Bilal's ''[[Film/{{Immortal}} Immortel ad Vitam]]'' has his head completely wrapped in black cloth at all times, presumably to protect himself from Earth's hostile atmosphere. When he finally succumbs to our air, he evaporates into nothingness, leaving only empty clothes behind.
* An in-universe example actually happens to Mike Wazowski in ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'', who for some reason, ''always'' has his entire face covered up in whatever media he's appeared in, such as a commercial, a magazine, and even the DVD! (The hole in the middle of the DVD was actually placed in a way so that it too covered Mike's face). A more straight example would be a Franchise/{{Godzilla}} [[{{Expy}} stand-in]] named Ted, who is apparently so tall that he can only be shown from the legs down and clucks like a chicken (he was originally going to sound exactly like Godzilla himself, but the idea was refused due to copyright reasons). A blooper at the end of the film actually revealed that his upper body actually belonged to [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory Rex]], here portrayed as a normal-sized TyrannosaurusRex instead of a plastic toy.
* In ''Film/LetMeIn'', the English-language remake of ''Film/LetTheRightOneIn'', a clever stylistic choice signifies how it is a film principally about children ([[NotGrowingUpSucks more or less]]), where the adult characters are mostly peripheral and often fleeting. Owen's island-like status is emphasised by his absent father only making one scene, by telephone, and his mother – a fairly constant presence in the book – appears numerous times yet is ''never once seen properly on camera'': she varies from being a distant figure, a ghostly reflection or obscured by a door, to fully visible yet thrown way out of focus or seen only from the neck down; even a passport-type photo glimpsed in her wallet is crumpled to the point of indistinguishability.
* Averted in ''Film/JudgeDredd''. Although Dredd keeps his helmet on whenever he's on duty, he has it off most of the movie, unlike the original ComicBook.
** Played straight in ''Film/{{Dredd}} 3D'', to fans' relief.
* In ''Film/{{REC}}'', the face of Pablo is never shown, given that [[FoundFootageFilms he's the one behind the camera]] most of the time - and even when he isn't [[spoiler:(after he dies)]], his face is never shown.
* ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'': With the exception of Elliot's mother, the audience doesn't see the faces of any adults until the final third of the movie, playing up the perspective from a child's POV.
* In ''Film/JuliasEyes'', during the middle of the film, in which Julia has her eyes bandaged, everyone she interacts with has their face obscured to the viewer; either we see them from behind or their head is cut off by the camera.
* Gene Hackman's employer in ''Film/TheConversation'' is only ever seen in shadows. Made all the more tantalizing because he's played by a very famous actor, who was unbilled in the film's original release, leading many viewers to say 'hey, is it really that guy?'
* In the film adaptation of Creator/JohnLeCarre's novel ''Film/TinkerTailorSoldierSpy'', the Soviet spymaster Karla's face is never shown, although we do hear his voice, see parts of his body and hear his name frequently as he is central to the plot.
* The killer from the ShowWithinAShow in ''Film/MidnightMovie'' is never seen without his mask. However, we do see the face of the actor who played him.
* Snake Eyes in ''Film/GIJoeTheRiseOfCobra'' and ''Film/GIJoeRetaliation''.
* Jigsaw in the ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'' series. After the [[Film/SawI first movie]], though, this turns into a strange example, as the identity of the original Jigsaw is known (one John Kramer) but as the series progresses "Jigsaw" becomes more of an idea than a single person.
* Rorschach in ''Film/{{Watchmen}}''.
* Preest in ''Film/{{Franklyn}}''.
* In ''Film/DarkPassage'', the entire first act is done from [[POVCam the POV of the main character]] and we're not shown his face. Then he has plastic surgery, and when the bandages come off we see it's now Creator/HumphreyBogart.
* In ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2014'', though we do see glimpses of him, The Shredder's mostly seen in shadows until he dons his PoweredArmor, so we don't get a proper view of his face.
* 1928 experimental short film ''[[Film/TheFallOfTheHouseOfUsher1928USA The Fall of the House of Usher]]'' never shows the face of the man who comes to visit Roderick and Madeline Usher, shooting him from behind, or showing his top hat, or showing his hands. In one scene his face actually is shown as he's leafing through a book--but it's out of focus.
* Literally in the case of Okajima in ''Film/TheFaceOfAnother'', whose face was blasted off in an industrial accident. Also true in the trope sense, as the film never really gives a good look of what Okajima's destroyed face really looks like. He's usually swathed in bandages, once he's shot from directly overhead, and there are a couple of quick looks from a distance in one scene where he's scrambling to put the bandages on when a visitor arrives.
* The Chairman in ''Film/BasnOLudziachStad'' may literally have no front. Don't ask how he talks or interacts with the {{Muggles}}.
* The spouses of the protagonists of ''Film/InTheMoodForLove'' are only ever shown from the back, though their voices are heard.
* In ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'', the {{Toon}} who really killed Marvin Acme never takes off his [[LatexPerfection rubber mask]], so all we ever see of his real appearance are his ever-shifting {{red eyes|TakeWarning}}. Even when he dies, his body dissolves under the HumanDisguise, leaving no trace other than the mask and EmptyPilesOfClothing.
* ''Film/EightWomen'': Marcel's face is never shown; he's only seen from the back or through a window from a distance. Given he's supposedly murdered, he's easily kept out of sight. It's a stylistic choice as the film revolves around the titular eight women in his life.
* ''Film/TheHighwaymen'': Bonnie and Clyde are never shown up-close until their death scene, adding to their mystique. When Hamer finally has them dead to rights after luring the pair into a trap, the two spree killers look surprisingly young (they were in their mid-twenties when they committed their crimes).
* For most of ''Film/PokemonDetectivePikachu'', Harry Goodman is only ever shown either from behind or with some sort of headgear covering his head so you can't get a good look at him. This is to conceal the fact that [[spoiler:he's portrayed by Creator/RyanReynolds]].
* The hideously disfigured Cropsy has his face concealed in shadow until the finale of ''Film/TheBurning''.
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* ''Film/StarWars'':

* This disfigured Cropsy has his face concealed in shadow, until the finale of ''Film/TheBurning''.

* In ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'', the {{Toon}} who really killed Marvin Acme never takes off his [[LatexPerfection rubber mask]], so all we ever see of his real appearance are his ever-shifting {{red eyes|TakeWarning}} Even when he dies, his body dissolves under the HumanDisguise, leaving no trace other than the mask and EmptyPilesOfClothing.

** Darth Vader in the original trilogy, although his face is finally revealed at the end of ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''.

* The Nazgûl from ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings''. Their faces aren't ''hidden;'' rather they Nazgûl are completely ''invisible'' to the normal world, and Frodo can see them when he puts on the Ring at Weathertop (clearly in the book, distorted in the movie). If the Nazgûl take off their robes, living people see nothing; this is revealed in the end, where (in the book, and partially in the film) the head Nazgûl takes off his hood, showing a crown sitting atop an invisible head.

* Irene Adler's enigmatic employer in the 2009 ''Film/SherlockHolmes'' movie ([[spoiler: A.K.A. Professor Moriarty]]) is presented like this in his appearances. We finally get to see his face in [[Film/SherlockHolmesAGameOfShadows the second film]].

* In both the 1925 and 1959 versions of ''Literature/BenHur'', the face of Jesus Christ is never seen. In the sound version, [[TheVoiceless nor is his voice heard]]. This is done out of reverence, of course. ''Film/TheRobe'', another big budget BibleTimes epic that came out in 1953, also uses this convention for Jesus, although in ''The Robe'' his voice is heard.

* In ''Film/DarkPassage'', the entire first act is done from [[POVCam the POV of the main character]] and we're not shown his face. Then he has plastic surgery, and when the bandages come off we see it's now HumphreyBogart.

* ''Film/FlashGordon'' (1980) - Klytus, Head of Ming the Merciless' Secret Police. His mask effectively obscures his features, though we're afforded a good view of his eyeballs and tongue when he gets tossed onto some spikes.

* In ''Film/BenHur1959'', the face of Jesus Christ is never seen, [[TheVoiceless nor is his voice heard]]. Presumably that this is done out of reverence.

* In the movie ''{{Ringu}}'', future StringyHairedGhostGirl Sadako is always shown with her long hair covering her face, even in flashbacks to when she was still alive. [[spoiler:Her grisly, rotted features are revealed in ''{{Ringu 2}}'', however, and her "good" half in ''Ring0Birthday'' always has her face on display.]]

* In ''Film/BenHur'', the face of Jesus Christ is never seen, [[TheVoiceless nor is his voice heard]]. Presumably that this is done out of reverence.

** Subverted in ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' when [[spoiler:a captive Rey calls Kylo Ren "[[LampshadeHanging a monster in a mask]]" and, in response, Kylo unmasks himself to reveal a [[TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse normal, boyish face]]. Played straight by Captain Phasma and all the [[FacelessGoons First Order Stormtroopers]], except Finn.]]

** Subverted in ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' when [[spoiler:a captive Rey calls Kylo Ren "[[LampshadeHanging a monster in a mask]]" and, in response, Kylo unmasks himself to reveal a [[TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse normal, boyish face]]. Played straight by Captain Phasma and all the {{Faceless Mook|s}} stormtroopers, except Finn.]]