The Faceless Dead

[Hawkstar]

Heh. The topic title kind of sounds like some horror story or something. Well, it isn't that, obviously. The title refers to the fact that the faces of corpses in the movie never seem to be shown. I mean, the Scientist had one of his notes obscuring his face and the mother and child weren't facing what the audience could see. Sure, we got a brief glance at the Scientist's face after his immediate death, but that was only half of it so there wasn't really a shot of a corpse where it's face wasn't obscured by something. Do you think they did this because of stylistic choices, were complete, unobstructed shots of human carcasses faces considered too disturbing for an animated PG-13 movie, or was there some other reason? Regardless of the reason, Shane or someone who was working on it obviously wanted to slip in a face shot and they successfully did. After sixteen viewings of the movie, I found this shot...



See the body right behind 9? Of course you do. Now, maybe it's just me, but I do find that shot rather unnerving. Maybe it's because it's slipped by me so many times or it could be something else, but something about that body makes me feel uneasy...yet also fascinated. It makes me wonder about what else is lurking in the background of shots. Still, I pose those questions from earlier on why they didn't just show the faces of these other bodies. What was so special about the guy in the above picture? Speaking of which, do we have any theories on who that guy might be? I've asked someone already and he thought it might be the Chancellor. Any other suggestions? Discuss, I suppose.

[--[Evayo-∞-Infinity]--]

Look closely at his uniform, and then watch the twin's projections of the past. ;D

I'm 99.99% sure it's the Chancellor.

[phantomstar]

^ So do I. Even if someone had the same uniform as him, that corpse also has his face.
I believe the Chancellor was attempting to get to the Scientist's lab - perhaps for some last minute revenge - but obviously didn't make it in time.

[Azvolrien]

The only thing that prevents me from being convinced by that theory is that the Chancellor had hair...Oh well, maybe it fell out from stress or something.

I think concealing the faces of the other bodies was probably done to stop it from being too disturbing. That guy's only on screen for a moment, but I think (for example) the dead baby's face would probably follow a few kids into their nightmares if it appeared.

[WarriorSparrow]

Aug 25, 2010 16:17:54 GMT -5 Azvolrien said:

The only thing that prevents me from being convinced by that theory is that the Chancellor had hair...Oh well, maybe it fell out from stress or something.

Or maybe the hair just decayed since it had been years, after all.

And you know, this kind of supports the original concept art of the Chancellor killing the Scientist, but the Chancellor dying as well... do you think maybe that cameo is a very slight nod to that?

[Basch]

Yeah, as Sparrow said, hair CAN decay overtime. Especially considering he probably had went to see the Scientist before 9 awoke, got killed, fifty years go by before 9 wakes up and walks by his corpse, so he would definitely have gone bald by then.

...

Hehehehehehehe, bald. *shot*

[phantomstar]

^ I thought his hair fell out as an effect of the poison gas.

[Basch]

Hmm, that could be probable as well, Phantom. I mean, most gasses are pretty toxic, and what happens if you were to spill toxic on your hair? It'd wither away, obviously.

[6&7/MLP Fan]

Hmm...I'd seen that guy since my second viewing of the movie, but never thought about it being the Chancellor until now
^^
Nice find, Hawk

Also, sticking with the not showing human faces in death theme thingy, the guy that threw a molotov cocktail at one of the Gun Walkers and was subsequently shot up...we never see his face either, before or after death.
^^

[Annadesu]

Chancellor, I am positive of it. I actually LOVE the fact that they show him laying dead, in the middle of the city. Killed by his own machines or poison gas. Laying in the ruble. No longer a person of power, but just another corpse. The end suits him.

As for the others faces not being shown... I think it was probably mix of artistic choice, and also censorship. In a way, it's creepy to never really see the faces of the dead people. You only see the faces of people when they're alive, in flashbacks or video footage. It adds to "humans are gone" thing. Hehehe

[Bane]

I have two things I feel about this picture.

On ONE hand, the body is out in the open. Just... THERE. There are no other bodies, nothing that looks like he was being protected and I don't think he would be stupid enough to try to escape on foot. That goes against it being him.

On the OTHER HAND.... The uniform looks like him. The face kinda resembles him. He's the ONLY one who's face we see. And there are ways to explain my problems. He could have had every single person turn against him, forcing him to try to escape on his own, on foot. It's a fitting end to someone as horrible as him.

Personally? It's him. IT HAS TO BE.

[crazydiary86]

actually do not find it then so creepy. compared to the mother and child in the car, this guy is very well preserved. The mother and child were completely mummified, perhaps did not even eye.


P.S. just look at the video link to see what I mean.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK4o_ZkqG18&feature=related (Palermo, Sicilia, Italy)

[Gizmo]

It's definitely the Chancellor.

As for his body being so well preserved, perhaps he was one of the last humans to die? That the mother and child in the car were killed earlier?

Speaking of that new Chancellor and Scientist concept art I found a few days ago, I'm surprised that their murder was cut out, while the dead mother and child weren't. It obviously has nothing to do with censorship, especially if Shane was allowed to pass a dead kid (heck, a dead, decaying toddler,) in the finished version of the film.

[Mokyn]

I don't know. There's a difference between showing a parent who would have possibly been trying to protect her child, and showing a struggle that ended with a man getting a quill jammed into his eye.

And I don't really think that man is the Chancellor, but I am enjoying the discussion.

[~*~ShadowFox~*~]

I'd hate to go against everything that's been said so far about that body being the Chancellor (and like everyone said, it would be a suiting end for him), but something tells me it isn't.

First of all, the Chancellor had hair, and if the toxic gas did burn away the hair, wouldn't the Scientist be bald, too?

Secondly, the face just doesn't look like his. The body's nose is too pointed, the face too narrow . . . but the suit indicates that it is. I can't quite place it, but it's as if the body was intended to be the Chancellor, but there's this one, glaring . . . thing that says otherwise, and I can't place it. It's a bit frustrating. ^^;