Who let the dogs out?

Re the French face-transplant story: I've been reminded most of all of Georges Franju's Eyes Without a Face (Les Yeux Sans Visage), one of my favorite movies. (It's up there with The Shop Around the Corner!)

A recent Times story name-checked EWF, but only briefly, and amid a crowd of other title including Face/Off and Seconds. The real-life medical story is taking place in France, and of course EWF's surgeon is French.

But there was something else...a second connection, another thread from Franju to current events. I couldn't put my finger on it...

...until this weekend, when I passed two dogs, playfully growling at each other. The woman in France had been attacked (while unconscious) by her own dog...and in EWF, the doctor has been experimenting on the dogs that he keeps in the cellar. (I refrain from giving away the ending—but let's just say that dogs play a key role.)

I apologize for the title of this post.

Your friend,
Billy Idol