The Mask of Dimitrios
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| The Mask of Dimitrios | |
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 Theatrical Poster |
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| Directed by | Jean Negulesco |
| Produced by | Henry Blanke |
| Written by | Story: Eric Ambler Screenplay: Frank Gruber |
| Starring | Sydney Greenstreet Zachary Scott Faye Emerson Peter Lorre Victor Francen |
| Music by | Adolph Deutsch |
| Cinematography | Arthur Edeson |
| Editing by | Frederick Richards |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | June 23, 1944 (U.S.A.) |
| Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Mask of Dimitrios (1944) is a American film noir directed by Jean Negulesco and written by Frank Gruber, based on the 1939 novel of the same name written by Eric Ambler (in America the novel was titled: A Coffin for Dimitrios). Ambler, is known as a major influence on writers and an inventor of the modern "thriller" genre. The drama features Sydney Greenstreet, Zachary Scott (as Dimitrios Makropoulos), Faye Emerson and Peter Lorre. This was the first film for Scott, after signing a contract with Warner Bros. pictures.[1]
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[edit] Plot
The story tells of Dutch mystery novelist Cornelius Leyden (Peter Lorre) who is traveling through Istanbul. He meets Col. Haki (Kurt Katch), the head of the secret police and a big fan of Leyden's novels.
Haki offers to give Leyden the background of Dimitrios Makropoulos (Zachary Scott), a criminal whose body was just found washed up on the beach. It seems that Makropoulos was involved in nearly every sort of lawless act imaginable, from murder and blackmail to espionage and political assassination.
Leyden decides that Makropoulos story would be an excellent subject for his next novel, and he begins researching his life, beginning with Haki's dossier on the criminal.
Leyden's research takes him through various countries in Europe. While en route by rail to Sofia, he meets a Mr. Peters (Sydney Greenstreet), who informs Leyden that "There is not enough kindness in the world," and tells him of a good hotel in town.
Grateful for the advice, Leyden checks in, only to later find Peters ransacking his room and holding him at gunpoint. It seems that Peters had business with Makropoulos, and he isn't convinced that Makropoulos is dead.
[edit] Background
Other than Ambler's American title for his novel and the fact that the mystery-detective writer is English rather than Dutch the film remains faithful to the original novel. Ambler's antihero is most certainly based upon the early career of one of the world's greatest intriguers, billionaire munitions king Basil Zaharoff.[2]
[edit] Cast
- Sydney Greenstreet as Mr. Peters
- Zachary Scott as Dimitrios Makropoulos
- Faye Emerson as Irana Preveza
- Peter Lorre as Cornelius Leyden
- Victor Francen as Wladislaw Grodek
- Steven Geray as Karel Bulic
- Florence Bates as Madame Elise Chavez
- Eduardo Ciannelli as Marukakis
- Kurt Katch as Colonel Haki
- Marjorie Hoshelle as Anna Bulic
- Georges Metaxa as Hans Werner
- John Abbott as Mr. Pappas
- Monte Blue as Abdul Dhris
- David Hoffman as Konrad
[edit] Reaction
A Channel 4 review states "the film promises more action than it delivers, but there are opportunities for fine performances by Lorre and, especially, Greenstreet as the master crook. Atmospheric cinematography and an intriguing script turn this into a fine example of film noir with an immensely entertaining cast."[3]
TV Guide calls the movie "One of the great film noir classics to come out of the 1940s, The Mask of Dimitrios boasts no superstars, just uniformly fine talents, a terrific script full of subtle intrigue and surprises, and Negulesco's exciting direction. It's an edge-of-the-seater all the way."[4]
[edit] References
- ^ The Mask of Dimitrios at the Internet Movie Database.
- ^ TV Guide. Film review, 2008. Last accessed: January 4, 2008.
- ^ Channel 4. Film review, 2008. Last accessed: January 4, 2008.
- ^ TV Guide. Film review, ibid.
[edit] External links
- The Mask of Dimitrios at the Internet Movie Database.
- The Mask of Dimitrios at Allmovie.
- The Mask of Dimitrios at the TCM Movie Database.
- The Mask of Dimitrios at Rotten Tomatoes.
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