The Mask of Dimitrios

Plot synopsis:
The year is 1938. Dutch mystery writer Cornelius Leyden (Peter Lorre) is visiting Istanbul. A fan of his, Colonel Haki (Kurt Katch) of the Turkish police, believes Leyden would be interested in the story of Dimitrios Makropoulos (Zachary Scott), whose body was just washed up on the beach. Leyden is so fascinated by what Haki tells of the dead arch-criminal that he becomes determined to learn more.
He seeks out Dimitrios' associates all over Europe, none of whom has a kind word for the deceased. They reveal more of the man's sordid life. His ex-lover, Irana Preveza (Faye Emerson), tells of his failed assassination attempt. Afterwards, he borrowed money from her and never returned.
On his travels, Leyden meets Mr. Peters (Sydney Greenstreet). Later, he catches Peters ransacking his hotel room. Peters reveals that he too had dealings with Dimitrios (he had done prison time when Dimitrios betrayed their smuggling ring to the police), and he is not convinced that the man is really dead. If he is alive, Peters plans to blackmail him for keeping his secret. He generously offers Leyden a share, but the Dutchman is interested only in learning the truth.
Wladislaw Grodek (Victor Francen) is the next link in the trail. He had hired Dimitrios to obtain some state secrets. Dimitrios manipulated Karel Bulic (Steven Geray), a meek, minor Yugoslav government official, into gambling and losing a huge sum, so he could be pressured into stealing charts of some minefields. Bulic later confessed to the authorities and committed suicide. Meanwhile, Dimitrios double-crossed Grodek, selling the charts himself to the Italian government.
Eventually, the two men track Dimitrios down in Paris. Fearful of being exposed to the authorities, he pays Peters one million francs for his silence but, true to his nature, goes to Peters' home shortly thereafter and shoots him. Leyden, his rage over Peters being shot overcoming his fear, grapples with Dimitrios, allowing the wounded Peters to grab the gun. Peters sends Leyden away to spare him from witnessing the violence to come; then shots are heard. When the police show up, Peters admits to shooting Dimitrios and does not resist arrest, satisfied with what he has accomplished. As he is taken away, he asks that Leyden write a book about the affair, and to kindly send him a copy.

Tags: revenge, cruelty, murder, flashback

Review:
It's wartime and Warners is short of those hot, young leading men, so they bring on one of the all-time great screen odd couples - Sydney and Peter - to work their magic.
And as always, they deliver, in "The Mask of Dimitrios" starring Zachary Scott, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Faye Emerson.
Though never leaving the back lot of Warners, the film takes writer Cornelius Leyden (Lorre) through Istanbul, Athens, Sofia, Geneva, Belgrade and Paris, following the life and career of an intriguing figure - Dimitrios - whose dead body Leyden has just seen in the morgue.
Finally, Cornelius meets Mr. Peters (Greenstreet) who has some startling information...and a plan."The Mask of Dimitrios" captures a European flavor with its international cast and creative sets, and director Jean Negulesco keeps the action moving.
This excellent slice of film noir sees classic actor Peter Lorre in a role that is less sinister than what we're used to seeing from him, but nevertheless; the refined performer manages a portrayal that really is a major asset for this film.
Much of the film's plot takes place in flashbacks, and in this respect, Jean Negulesco's film is very clever as we get to see the central figure's actions at the same time as learning about the kind of man he is; and like the writer at the heart of the tale, it's easy to become intrigued with the character of Dimitrios by watching the flashbacks.The cast really is a strong element of this film, and starring alongside Peter Lorre is his co-star in The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca and The Verdict (to name a few), Sydney Greenstreet.
The plot moves very well as it straddles between what is happening in the present and what went on in the past, and Frank Gruber's screenplay does a great job of ensuring that the characters are well thought-out in a film that is as intriguing as it is thrilling.
Faye Emerson as one of the women, Irana Preveza, Dimitrios used for his own selfish purposes then discarded is uncanny as she changes from a beautiful nightclub singer (in the flashback) to the worn out haggard shadow of a person she has become when relating her story to Cornelius Leyden (Lorre).
Victor Francen gives a powerful portrayal of Wladislaw Grodek, someone else Dimitrios has double crossed.The story unfolds as Leyden, a writer intrigued by Dimitrios' treachery, sets about to uncover as much information as possible about the archfiend in order to write a book.
They would appear in nine films together; this was one of their best.The movie's only real drawback is the complete absence of Greenstreet & Lorre during the lengthy flashback sequences.
Faye Emerson, the picture's leading lady, has actually a rather limited role, but she makes good use of her screen time as a Sofia nightclub owner with a sad story to tell Lorre.The large supporting cast features a considerable number of European character actors.
Chatty Florence Bates livens up her one short scene as an American society hostess living in Istanbul.Set in 1938, the film was produced during World War Two. It is a fine example of how movie magic and back lot technology could transport an audience to a temporarily inaccessible geographic location..
Mystery writer Cornelius Leyden (Peter Lorre) attends a dinner party where he is told about the recent discovery of the body of a master criminal by Colonel Haki, chief of the local police.
When Leyden learns that the criminal, Dimitrios Makropoulos, avoided capture for years, and engaged in everything from smuggling, blackmail, murder, and political assassination, he becomes intrigued, and begins an odyssey which takes him to many exotic locals in a bid to meet the actual people who dealt with, and managed to survive, encounters with the ruthless Dimitrios.
A fiction writer Cornelius Leyden (Peter Lorre) gets interested in Dimitrios' story and decides to conduct an investigation about his life and death with the intent of writing a book about it.
On the way he is joined by a mysterious stranger Mr. Peters (Sydney Greenstreet) who, as it turns out to be, has the same mission of finding out about Dimitrios' life, but whose motivations are quite different.
Peter Lorre plays it straight as a writer, Charles Latimer, who discovers for the first time that there are men like Dimitrios Makropoulos, a man who can draw others to him but who has no love for anyone except himself a man who is truly amoral.
Wonderful suspense film, with Lorre and Greenstreet, the Mutt and Jeff, of international intrigue, at the very top of their game, a great screen debut by Zachery Scott in the title role, and Victor Francen's very best performance in a minor but vital part.
It stars Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Zachary Scott and Faye Emerson.
Plot finds Lorre as mystery novelist Cornelius Leyden, who after learning of the body of master scally-wag Dimitrios Makropoulos (Scott) being washed up dead on the shores of the Bosphorus, seeks out his history in the hope of writing a novel about him - aided by the suspicious Mr. Peters (Greenstreet).
The original movie shows the difference between actors ( Greenstreet,Lorre, Francen, Geray,and Scott who is probably the greatest personification of the Oily Weasel God on screen.)and "stars" past and present.
A mystery writer (Peter Lorre) visiting Istanbul is told stories of a notorious criminal named Dimitrios (Zachary Scott) whose body was just found washed ashore on the beach.
Along the way he's joined by a mysterious man named Mr. Peters (Sydney Greenstreet), who had his own dealings with Dimitrios.Intriguing noir thriller, directed by Jean Negulesco with a fine script adapted from an Eric Ambler novel.
Most classic movie fans know any picture with Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet is bound to be good and this is one of their best.
Mask of Dimitrios is a rare film noir gem starring two of the genre's great actors in leading roles.
Mystery man Dimitrios (Scott) is found dead, causing novelist Lorre to piece together the man's sinister life, taking him all over Europe as he gets involved in a number of sub-plots.Okay, the super-dudes have their Butch and Sundance, but eccentrics like me have Pete and Syd, Lorre and Greenstreet, that is.
Alfred Hitchcock apparently thought the story was "hypnotically fascinating", and I can only wonder what he might have come up with if he'd made the film!The death of the thoroughly rascally individual Dimitrios interests a Dutch writer of detective fiction Cornelius Leyden (altered from the English Charles Latimer in the book for some reason) played by Peter Lorre whose interest is fanned by the head of the Istanbul secret police Colonel Haki.
It was Zachary Scott's film debut and most memorable role - a similar part to Orson Welles' Harry Lime five years later in The Third Man - and as the years went by neither of them seemed to be able to get a decent part.Nowadays of course Leyden would've done all his researching and travelling on his smartphone and the story would be completely different and shorter still, even with sex and violence padding it out!
Originally viewed this film in 1944 and was spellbound by the great acting skills of Sydney Greenstreet (Mr.Peters),"Christmas in Connecticut'45", who gives Peter Lorre (Cornelius Latimer Leyden), "Quicksand",'50, a very hard time, pointing guns in his face and warning him against Dimitrios (Zachary Scott),"Flamingo Road",'49, who is  a ruthless villian up to all kinds of evil tricks in order to make money.
Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet star in this atmospheric noir from 1944.Lorre plays a writer who becomes fascinated with a criminal known as Dimitrios, who's cut a path of thievery and murder across the Mediterranean.
These shady dealings take Lorre, and the audience, to all manner of exotic locales, from Istanbul to Austria."The Mask of Dimitrios" isn't that different from any number of international intrigue stories from the same time period, but what does give it a touch of the unique is the relationship between Lorre and Greenstreet, two men who form a kind of tentative friendship even though neither much trusts the other.
The movie's got great atmosphere, a rock-solid script, and two legendary character actors in the forms of Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre, and yet it remains basically unknown and unheralded.
But I still think "The Mask of Dimitrios" is ripe for rediscovery and reassessment by film buffs.The thoughtful storyline centers around the efforts of a mystery writer (Lorre) to uncover information about the life of Dimitrious (Zachary Scott), a master criminal.
(As much as I like Greenstreet, listening to him talk at length about Dimitrious isn't as interesting as seeing the man in action.) But the plot is episodic, moving between different exotic locations and different times in Dimitrious' career, so any lulls in the action are relatively brief and not too detrimental to the film as a whole.Out of all the anecdotes about Dimitrious, I must say my favorite is the one where he cheats a hapless government clerk, Karel Bulic.
All in all, an excellent movie and film to add to any mystery library or collections of Greenstreet and Lorre..
He is a mystery writer on vacation in the Levant and becomes intrigued by the story and exploits of Dimitrios Markopoulos (Zachary Scott), a spy/assassin in the Balkans in the period between the two World Wars.
He goes on a fact-finding tour to learn more about the fascinating Dimitrios, and attracts the attention of a Mr. Peters (Sydney Greenstreet), who is also interested in Dimitrios, but for very different reasons."The Mask Of Dimitrios" is an excellent story with some unexpected twists and some very good acting.
The film stays close to the Eric Ambler novel on which it is based and Scott is helped with the classic presence of Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre in the cast.
In fact Lorre and Greenstreet have as much screen time as Scott.The film is told mostly in flashback after Peter Lorre who is a mystery writer by trade identifies a body that has been fished from the Bosporus to Turkish police as that of Dimitrios Makropoulos a ruthless adventurer for hire.
Geray is the one you remember after Zachary Scott in this film.The Mask Of Dimitrios holds up remarkably well after almost 70 years.
Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet usually played in support of other Warner stars, most notably Humphrey Bogart.
Lorre plays Dutch author Cornelius Leyden who is on vacation in Istanbul when he listens to the tale of the career of legendary criminal Dimitrios Makropoulos, whose bloated body has washed ashore that day.
This movie its main character is also featured (almost) entirely just in flashback, when an intrigued detective-story writer (Peter Lorre) ventures himself into a search of who the notorious criminal Dimitrios Makropolous (Zachary Scott in his first movie role) 'was', by interviewing people he met and had business with.It's a perfect treatment for the main character, who takes mysterious and grand proportions as a cold-hearted ruthless criminal, who isn't afraid to kill and use people to complete his assignment.
Though it's debatable whether it aren't Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet who are the real main characters of the movie.
Mr Leyden (Peter Lorre) is a famous crime author who takes an interest in the story of Dimitrios (Zachary Scott) when his body is washed up on shore.
Peter Lorre is always fun to watch while Zachary Scott makes an effective baddie as Dimitrios.
Peter Lorre is a mystery writer in Istanbul who delves into the life of a master criminal by the name of Dimitrios (Zachary Scott in his film debut).
Popular Pairing of Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet from a Novel by Eric Ambler.
A Slick looking WB Film with an International Flavor and a near Perfect Performance by Zachary Scott as a Greasy, Charming Criminal.The Movie is very Well Regarded and the Style is Norish with Flashbacks and Key Lighting Flourishes and Offbeat Characters.
For hard evidence that the fabled team of Lorre and Greenstreet was just a fable, check out this limp "thriller," in which the most intriguing episodes feature not Peter and Sydney but Zachary Scott.
(Some Spoilers) Washing up ashore off the Turkish Bosphorus Straits is a body identified as that of Dimitrios Makropoulos; a crook murderer spy blackmailer assassin double-crosser and all around lowlife no good scoundrel.Taking a well earned vacation in Istanbul is famous Dutch detective writer Corelios Leyden, Peter Lorre,who's a good friend of the local police chief Col.Haki, Kurt Katch.
Peter then together with Leyden plans to blackmail Dimitrios for one million Francs in order to keep that information for getting to the Paris police.Good pairing of Lorre and Greenstreet as they track down that slimly rascal Dimitrios Talat (aka Makropoulos) and give him a taste of his own medicine.
The Mask of Dimitrios features a writer, played by Peter Lorre, who travels the world learning about a heartless criminal named Dimitrios whose body has just washed up on the shore.This Citizen Kane approach of interviews and flashbacks is fine in theory, but neither the talky flashbacks nor the talky present-day scenes are actually interesting.
Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet are both at their best in this outstanding noir of far-reaching qualities, many depending on excellent direction and fascinating cinematography.
Peter Lorre is an innocent writer with exclusively human interest, who on a visit to Istanbul encounters the case of the discovered dead body of the notorious criminal Dimitrios, universally infamous for his ruthlessness and sensational criminal career.
And so they join hands in a most intriguing human research for the truth, and both are more rewarded for their interest than they bargained for.This is a classic noir and one of the best, the atmospheric settings are irresistible, Greenstreet's enigmatic acting fills you both with awe, misgivings and reliefs, and for once Peter Lorre is a wholly sympathetic and innocent character.
But Peterson manages to turn the tables on Demetrios, and kills him (finally and fully).The film makes the most of a grand cast of character actors led by Greenstreet as Peters/Peterson, Lorre as Van Leyden, and Scott as Demetrios.
Jean Negulesco, a fine director, did well with Greenstreet and Lorre here, and would have a good second chance at it in THREE STRANGERS in a year.But while the film is an excellent example of a spy noir, it does not do the novel full justice for the extent of it's irony.
I adore "The Maltese Falcon" so "The Mask of Dimitrios" was essential viewing since I love both Peter Lorre and Sidney Greenstreet.
I think just viewing the film for Greenstreet and Lorre's many scenes together is reason enough to see "The Mask of Dimitrios".
While movies about a character told in flashback don't necessarily always excite me, I think it works in this case because Zachary Scott is a rather boring actor (to me anyway) and seeing him in small doses helps the film.
Criminality, espionage and betrayals all figure strongly and the unclear motives of some of the characters add enormously to all the intrigue involved.During a vacation in Istanbul in 1938, Dutch crime writer Cornelius Leyden (Peter Lorre) is approached local Police Chief, Colonel Haki (Kurt Katch), who says that he's a great fan of the author's books and thinks that he may be interested to hear about a criminal that the Turkish police had pursued unsuccessfully for many years and whose dead body had been found earlier that day, on a nearby beach.
As this character, Zackary Scott, in his first screen role, is faultless as he looks suitably suave and slimy and brings to life all of the notorious criminal's qualities extremely convincingly.Fay Emerson is especially effective in portraying the profound sense of disillusion that Irana Preveza feels as she tells her story that's so appropriately accompanied by the sound of a band playing "Perfidia" and the combined talents of Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet are simply terrific.
The lifeless body of a notorious master criminal Dimitrios Makropoulos(Zachary Scott)washes up on the beach and a Dutch mystery writer Cornelius Leyden(Peter Lorre)becomes obsessed with the character.
After several supporting pairings in such Warner Brothers classics as "The Maltese Falcon" and "Casablanca", character actors Peter Lorre and Sydney Grenstreet were given their own series, basically a sinister variation of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby's "Road" movies, taking them to exotic locations with calculating and sometimes confusing plots.
Here, they are total strangers who encounter each other on a train and end up in a story of espionage, betrayal and greed where the Dimitrios of the plot is an apparent corpse at the very beginning of the film whom Lorre wishes to write a mystery story about.
Through convoluted flashbacks, Dimitrios's amoral character is explored and Lorre learns through Greenstreet (sometimes at gunpoint!) of why so many people were interested in him.At first, Greenstreet and Lorre seem to be on the outside of the plot looking in as various shady characters pop in and out of the film, involved with the mysterious dead man.
Released in 1944 and possessing Warner Brothers' trademark slickness, The Mask of Dimitrios is a fast-paced, Europe-trotting tale of international intrigue boasting the two masters of intrigue, Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre.
Along the way he encounters many colorful characters, among them is a mysterious Englishman named Mr. Peters (Greenstreet) who seems most interested in Leyden's research.
For once Peter Lorre plays a good guy; not merely a sympathetic character, but perhaps the only one with a genuinely pedestrian motive regarding the dapper Zachary Scott, as the criminal mastermind Demitrios.
Lorre doesn't naively accept the other characters' machinations, but looks for the good in people, a trait which serves him well with Greenstreet.As some others have noted, the last part of the movie is the best.
Definitely worth a look for Lorre's and Greenstreet's performances, and for mystery and film noir fans as well..