The Mask of Dimitrios Synopsis: A mystery writer named Leyden is intrigued by the tale of notorious criminal Dimitrios Makropolous, whose body was found washed up on the shore in Istanbul. ISBN: 0375726713. This was the first film for Scott after signing a contract with Warner Bros. Pictures. Check out some of our favorite superhero stars from movies and television, before they suited up. Musical. Starring Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Faye Emerson, and Zachary Scott. Dimitrios’ story is multi-faceted, a … He is seen being hustled out the door by the police, having urged the detective story writer to write a book about the case and saying he will have time to read it. The Mask Of Dimitrios, begins with us meeting the drowned corpse of Dimetrios. On his travels, Leyden meets Mr. Peters (Sydney Greenstreet). One of their films together, The Mask of Dimitrios, found the pair investigating a mystery man, Dimitrios (Zachary Scott). In the United States it was published as A Coffin for Dimitrios. A corpse washes onto the beach, which the police identify as famous, wanted criminal Dimitris Makropolous. 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. There's not enough kindness in the world." Skilfully combining a searching examination of European corruption with a pulsating quest to uncover the eponymous enigma, The Mask of Dimitrios is the finest of Ambler’s seminal inter-war espionage thrillers. Number Of Pages: 304. THE MASK DIMITRIOS ( 1944 ) – The Eric Ambler novel concerning underworld doings in Europe . Along the way, he is joined by mysterious Mr. Peters, who has his own motivation. It's an edge-of-the-seater all the way."[7]. Yet, just below the surface of his polite veneer, he is full of vengeance. "There's not enough kindness in the world", had been Peters' tagline or slogan throughout the movie. The man is Mr. Peters, played by Sydney Greenstreet. Mystery writer Cornelius Leyden becomes intrigued when the murdered body of a vicious career criminal washes up in the Bosphorus. The Mask of Dimitrios (1944) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. The secretary of an affably suave radio mystery host mysteriously commits suicide after his wealthy young niece disappears. Review by Silversaxophone Patron. The assassination attempt involving Dimitrios was based on an attempted assassination of Aleksandar Stamboliyski, the prime minister of Bulgaria. Greenstreet is interested in Leyden, because Leyden is interested in Dimitrios. The police arrive, and ID the victim as Dimitrios Makropoulos (Zachary Scott) based on a patch with his name on the inside of the victim’s coat.Colonel Haki of the Turkish police notes that Dimitrios died of a stab wound to the stomach. Publisher: Vintage Crime/Black Lizard. If he is alive, Peters plans to blackmail him for keeping his secret. He has written books on economics, but, latterly, has become successful as a writer of popular, well written detective stories. The Mask of Dimitrios Sydney Greenstreet Peter Lorre Zachary Scott (1944) A smuggler (Sydney Greenstreet) and a Dutch mystery writer (Peter Lorre) trace the life of … The Mask of Dimitrios is in many ways an old-fashioned, intelligent thriller, displaying all the craft of disciplined good writing. An armored truck driver and his ex-wife conspire with a gang to have his own truck robbed on the route. Atmospheric cinematography and an intriguing script turn this into a fine example of film noir with an immensely entertaining cast. On New Year's Eve 1946, Sheila Page kills her husband Barney. The Mask Of Dimitrios, begins with us meeting the drowned corpse of Dimetrios. They reveal more of the man's sordid life. Peters sends Leyden away to spare him from witnessing the violence to come; then shots are heard. He seeks out Dimitrios' associates all over Europe, none of whom has a kind word for the deceased. In flashback, we see how he and Dimitrios duped Bulic, a short, pudding faced government employee, (played by Steven Geray) by first causing him to fall into debt, then by coercing him to steal the chart from an office down the hall from his own post. The Mask of Dimitrios takes place in Istanbul, ca. The Mask of Dimitrios is a 1944 American film noir directed by Jean Negulesco and written by Frank Gruber, based on the 1939 novel of the same title written by Eric Ambler (in the United States, it was published as A Coffin for Dimitrios).[1]. Istanbul, winter 1938. His character is complex. (1944). A mystery writer named Leyden is intrigued by the tale of notorious criminal Dimitrios Makropolous, whose body was found washed up on the shore in Istanbul. He generously offers Leyden a share, but the Dutchman is interested only in learning the truth. Along the way, he is joined by mysterious Mr. Peters, who has his own motivation. It was almost too much watching these two suave criminals befuddle this kindly little man. The Mask of Dimitrios was written in 1939 by Eric Ambler, a key figure in the evolution of the crime thriller who brought realism and political awareness to the genre and influenced writers such as Graham Greene and John le Carré. The central character, Latimer, is an academic and writer. It is an American crime drama and a film noir. Leyden meets Irana Preveya, who met Dimitrios when he barged into her apartment to seize a crust of bread when he was on the verge of starvation. Looking for more? The Mask of Dimitrios was ‘a very unusual kind of thriller. A small-town policeman is assisted by a Harvard professor after the discovery of a human skeleton on a Massachusetts beach. From a poor working class background, Juan de Dios is a cantina performer in Seville, singing and dancing with his partner Lola. A German spy ring plans to publicize a false rumor that Russia, who is fighting Germany, plans to invade neutral Turkey in order to ally them with the Nazis. 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. Wladislaw Grodek (Victor Francen) is the next link in the trail. [2] Coleman did not like her role and Faye Emerson replaced her. The 5 Best Things to Watch the Other 6 Nights of the Week: 'Circo,' the Real 'Mad Men' and More. Eric Ambler the Godfather of the espionage thriller. Check out the full list of winners. The Mask of Dimitrios Quotes Showing 1-23 of 23 “Yet, when these facts are seen side by side with other facts in the case, it is difficult not to become lost in superstitious awe. Written by It has been adapted as a radio play and made into a feature-length film, The Mask of Dimitrios . Three strangers, each with a serious problem in their lives, share a sweepstakes ticket which they wished upon together before a Chinese idol. As he is taken away, he asks that Leyden write a book about the affair, and to kindly send him a copy. 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. Sorry you won't be going to the Indies now", ambiguously saying that Peters is or is not likely to recover. The Mask of Dimitrios Meanwhile, Dimitrios double-crossed Grodek, selling the charts himself to the Italian government. After an innocent man is executed in a case he was responsible for, a Scotland Yard superintendent finds himself investigating the murder of his key witness. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. She wishes that she could relive 1946 and avoid the mistakes that she made throughout the year. The Mask Of Dimitrios (1944) Publication date 1944 Topics peter lorre, sydney greenstreet, faye emerson, zachary scott. This is one of the great films of the 40's. The screenplay was assigned to A.I. But the king of this type of film, and the most sterling example of all, is The Mask of Dimitrios, directed by the versatile Jean Negulesco, and starring Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, Zachary Scott, Faye Emerson, Stephan Geray, and Victor Francen, among many others. The central character, Latimer, is an academic and writer. Was this review helpful to you? All the while, Leyden accidentally encounters a stout gentleman in trains, restaurants, and other places. He decides to follow the career of Dimitrios around Europe, to learn more about the man. ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Mask_of_Dimitrios&oldid=1014822317, All articles that may contain original research, Articles that may contain original research from February 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 29 March 2021, at 08:16. The Mask of Dimitrios (1939), US title: A Coffin for Dimitrios. Louella Parsons Wrote What About "Mask of Dimitrios"? Film rights were bought by Warner Bros. Use the HTML below. ( New Yorker , B'way at 88th , TR 4-9189 ; Dec. 22-23 . ) Silversaxophone’s review published on Letterboxd: Peter Lorre is a gentle, inquisitive writer intrigued by the life of the enigmatic master criminal, Dimitrios. Eventually, the two men track Dimitrios down in Paris. The Mask of Dimitrios (Charles Latimer, #1) Publication Date : 2001-10-9 | Author : Eric Ambler. They soon combine forces as the films surges towards a gripping climax. Afterwards, he borrowed money from her and never returned. Bezzerides with Henry Blanke to produce and Nancy Coleman and Helmut Dantine to star. There are other great performances all around, and this may be the only film where Peter Lorre gets to play himself. Eric Ambler . The Mask of Dimitrios. Title: The step-daughter of a district attorney falls in love with a gangster on parole who her father originally imprisoned. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? [4], New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther gave the film a mixed review in June 1944: "In telling the picaresque story of a mystery writer on the trail of a Levantine bum whose career of crime in the Balkans has stimulated the writer's awe, the film wallows deeply in discourse and tediously trite flashbacks...To be sure, the Warner schemists have poured some scabby atmosphere into this film and have been very liberal with the scenery in picturing international haunts and Balkan dives...This sort of worldly melodrama calls for refinement in cinematic style, but the writing and direction of this picture betray a rather clumsy, conventional approach. A cast of perfectly delineated grotesques glide through an addictive storyline saturated in moral ambiguity and faded glamour. During WW2, in neutral Portugal, a Dutch resistance fighter is attempting to find passage to England while trying to avoid Nazi spies and Portuguese policemen. Mr. Peters says, "You see? He decides to follow the career of Dimitrios around Europe, to learn more about the man. Their very absurdity seems to prohibit the use of the words 'chance' and 'coincidence.' Along the way, he is joined by mysterious Mr. Peters, who has his own motivation. It deals with the sum of mankind as most thrillers do…but it does not deal with them romantically, it makes us realise that such people really live and how they live; it is a description of the waste humanity produced by civilization’. "Mr. Ambler's Balkans – But what happened to the plot? The novel was published in 1939. The film remains relatively faithful to the original novel. The death intrigues visiting mystery writer Cornelius Leyden, who unravels the lethal web of deceit, blackmail and murder behind The Mask of Dimitrios. 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. 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