#mask of dimitrios (1944)

[faustiandevil]

[gnome-adjacent-vagabond]

Sometimes I wonder if I'm over-queering these old movies but then I see Arthur Lorencz with his head on Nathaniel Billings's leg and Nathaniel is unmarried but knows what a powder puff is. And THEN I see Cornelius Leyden doing whatever the fuck it is he does with Peters that CERTAINLY has no heterosexual explanation. And then the entirety of the fucking Femm family comes crashing in headlong with not one, not two, but three, count 'em, THREE queer-coded siblings plus an alcoholic gay butler. And don't get me started on Arsenic and Old Lace, The Black Cat, You'll Find Out, or any of the others.

[peterlorrefanpage]

Peter Lorre Kitten Post

Because there's been a resurgence of Peter Lorre & kittens lately.

Think Fast, Mr. Moto (1937):

Thank You, Mr. Moto (1937) (Source):

The Mask of Dimitrios (1944) Source:

The Boogie Man Will Get You (1942). Source:

The Comedy of Terrors (1963) with Vincent Price. (Peter isn't actually holding the cat, but...) Source:

"The Black Cat," Tales of Terror (1962), black cat auditions / LIFE photoshoot with Vincent Price and Joyce Jameson:

Any more? 🐱

[peterlorres21stcentury]

Peter made a lot of movies 🎦

This list is as much a resource for me as it is for all Peter Lorre fans! I'm reorganizing my physical media collection and curating all the PL films in particular, but I realized that my Internet Archive collection is incomplete. If you don't see a link to a particular film, it's because:

Titles in red mean that I DO NOT own either a physical or a high quality digital copy of this film.

Titles in blue mean that I DO own a physical or high quality digital copy, but I have not yet uploaded it out of plain forgetfulness.

I'll be working to upload as much as I can in the next few months. If you happen to have a link to a high-quality copy of any of the movies in red on this list, please let me know!

You may share this list widely, but remember some of these films are under an assumed name, hiding from the copyright gremlins. Shh. ;)

M (1931)

Bomben Auf Monte Carlo (1931)

Die Koffer Des Herrn O. F. (1931)

Der weiße Dämon (1932)

Fünf von der Jazzband (1932)

Schuß im Morgengrauen (1932)

Stupéfiants (1932)

F.P.1 Antwortet Nicht (1932)

M (English dub) (1932)

Unsichtbare Gegner (1932)

Du haut en bas (1933)

Les requins du pétrole (1933)

Was Frauen träumen (1933)

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

Crime And Punishment (1935)

Mad Love (1935)

Crack Up (1936)

Secret Agent (1936)

Lancer Spy (1937)

Nancy Steele Is Missing! (1937)

Thank You, Mr. Moto (1937)

Think Fast, Mr Moto (1937)

I'll Give a Million (1938)

Mr. Moto's Gamble (1938)

Mr. Moto's Last Warning (1938)

Mr. Moto Takes A Chance (1938)

Mysterious Mr. Moto (1938)

Mr. Moto in Danger Island (1939)

Mr. Moto Takes A Vacation (1939)

Island of Doomed Men (1940)

I Was An Adventuress (1940)

Strange Cargo (1940)

Stranger on the Third Floor (1940)

You'll Find Out (1940)

Mr. District Attorney (1940)

The Face Behind The Mask (1941)

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

They Met in Bombay (1941)

All Through the Night (1942)

Casablanca (1942)

The Boogie Man Will Get You (1942)

Invisible Agent (1942)

Background to Danger (1943)

The Constant Nymph (1943)

The Cross of Lorraine (1943)

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

Hollywood Canteen (1944)

Passage to Marseille (1944)

The Conspirators (1944)

The Mask of Dimitrios (1944)

Confidential Agent (1945)

Hotel Berlin (1945)

Black Angel (1946)

The Beast With Five Fingers (1946)

Three Strangers (1946)

The Chase (1946)

The Verdict (1946)

My Favorite Brunette (1947)

Casbah (1948)

Rope Of Sand (1949)

Double Confession (1950)

Quicksand (1950)

Der Verlorene (1951)

Beat the Devil (1953)

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

Around the World in 80 Days (1956)

Congo Crossing (1956)

Meet Me In Las Vegas (1956)

Hell Ship Mutiny (1957)

Silk Stockings (1957)

The Buster Keaton Story (1957)

The Sad Sack (1957)

The Story of Mankind (1957)

The Big Circus (1957)

Scent Of Mystery (1960)

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)

Five Weeks in a Balloon (1957)

Tales of Terror (1962)

The Comedy Of Terrors (1963)

The Raven (1963)

Muscle Beach Party (1964)

The Patsy (1964)

[noirgasmweetheart]

This article surprisingly fails to mention the two publicity photos featuring the cats.

[gatutor]

Marjorie Hoshelle-Zachary Scott "La máscara de Dimitrios" (The mask of Dimitrios) 1944, de Jean Negulesco.

[angelamontoo]

The Mask of Dimitrios(1944) Directed by Jean Negulesco

This is easily in my top 5 favourite Peter Lorre films on any day of the week ending in Y. Every day I kick myself for not getting around to watching this film sooner

Steller performances from everyone of course, especially Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet for playing characters who are so different to what audiences at the time expected of them

[courtp0909]

Watching: the mask 😷 of dimitrios (1944) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnk5T06u9Hq/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[archivyrep]

The erasure of records, digitization, and 1990s Hollywood films [Part 3]

Continued from part 2

Note: This article is reprinted from my History Hermann blog, with this post published there on May 19, 2019. I published it on my Wading Through the Archival Stacks WordPress blog on Aug. 28, 2020 with some revisions because I thought it was relevant to archives, at least when it comes to films.

Why do these films matter?

"If I could take all the things that I am, all the feelings I have, all the things that I want, and somehow get them on a computer card, you would be the answer. I don't know why or how you've come along at this particular point in my life. See, that's the magic part. I'm not gonna let you go."- Dr. Sidney Schaefer talks to his girlfriend (who ends up being one of the people who is spying on him) in "The President's Analyst," a 1967 film

They matter because more and more of the records held by archival institutions are digital, specifically "born-digital" (like tweets, Facebook posts). Of course, they are a bit dated, as they came out between 1992 and 1996. However, the point that records can be changed and manipulated should be considered. There should be measures in place to make sure that the records, especially digital records, are not tampered with. Perhaps this would require fixity checks, but also could necessitate rules on the usage of records themselves.

The haunting library in Citizen Kane

At the same time, the archives themselves should not be like the dark and haunting Thatcher Memorial Library in Citizen Kane, which has what some have described as having one of the world's meanest archivists, played by Georgia Backus, with hair up in a bun "and an intimidating stare on her face, a real dragon lady at the gates of knowledge." This is not the type of archives you want to go to! This is not the image that should be projected. [3]

© 2022 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Notes

[3] The same goes for Hollywood images of old archivists like in Vampires (1998) where the church archivist is introduced, a "slight, bearded man with glasses" who is sent along on a quest," in They Might Be Giants (1971) where a wealthy lawyer, who thinks he is Sherlock Holmes, teams up with a psychiatrist "to try to rid the world of evil" and in the process, one person plays an aged archivist who, despite his problems, "does come across as the sanest person in the movie and he finds clues to track down Moriarity," or in Amityville II: The Possession (1982) when a father uses a local archives to find out about a house causing trouble for his family, and in the process, he is helped by an elderly archivist, a person who says "I've worked here for 25 years."

There are other mentions of archives, but without archivists in Arlington Road (1998), Batman Begins (2005), Beverly Hills Ninja (1997), Broken Lullaby (1994), GoldenEye (1995), Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (aka Doppelganger) (1969), L.A. Confidential (1997), Message in a Bottle (1999), Ninth Gate (1999), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2017), Secret Nation (1991) [Canadian film], Shooting the Past (1999), Smila's Sense of Snow (1997), The Dark Knight (2008), The Name of the Rose (1986), The Phantom (1996), and The Shadow (1994). Also, there are said to be flirtatious archivists in Carolina Skeletons (1991) and Just Cause (1995), along with helpful ones (either initially or ultimately) in Cloud Atlas (2012), Deceived (1991), Quatermass and the Pitt (1967), The Fugitive (1993), and The Mask of Dimitrios (1944).

There are also a number of films that have archivists in the background: Charlton-Brown of the F.O. (1959), Macaroni (1986), Red (2010), Ridicule (1996), Rollerball (1975), and The Age of Stupid (2009), and those that are said to have nasty or mean archivists: Blade (1998), In the Name of the Father (1993), Scream 3 (2000), The Nasty Girl [Das Schreckliche Madchen] (1990), and The Watermelon Woman (1996). Please, do not constitute this as an endorsement of any of these films, as likely they are mostly terrible.

[faustiandevil]

First drawing of the year and it’s a shitpost lol

Anyway I saw this meme going around on Twitter and wanted to give it a go. I did want to limit a certain someone’s movies, because contrary to popular belief I do know about other movies. I DO! STOP BULLYING ME!

I will be leaving the list below under the cut along with the blank meme.

The Comedy of Terrors (1964) The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart (2013) What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) Ed Wood (1994) American Psycho (2000) Liza, a Rókatündér/Liza the Fox Fairy (2015) Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) Love Crazy (1941) The House (2022) Death Takes a Holiday (1934) The Black Cat (1934) The Mask of Dimitrios (1944) The Night of the Hunter (1955) Обыкновенное чудо / An Ordinary Miracle (1978) Sunset Boulevard (1950)

[gnome-adjacent-vagabond]

I'm collecting Peter Lorre characters like Pokémon this spooky month. Did a double feature today of Black Angel and Mad Love, and I think I preferred the former. Both were fantastic, though!

Probably shouldn't have watched Mad Love at work (it's fine don't worry about it) because it did have me softly "what the fuck"-ing under my breath, but you live and you learn.

That said, warn me now if Mask of Dimitrios will have me gasping because that's next on the list.

[darlingbandit]

Sorry, that’s Joseph Cotten, of Citizen Kane and The Third Man fame (I blame autocorrect.)

To be perfectly honest my memories of The Mask of Dimitrios are foggy at best, but (irrespective of the character of Leyden and The Mask of Dimitrios specifically) I think Bogart in his later career could have played an eccentric artist — maybe a liquor-plagued one, sure, maybe a step beyond In a Lonely Place, but I think he had a surprising range that he really could have cultivated had he not died relatively young.

In 1944, when The Mask of Dimitrios was released, Bogart more than likely wouldn’t have been given a chance by Warner Bros. to tackle an eccentric artist role, but I still think he could’ve had it in him, if the script was good.

I’m watching The Mask of Dimitrios and it’s interesting because not only is Peter Lorre the protagonist but he’s also playing a fairly normal human being. His character could have easily been played by Bogart or Joseph Cotton but instead Lorre gets to show his range as an actor.

(I haven’t finished it yet so he could easily prove himself to be a weird little sinister guy but so far he’s refreshingly normal.)

[peterlorrefanpage]

The Mask of Dimitrios (1944)

Just a small collection of our dear Peter Lorre as Cornelius Leyden:

Poster!

[peterlorres21stcentury]

Proof that yours truly has been a writer of cringe since at least 2002

Oh wow, 21 years ago, and practically to the day, as well. This was an assignment for my high school journalism class, dated March 19, 2002. I'm not sure why I remembered this specifically, but reblogging something about The Mask of Dimitrios just now must have sparked the one working neuron in my brain. I kept most of my old school assignments just because I originally typed them in Word, and they don't take up much space on the disk.

As I recall, the assignment was to write a film review in 1000 words or less, mentioning stuff you liked, and stuff you didn't like. I chose "The Mask of Dimitrios," because this was back when I was a lil baby PL fan and I obsessively taped as many of his films from TCM that I could. I'm sure my teacher thought I was crazy, but he was not alone in that opinion. Honestly, there is nothing I don't like about "Dimitrios," but I had to make something up for the purposes of the review. Enjoy my awful, awful high school writing style and laugh. :P

The Mask of Dimitrios is a hidden classic

Classic films are best when watched under optimum conditions: a darkened room, a big bowl of buttery popcorn, and rain drizzling on the windowpane outside. The Mask of Dimitrios is the perfect film to watch on such a day.

A little-known mystery thriller, it is a gem that is broadcast occasionally on classic movie networks such as TCM. With an intriguing plot and unusual characters, The Mask of Dimitrios tops most other films of the genre with its style, wit, and superb acting of 1940's Hollywood. The Mask of Dimitrios is based on an Eric Ambler book entitled A Coffin for Dimitrios. The book is about an English writer who travels the world in search of a treacherous man called Dimitrios. The film version was made in 1944 under the direction of Jean Neglesco, and features the acting talents of such immortal stars as Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, and Zachary Scott.

The movie opens in 1936 in prewar Europe. In one of his more offbeat roles, Peter Lorre plays the lead character of Cornelius Latimer Leyden, a mild-mannered Dutch mystery writer on holiday in Istanbul. While at a party, he meets Colonel Haki (Kurt Katch), the chief of police in Istanbul. Haki, an ardent fan of Leyden’s books, regales him with the story of Dimitrios, a murderer for whom he has searched for years. The fugitive Dimitrios was recently found floating in the Bosporus, a knife wound in his side. Haki even takes Leyden to see the bloated corpse on the mortuary slab. Despite the gruesome sight, Leyden is intrigued and wishes to learn more about the dead criminal in order to write a new mystery novel. He travels Europe in hopes of finding more information. One of the characters he meets, a certain Mr. Peters (Sydney Greenstreet), was once part of Dimitrios’s smuggling ring. The two become traveling companions as they help each other learn more about the man who once ruined so many lives in the past.

The story is told through atmospheric settings and flashbacks. Whether the set is a shadowy street or a plush living room, there is always a feeling of suspense and intrigue, but also with the soft suggestions of comfort and affluence. It is as if the viewer is contentedly ensconced in a favorite chair while the story plays itself out on the pages of a book. This is best demonstrated in one scene in particular, in which Leyden meets with a former smuggler of Dimitrios’s ring, named Grodek. As Leyden enters, he notices Grodek’s two cats, both looking very comfortable curled up in an armchair. Soon after, Leyden also is lulled into a sense of comfort as he sits by Grodek’s fireplace, draining another glass of Grodek’s “excellent whiskey.” The scene, although relaxed, is a set-up for the long flashback that is about to occur, soon giving way to even more mystery.

The dialogue is very clever, with a refreshing and intelligent sense of humor. At one point in the film, Leyden returns to his apartment only to find that it has been ransacked by Mr. Peters, who he met earlier on the train to Sophia. After the perplexed Leyden gets over his confusion, Mr. Peters asks if he can use his note-paper and a pencil. “Go ahead,” says Leyden, “you’ve used everything else!” It is this type of banter between Greenstreet and Lorre that adds color and sharp humor to what would be an otherwise run-of-the-mill mystery film.

The characterizations are, in a word, excellent. It wasn’t often when the short, large-eyed Peter Lorre played the lead role, but when he did, it was unforgettable. His character of Leyden is a laid-back, charming, literary person, with only a desire to learn more about Dimitrios, not to get entangled in any conflicts that may exist in the process. Moviegoers who know Lorre only as a movie villain will soon learn otherwise after watching his performance as the gentle Leyden. Zachary Scott fills the role of bad guy in this film (and also his first film) as the title role of Dimitrios. With his thin mustache, slick dark hair, and dapper pinstripe suit, he emanates evil at every step. Sydney Greenstreet, billed as “The Fat Man” by Warner Brothers, is the perfect counterpart to Lorre’s character. Under the facade of a jovial character, Greenstreet’s Mr. Peters is soon revealed to be no less greedy and cunning than those of his former smuggling members. It is interesting to note that the only major female cast member, Faye Emerson, does not have the typical romantic role, but is instead portrayed as a prostitute, a woman who was once loved and then betrayed by the murderous Dimitrios.

At times, the film drags, especially during the flashback sequences when former friends of Dimitrios tell Leyden of what they know. The script is also very talky, and could have been tightened. The drawn-out passages make one want to skip to the “good parts” and return to the web of intrigue that surrounds the characters. The viewer’s mind will sometimes drift away like the smoke curling from the tip of Leyden’s cigarette, and will instead focus on visual images, not really listening to what the characters are talking about. Be forewarned if you have a short attention span.

When Warner Brothers released the film, it was advertised in trailers under the flamboyant tagline, “Of course it’s from Warner Brothers.” The Mask of Dimitrios certainly deserves this praise. With atmosphere, mystery, and an exciting conclusion, this underrated little film certainly ranks high up among the classic early film-noirs of the 40's.

[kino51]

The Mask of Dimitrios  1944