The Lost One
The Lost One | |
---|---|
Directed by | Peter Lorre |
Written by |
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Produced by | Arnold Pressburger |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Václav Vích |
Edited by | Carl Otto Bartning |
Music by | Willy Schmidt-Gentner |
Production company | Arnold Pressburger Filmproduktion |
Distributed by | National-Filmverleih |
Release date |
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Running time | 98 minutes |
Country | West Germany |
Language | German |
The Lost One (German: Der Verlorene) is a 1951 West German crime drama film directed by Peter Lorre and starring Lorre, Karl John and Renate Mannhardt. It is an art film in the film noir style, based on a true story. Lorre wrote, directed, and starred in this film, his only film as director or writer.[1] The film's translated name has been used as the title of his biography.[2]
The film's sets were designed by the art director Franz Schroedter. Some scenes were shot at the Wandsbek Studios in Hamburg, while location shooting took place around the city.
Plot
[edit]The story is told through a series of flashbacks. Dr. Rothe (Peter Lorre) is a German scientist doing secret research for the Nazi government during World War II. After he discovers that his fiancée has been selling secrets to the Allies, he murders her. This is covered up by the German government. After the war, Rothe is working under an alias as a doctor for displaced persons. After seeing one of the Nazi officers who helped cover up his crime, Rothe is overcome by guilt about his wartime crimes.
Main cast
[edit]- Peter Lorre as Dr. Karl Rothe, alias Dr. Karl Neumeister
- Karl John as Hösch, alias Nowak
- Helmuth Rudolph as Colonel Winkler
- Johanna Hofer as Frau Hermann
- Renate Mannhardt as Inge Hermann
- Eva Ingeborg Scholz as Ursula Weber
- Lotte Rausch as Woman on Train
- Gisela Trowe as Prostitute
- Hansi Wendler as Rothe's Secretary
- Kurt Meister as Preefke
- Alexander Hunzinger as Drunk
Reception
[edit]The film was unsuccessful with most of the German audiences in the 1950s, who tried to forget the Nazi era and preferred Heimatfilme. Der Verlorene has since achieved more recognition.
References
[edit]- ^ Robert Keser (November 2007), "Der Verlorene", Cinémathèque Annotations on Film, no. 45
- ^ Youngkin, Stephen D. (2005). The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-2360-8.
Further reading
[edit]External links
[edit]
- 1951 films
- 1951 drama films
- German black-and-white films
- Film noir
- Films about Nazi Germany
- Films directed by Peter Lorre
- German drama films
- 1950s German-language films
- West German films
- Films shot in Hamburg
- Films set in Hamburg
- Films set in the 1940s
- Films shot at Wandsbek Studios
- 1950s German films
- Films scored by Willy Schmidt-Gentner
- German crime films
- 1950s crime films
- 1950s German film stubs