"He was my friend! ...No, he wasn't my friend, but he was a nice man!"
I've just watched a wonderful little movie, The Mask of Dimitrios from 1944. I'm amazed at how it hasn't been released on DVD yet, because although I - wait, The Third Man was made after this one? Watching it I was so unbudging in my belief that it borrowed heavily from the The Third Man but, uh, no. Well then, that makes The Mask of Dimitrios all the more interesting. And it really is quite good, one of those movies that make me excited about films all over again.
Well you know me and my Saturday night movies; The selection is solely based around the myriad of actors I currently adore. Well wouldn't you know it, the leads in The Mask of Dimitrios are none other than my favourite on-screen duo, Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet!
Even Bogey and Bacall, Ginger and Fred have to step back for the morbidly overweight Englishman and the strange bug-eyed fellow with the German accent. Even the odd not-terribly-interesting costume thriller The Verdict was made all the more watchable for featuring these two.
I've now watched half of the eight movies they appeared together in and I still I'm just so gosh-darned entertained every time these two share a scene; Whether they're portraying friends or enemies or strangers or partners-in-crime they both display this breathtaking skill as actors, and they play so amazingly well off each other; in my mind they had some of the best on-screen chemistry in Hollywood history.
As an example, one of the most pins-and-needles scenes in the movie is a fairly static shot of them talking together, figuring out what to do next.
The camera doesn't move, they hardly move, but they keep switching back and forth between who's in charge, who's menacing and who's intimidated, and they do it with such speed and flawless fluidity it made me amazed at what two skilled actors can do.
You know, if The Maltese Falcon had been made today I'm sure there would have been made a teaser poster just featuring Greenstreet and Lorre - and possibly the nameless gunsel - since they're the villains of the piece. I so want a Greenstreet and Lorre poster. If I ever get my hand on Three Strangers and it's somewhat good I might end up buying the poster just for that. They're so iconic together.
Well you know me and my Saturday night movies; The selection is solely based around the myriad of actors I currently adore. Well wouldn't you know it, the leads in The Mask of Dimitrios are none other than my favourite on-screen duo, Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet!
Even Bogey and Bacall, Ginger and Fred have to step back for the morbidly overweight Englishman and the strange bug-eyed fellow with the German accent. Even the odd not-terribly-interesting costume thriller The Verdict was made all the more watchable for featuring these two.
I've now watched half of the eight movies they appeared together in and I still I'm just so gosh-darned entertained every time these two share a scene; Whether they're portraying friends or enemies or strangers or partners-in-crime they both display this breathtaking skill as actors, and they play so amazingly well off each other; in my mind they had some of the best on-screen chemistry in Hollywood history.
As an example, one of the most pins-and-needles scenes in the movie is a fairly static shot of them talking together, figuring out what to do next.
The camera doesn't move, they hardly move, but they keep switching back and forth between who's in charge, who's menacing and who's intimidated, and they do it with such speed and flawless fluidity it made me amazed at what two skilled actors can do.
You know, if The Maltese Falcon had been made today I'm sure there would have been made a teaser poster just featuring Greenstreet and Lorre - and possibly the nameless gunsel - since they're the villains of the piece. I so want a Greenstreet and Lorre poster. If I ever get my hand on Three Strangers and it's somewhat good I might end up buying the poster just for that. They're so iconic together.