Mix The Usual Suspects, The Third Man and The Maltese
Falcon and you get this fantastic film, about a Dutch mystery writer's (Peter
Lorre) obsession with a murder victim, a mysterious figure who used people and
destroyed lives, who's revealed through flashbacks and stories as a heartless,
ruthless, fearsome monster like Th Usual Suspects' "Keyser Soze," of whom it is said: "I've known many men, but I've only been afraid of one of them... Dimitrios." Turns
out, not only is Dimitrios not dead, he’s now on Lorre’s tail.
The character of
Dimitrios was based on a real life intelligence operative and arms dealer, the
mysterious Basil Zaharoff, who moved everything from guns and cannons to
submarines in the early years of the 20th century. He bought up stock
in the companies whose products he peddled, stole and broke a number of hearts,
including some from notable royal families, and built a near mythic reputation.
He was like Forrest Gump crossed with a James Bond villain, someone bent on
influencing history and somehow showing up everywhere in it; he owned a bank,
shipping docks, and a Monte Carlo casino, and made generous political and charitable
donations which helped him get a knighthood in 1918.
In this classic movie that juicy role was reduced a bit and handed to an actor making his screen debut, Zachary Scott, who was so good at being cold and elusive in this and many other noirs that it became his signature screen persona.
See it Thursday, November 15 at 10:00 AM (ET) on TCM.In this classic movie that juicy role was reduced a bit and handed to an actor making his screen debut, Zachary Scott, who was so good at being cold and elusive in this and many other noirs that it became his signature screen persona.
See me at the Speakeasy for much more classic stuff.
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