The Lost One
UW Cinematheque 821 University Ave., UW Vilas Hall, Room 4070, Madison, Wisconsin
press release:
THE LOST ONE (DER VERLORENE)
Germany | 1951 | 35mm | 98 min. | German with English subtitles
Director: Peter Lorre; Cast: Peter Lorre, Karl John, Helmuth Rudolph
In the only feature film he ever directed, Lorre plays a doctor and research scientist working in a post-war refugee camp. The sudden appearance of a former colleague (John) causes Lorre to reflect on his sinister past during the war years. A sometimes shocking stunner, Der Verlorene was a flop with European audiences on its original release and was unseen in the U.S. until 1984. “Visually, [Lorre] combines realism (the many shots of bombed-out Hamburg) and expressionism; you’ll notice the strong influence of Lang and Pabst” (Danny Peary, Guide for the Film Fanatic). 35mm print courtesy Goethe Institut.
Peter Lorre: The Mad and the Bad
On Wednesdays beginning June 20, we will pay tribute to one of cinema history’s most fascinating and compelling performers, the great Peter Lorre (1904-1964). Hungarian born, the naturally intense Lorre exploded onto movie screens as a haunted and hunted child killer in Fritz Lang’s German masterpiece M in 1931. Emigrating to the U.S. in the mid-1930s, Lorre used his large, expressive eyes and uniquely accented speech to his advantage, appearing in dozens of Hollywood productions over 30 years as both leading man and supporting player. This selection of quintessential Lorre roles demonstrates his oft-caricatured, yet inimitable style of transforming traditionally two-dimensional movie villains into recognizable and frequently sympathetic humans with equal doses of dry, sardonic humor and passionate outbursts. The series also includes Lorre’s lone directorial effort, The Lost One.
All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public.