Synopsis
A German scientist murders his fiancée during World War II when he learns that she has been selling the results of his secret research to the enemy.
1951 ‘Der Verlorene’ Directed by Peter Lorre
A German scientist murders his fiancée during World War II when he learns that she has been selling the results of his secret research to the enemy.
L'homme perdu, El hombre perdido, O Homem Perdido, 失落者, Un uomo perduto
In an ethically bankrupt wartime climate, Dr. Neumeister (née Rothe) is no stranger to forced complicity in the commitment of horrors befitting of it. The good doctor of the past has become a depressive husk on account of what the times hath wrought, a constant reminder that he's still alive offering little solace as his present state can hardly be considered living. Upon the arrival of a former colleague to the displaced persons camp at which he's staying, Dr. Rothe's past deeds begin to merge seamlessly with fateful necessity in the form of encroaching catharsis. Undeserving of absolution but capable of quiet, long overdue expiation, solemnly reflecting on the tragedy of all those vying desperately to live losing out to…
Peter Lorre directing himself walking down dark streets while looking moody with a cigarette hanging from his mouth is pretty much pure cinema.
It's a bit of a shame Lorre never directed anything else, because his Noir-ish story of post-WW2 Germany haunted by death and guilt is terrific.
"Let's drink to our random encounter!"
I hate being a monoglot, both in general and specifically because the only copies I could track down of Peter Lorre's sole go at directing/writing (and only return to German cinema after fleeing when Adolf and Co. took power) have horrendously translated English subtitles that make following the story - or at least the nuances - something of an obstacle course. I looked into buying a Region 2 Blu-ray, but, alas, Die Untertitel waren nur auf Deutsch. (If that's not phrased correctly, kindly blame Google Translate.) Since I'm unlikely to pick up a new language anytime soon (look to my daily desecrations of English despite decades of supposed practice), here's hoping for the eventual…
Like a sequel to M if Lorre's character had never been caught, became a lady-killing, animal-testing scientist who gets mixed up with the Gestapo during the war, and then changed his name and went undercover to became the alcoholic, deeply tormented Doctor Neumeister. I have much more to say on this film but the analogies between it and M are multiple and fascinating.
Peter Lorre directs himself the way we want him. As a cold perverse murdering stalker.
Post-Nazi burden-of-guilt noir, does 'the reconstruction' more honestly than any Euro movie I can think of. (The Third Man? Fuggedabouddit.) With a little more care given to the script, it could have been a precursor of 70s arthouse psych/thrillers like The Conformist, and knocked all of those out of the water... but I think it would have been a better movie if they hadn't written a serial killer into the narrative.
Sounds crazy, huh? That's not a thing I say very often.
definitely see the similarities between this and M which made me enjoy the lost one even more than i already did. peter lorre is such a consistantly great performer he just oozes tons of charisma
Smoking and drinking in order not to numb the body, but to keep it in an active state, to keep one´s fingers busy, to keep them away from exploring other options; to keep them focused on sensory pleasures, so that they don´t have to become the tools of death history wants them to be. Smoking and drinking as an (ever failing) resistance against living in Germany.
Not an easy watch, unrelentingly dark, as it should be. I've never seen Lorre act so naturally. He was a talented director, too bad this is his only film.
Der Verlorene estreava há 70 anos em Colônia na Alemanha.
Lorre aprendeu tudo e mais um pouco com Lang, tanto que esse acaba sendo praticamente uma releitura de M posicionado no pós-guerra, mas é aqui que está a maior questão desconfortável, dever demais ao Lang quando Lorre podia seguir seu próprio caminho.
DVDRip no MakingOff.
The Lost One is the only film ever directed by Peter Lorre, who also co-wrote the screenplay and starred in it, and I find it baffling how obscure this film is, even among cinephiles. For the mere curiosity factor of being, essentially, a Peter Lorre vanity project, this one should at least be on people's mind - and for the fact that it is actually a great film, it should be watched, and it should be praised.
Lorre returned to Germany to make The Lost One, six years after the end of World War II, and it deals with guilt and remorse, as it tells the story of a doctor (Lorre) who worked as a scientist for the Nazi regime…