1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910813644403321

Autore

Thomas Sarah

Titolo

Peter Lorre, face maker : stardom and performance between Hollywood and Europe / / Sarah Thomas

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New York, : Berghahn Books, 2012

ISBN

1-280-49657-6

9786613591807

0-85745-442-0

Edizione

[1st ed.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (222 p.)

Collana

Film Europa : German cinema in an international context

Disciplina

791.4302/8092

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Introduction -- Lorre and the European stage (1922-1931) -- M, Fritz Lang and Hans Beckert -- The Hollywood leading roles (1935-1941) -- The supporting actor (1941-1946) -- Der Verlorene (The lost one) -- The final screen roles (1954-1964) -- Alternative 'Hollywood' media contexts -- Conclusion.

Sommario/riassunto

Peter Lorre described himself as merely a 'face maker'. His own negative attitude also characterizes traditional perspectives which position Lorre as a tragic figure within film history: the promising European artist reduced to a Hollywood gimmick, unable to escape the murderous image of his role in Fritz Lang's M. This book shows that the life of Peter Lorre cannot be reduced to a series of simplistic oppositions. It reveals that, despite the limitations of his macabre star image, Lorre's screen performances were highly ambitious, and the terms of his employment were rarely restrictive