Graham Greene thought him a genius and Bertold Brecht considered him the foremost exponent of his work, and yet Peter Lorre is often dismissed as a one-note actor. After his career defining role as the child killer Hans Beckert in Fritz Lang's 'M', Lorre was often type-cast as a villain. It's that image of the sinister baddie with the round, melancholy eyes and uncanny American/Austrian accent that tends to be evoked when his name is mentioned.
In fact, his range is much wider. Between September and October, the BFI are putting on a season which examines his work in depth, and which serves as a much needed reminder of the breadth of this great actor's talent.
Hans Beckert was certainly a career defining role for Lorre. It brought him to the attention of an international audience. But despite the frustrations that it might have inadvertently caused the actor, 'M' is in fact a fantastically profound, yet subtle film. ‘M’ was Fritz Lang's first non-silent 'Talkie' and it offers up a vivid portrait of the social and moral ferment of the Weimar republic. The BFI have scheduled 27 screenings of this landmark film, so it is literally un-missable.
Also screening are the films that Lorre made in an unlikely partnership with Sidney Greenstreet and Humphrey Bogart; The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca. Although Lorre's on-screen collaboration with the portly, assertive Greenstreet and the suave, self-assured Bogart might seem unworkable, in fact their characters clash in exactly the right ways.
One particular highlight, and another testament to Lorre's range, is 1957's Silk Stockings; a Fred Astaire musical, believe it or not. In the film, whose wonderful score was composed by Cole Porter, Lorre plays a Russian commissar who visits Paris and becomes seduced by capitalist vice. Despite insisting that he couldn't dance, Lorre steals the show in routines like Sweet Siberia, where he moves with pitch-perfect awkwardness.
This season rightly celebrates the breadth and diversity of Lorre's career and it offers a wonderful opportunity to become acquainted with the work of this Hollywood Golden Age great.
In fact, his range is much wider. Between September and October, the BFI are putting on a season which examines his work in depth, and which serves as a much needed reminder of the breadth of this great actor's talent.
Hans Beckert was certainly a career defining role for Lorre. It brought him to the attention of an international audience. But despite the frustrations that it might have inadvertently caused the actor, 'M' is in fact a fantastically profound, yet subtle film. ‘M’ was Fritz Lang's first non-silent 'Talkie' and it offers up a vivid portrait of the social and moral ferment of the Weimar republic. The BFI have scheduled 27 screenings of this landmark film, so it is literally un-missable.
Also screening are the films that Lorre made in an unlikely partnership with Sidney Greenstreet and Humphrey Bogart; The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca. Although Lorre's on-screen collaboration with the portly, assertive Greenstreet and the suave, self-assured Bogart might seem unworkable, in fact their characters clash in exactly the right ways.
One particular highlight, and another testament to Lorre's range, is 1957's Silk Stockings; a Fred Astaire musical, believe it or not. In the film, whose wonderful score was composed by Cole Porter, Lorre plays a Russian commissar who visits Paris and becomes seduced by capitalist vice. Despite insisting that he couldn't dance, Lorre steals the show in routines like Sweet Siberia, where he moves with pitch-perfect awkwardness.
This season rightly celebrates the breadth and diversity of Lorre's career and it offers a wonderful opportunity to become acquainted with the work of this Hollywood Golden Age great.
| What | Peter Lorre Season, BFI |
| Where | BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, Southbank, London, SE1 8XT | MAP |
| Nearest tube | Waterloo (underground) |
| When |
02 Sep 14 – 07 Oct 14, 12:00 AM |
| Price | £8.15 - £10.45 |
| Website | Click here to book via the BFI website. |
