''The Lost One'' (german: Der Verlorene) is a 1951 West German

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Peter Lorre Peter Lorre (; born László Löwenstein, ; June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian and American actor, first in Europe and later in the United States. He began his stage career in Vienna, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, before movin ...

and starring Lorre, Karl John and

Renate Mannhardt Renate Mannhardt (1920–2013) was a German actress. She starred in Peter Lorre Peter Lorre (; born László Löwenstein, ; June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian and American actor, first in Europe and later in the United States ...

. It is an art film in the film noir style, based on a true story. Lorre wrote, directed, and starred in this film, his only film as director or writer. The film's translated name has been used as the title of his biography. The film's sets were designed by the art director

Franz Schroedter Franz Schroedter (9 May 1897 – 14 November 1968) was a German art director.Giesen p.212 Selected filmography * '' The Black Count'' (1920) * '' The Dance of Love and Happiness'' (1921) * '' The New Paradise'' (1921) * '' The Queen of Whitechap ...

. Some scenes were shot at the

Wandsbek Studios The Wandsbek Studios are film production and television studios located in Wandsbek, a district of the German city of Hamburg. The complex was established in 1948 when Real Film, set up the previous year, acquired a site in Wandsbek for constr ...

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, while

location shooting Location shooting is the shooting of a film or television production in a real-world setting rather than a sound stage or backlot. The location may be interior or exterior. The filming location may be the same in which the story is set (for ex ...

took place around the city.

Plot

The story is told through a series of flashbacks. Dr. Rothe (Peter Lorre) is a German scientist doing secret research for the Nazi government during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. After he discovers that his fiancée has been selling secrets to the Allies, he murders her. This is covered up by the German government. After the war, Rothe is working under an alias as a doctor for displaced persons. After seeing one of the Nazi officers who helped cover up his crime, Rothe is overcome by guilt about his wartime crimes.

Main cast

as Dr. Karl Rothe, alias Dr. Karl Neumeister * Karl John as Hösch, alias Nowak *

Helmuth Rudolph Helmuth Rudolph (1900–1971) was a German actor. Selected filmography * '' So Ended a Great Love'' (1934) * ''The Last Waltz'' (1934) * ''Blum Affair'' (1948) * ''Blocked Signals'' (1948) * ''Love '47'' (1949) * ''The Prisoner'' (1949) * ''Don't ...

as Colonel Winkler *

Johanna Hofer Johanna Hofer (born Johanna Therese Stern; 30 July 1896 – 30 June 1988) was a German film actress. She appeared in 34 films between 1926 and 1982. Biography Hofer was born in Berlin. She was the daughter of engineer and later director of ...

as Frau Hermann *

as Inge Hermann *

Eva Ingeborg Scholz Eva Ingeborg Scholz (16 February 1928 – 21 March 2022) was a German film and television actress. Biography Eva Ingeborg Scholz made her debut in the title role of the 1948 film ''1-2-3 Corona'' and appeared regularly in films over the follow ...

as Ursula Weber *

Lotte Rausch Lotte Rausch (24 May 1913 – 11 March 1995) was a German stage and film actress.Youngkin p.324-25 Selected filmography * '' If We All Were Angels'' (1936) * '' The Broken Jug'' (1937) * '' Triad'' (1938) * ''Women for Golden Hill'' (1938) * ...

as Woman on Train * Gisela Trowe as Prostitute * Hansi Wendler as Rothe's Secretary * Kurt Meister as Preefke *

Alexander Hunzinger Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

as Drunk

Reception

The film was unsuccessful with most of the German audiences in the 1950s, who tried to forget the Nazi era and preferred

Heimatfilm ' (, German for "homeland-films"; German singular: ') were films of a genre popular in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria from the late 1940s to the early 1960s. ''Heimat'' can be translated as "home" (in the geographic sense), "hometown" or "homela ...

e. ''Der Verlorene'' has since achieved more recognition.

References

External links

*

1951 films 1951 drama films German black-and-white films Film noir Films about Nazi Germany Films directed by Peter Lorre German drama films 1950s German-language films West German films Films shot in Hamburg Films set in Hamburg Films set in the 1940s Films shot at Wandsbek Studios 1950s German films {{1950s-Germany-film-stub

Plot

Main cast

Reception

References

Further reading

External links