''The Lost One'' () is a 1951 West German

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...

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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Peter Lorre Peter Lorre (; born László Löwenstein, ; June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian and American actor, active first in Europe and later in the United States. Known for his timidly devious characters, his appearance, and accented vo ...

and starring Lorre, Karl John and

Renate Mannhardt Renate Mannhardt (1920–2013) was a German actress. She starred in Peter Lorre's 1951 film ''The Lost One ''The Lost One'' () is a 1951 West German crime drama film directed by Peter Lorre and starring Lorre, Karl John and Renate Mannhardt. ...

. It is an art film in the

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

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 Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

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 Whitechapel ...

and Karl Weber. Some scenes were shot at Studio

Bendestorf Bendestorf is a municipality in Lower Saxony in Germany. It is situated ca. 30 km south of Hamburg and belongs to the Landkreis (district) Harburg and the ''Samtgemeinde'' of Jesteburg. The first mentioning of Bendestorf dates back to the ...

and on provisional stages in the former

flak tower Flak towers () were large, above-ground, anti-aircraft gun blockhouse towers constructed by Nazi Germany. "Flak" is short for anti-aircraft gun in German: ''Flugabwehrkanone''. There were a total of 8 flak tower complexes in the cities of Berlin ...

Heiligengeistfeld Heiligengeistfeld (German: "Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost Field") is an area of Hamburg in the St. Pauli quarter. The ''Hamburger Dom'' funfair has been held there since 1893. When the area is not used for exhibitions, circuses or the Dom it is a car ...

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

, 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. When filmmaking professionals refer to shooting "on location", they are ...

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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. 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) * '' Back in the Country'' (1936) * '' Blum Affair'' (1948) * '' Blocked Signals'' (1948) * '' Love '47'' (1949 ...

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 follo ...

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 Gisela Trowe (5 September 1922 in Dortmund – 5 April 2010 in Hamburg) was a German actress and voice actress. Selected filmography * 1948: ''Street Acquaintances (1948 film), Street Acquaintances'' * 1948: ''The Time with You'' * 1948: ' * ...

as Prostitute *

Hansi Wendler Hansi Wendler (1912–2010) was a German film actress.Goble p.411 Selected filmography * ''Men Are That Way'' (1939) * '' Two in a Big City'' (1942) * '' I'll Carry You in My Arms'' (1943) * ''Why Are You Lying, Elisabeth?'' (1944) * ''The Lost O ...

as Rothe's Secretary *

Kurt Meister Kurt is a male given name in Germanic languages. ''Kurt'' or ''Curt'' originated as short forms of the Germanic Konrad/Conrad, depending on geographical usage, with meanings including counselor or advisor. Like Conrad, it can also a surname an ...

as Preefke *

Alexander Hunzinger Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. 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 A ...

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 West Germany, Switzerland, and Austria from the late 1940s to the early 1960s. '' Heimat'' can be translated as "home" (in the geographic sense), "hometown" or " ...

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

References

External links

*

1951 films 1951 crime drama films German black-and-white films Film noir Films about Nazi Germany Films directed by Peter Lorre German crime 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 Films scored by Willy Schmidt-Gentner {{1950s-Germany-film-stub

Plot

Main cast

Reception

References

Further reading

External links