The Great Sinner (1949)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Robert Siodmak

Writers:

Ladislas Fodor (story)
René Fülöp-Miller (story)

Release Date:

29 June 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A young writer goes to Monte Carlo to write about gambling and gamblers, only to ultimately become a compulsive gambler himself...

Plot Keywords:

Gambler | Writer | Gambling | Beautiful Woman | Based On Novel

Cast

Gregory Peck	...	Fedja
Ava Gardner	...	Pauline Ostrovsky
Melvyn Douglas	...	Armand de Glasse
Walter Huston	...	Gen. Ostrovsky
Ethel Barrymore	...	Grandmother Ostrovsky
Frank Morgan	...	Aristide Pitard
Agnes Moorehead	...	Emma Getzel
Ludwig Donath	...	Doctor
Curt Bois	...	Jeweler
Ludwig Stössel	...	Hotel manager
Friedrich von Ledebur	...	Secretary
Ernö Verebes	...	Valet
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
George Edwards	...	Minor Role
Antonio Filauri	...	Senor Pinto
Martin Garralaga	...	Maharajah
Manfred Inger	...	Conductor (as Fred Lorenz)

Also Known As:

The Gamblers (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved | Sweden:15

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Movie Connections:

Version of Igrok (1972)

Numbers theory

Even when he adapts Dostoievski,Robert Siodmak's fondness for film noir can be felt.In the first scene,when Fedor meets Pauline ,how not to think of that scene in "the killers" when Swede sees Kitty for the first time?In both films ,Ava Gardner is the femme fatale.Ditto for the last scene in the pawn shop where you can see the reflections of the crosses on the ceiling.

Fedor's motive is first love ,but little by little,he realizes he is actually in love with gambling,with the numbers.His desire for an "8 " is almost sexual;in the hotel,every number (the key number, etc) calls him to the casino.The depiction of the place where people are feverishly waiting for the stopping of the roulette is absolutely extraordinary.Gregory Peck gives a riveting performance as the gambler down on his luck,and Ava Gardner's beauty shines all along the film.The supporting cast is up to scratch: Melvyn Douglas is like a puppeteer (the scene when he pretends he can't find Ostrovsky's notes belongs to him); Frank Morgan as a fallen mathematic teacher and Agnes Moorehead as the owner of a seedy pawn shop make all their scenes count.Ethel Barrymore is so talented an actress she does not need any words (except "banco" ) to express her gambling fever.

Like this ?try these.....

"Le Joueur" Claude Autant-Lara 1958 another Dostoievski adaptation,inferior to Siodmak's version.

"lo scopone scientifico" Luigi Comencini 1972

"La dame de Pique" Leonard Keigel 1965