come, and shots are then heard. When the police show up, Peters admits to shooting Dimitrios and does not resist arrest, and is satisfied with what he has accomplished. As he is taken away, he asks for Leyden to write a book about the affair and kindly to send him a copy. Cast Sydney Greenstreet as Mr. Peters Zachary Scott as Dimitrios Makropoulos Faye Emerson as Irana Preveza Peter Lorre as Cornelius Leyden Victor Francen as Wladislaw Grodek Steven Geray as Karol Bulic Florence Bates as Madame Elise Chavez Eduardo Ciannelli as Marukakis Kurt Katch as Colonel Haki Marjorie Hoshelle as Anna Bulic Georges Metaxa as Hans Werner John Abbott as Mr. Pappas Monte Blue as Abdul Dhris David Hoffman as Konrad Carmen D'Antonio as Nightclub Dancer Felix Basch as Vazoff Fred Essler as Bostoff John Mylong as Druhar Stuart Holmes as Casino Patron Production The novel was published in 1939. Film rights were bought by Warner Bros. The screenplay was assigned to A.I. Bezzerides with Henry Blanke to produce and Nancy Coleman and Helmut Dantine to star. Coleman did not like her role and Faye Emerson replaced her. Dantine was assigned to another film and replaced by Zachary Scott who had just impressed on Broadway in Those Endearing Young Charms; it was his first film. Reception Critical response New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther gave the film a mixed review in June 1944: "In telling the picaresque story of a mystery writer on the trail of a Levantine bum whose career of crime in the Balkans has stimulated the writer's awe, the film wallows deeply in discourse and tediously trite flashbacks...To be sure, the Warner schemists have poured some scabby atmosphere into this film and have been very liberal with the scenery in picturing international haunts and Balkan dives...This sort of worldly melodrama calls for refinement in cinematic style, but the writing and direction of this picture betray a rather clumsy, conventional approach." A Channel 4 review asserts that "the film promises more action than it delivers, but there are opportunities for fine performances by Lorre and, especially, Greenstreet as the master crook. Atmospheric cinematography and an intriguing script turn this into a fine example of film noir with an immensely entertaining cast." TV Guide calls the movie "One of the great film noir classics to come out of the 1940s, The Mask of Dimitrios boasts no superstars,