He was the actor of choice for some truly great directors.
Homosexual, and classified as half-Jewish, Walbrook left Austria in 1936.
After a time working in the US he moved to Britain and settled there as Anton Walbrook.
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Five of his best performances
1.
Gaslight (1940)
Thorold Dickinson was a director who knew how to extract psychological horror from a script.
Then she slowly starts to lose her mind.
The gaslights on the wall dim, and she hears things.
The camera, and Walbrook, pin her relentlessly with their mastery.
Its the story of Vickys life.
Powell and Pressburger created such beautiful films, and this is one of their very best.
He has a twinkle in his eye, and a curve to his lip.
Hes in control of this merry-go-round of a film.
We see a number of scenarios, vignettes in which men and women negotiate their way towards sex.
Certain realities are never addressed, but stillLa Rondeoffers a certain kind of truth.
The friendship perseveres throughout their lives, even through two wars.
You believe in their friendship, and their lives.
Lots of very brilliant people worked on this film.
Suvorin is not at all likeable, but its impossible to stop watching him.
I love the final card game, where everything hinges on the turn of the last card.
It brings a supernatural presence into the room, and makes the denouement very effective.
Those may be five great Walbrook performances, but in truth Ive never seen a bad one.
Control was the key to Walbrooks persona.
