Home
search
more | tips
IMDb > The Great Sinner (1949)

The Great Sinner (1949) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
6.2/10   220 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 41% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Robert Siodmak
Writers:
Ladislas Fodor (story)
René Fülöp-Miller (story)
more
Contact:
View company contact information for The Great Sinner on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
29 June 1949 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama more
Plot:
A young writer goes to Monte Carlo to write about gambling and gamblers, only to ultimately become a compulsive gambler himself... more | add synopsis
User Comments:
The Man Who Broke The Bank At Wiesbaden more

Cast

  (Complete credited 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)
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Gamblers (USA) (working title)
more
Runtime:
110 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Fun Stuff

Movie Connections:
Version of Igrok (1972) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful:-
The Man Who Broke The Bank At Wiesbaden, 6 April 2007
5/10
Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York

As Kirk Douglas's career was progressing nicely he had a choice of two different offers. He could play the title role in The Great Sinner, a big MGM film with a supporting cast of name players with Ava Gardner as a leading lady. Or he could do a small independent film for Stanley Kramer who was just starting out. Douglas chose the small film and wound up with an Oscar nomination for Champion.

Which left Gregory Peck who was apparently a second choice to play the Russian writer who stops off at the gambling resort of Wiesbaden in the 1860s just before German unification. He's on his way to Paris, but one sight of Ava Gardner getting off at Wiesbaden, makes Peck decide to abruptly change his plans.

As for Ava, certainly one can understand that she's beautiful enough to let one's hormones take over, but I got the feeling Ava just wasn't into the part really, as Greg was also not. It's also hard to believe that Walter Huston had won an Oscar for his previous film, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. To overcome a trite story, Huston overacts outrageously, pulling everything out of a ham's bag of tricks.

Even Melvyn Douglas as the scheming casino owner takes his nineteenth century villainy from the Snidely Whiplash tradition. Agnes Moorehead as the old crone of a pawnbroker also indulges in some scenery chewing, her best example of that since Dark Passage.

Best in the film in my humble opinion is Frank Morgan as the former mathematics professor and now addicted gambler. He brings a real aura of tragedy to his small role.

The Great Sinner is a sluggishly paced film with a lot of very talented people just going through the motions. For a gambling story, I'll take Casino.

Don't believe me, Wanna bet?

Was the above comment useful to you?
more

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Great Sinner (1949)

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Wine, Women and Horses Around the World in Eighty Days King of Chinatown The Good Earth Suspicion
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
IMDb Drama section IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.