The Dance of Death (1948 film)

The Dance of Death
The Dance of Death
Directed by	Marcel Cravenne
Written by	Michel Arnaud ; Jacques-Laurent Bost ; Marcel Cravenne ; August Strindberg (play) ; Erich von Stroheim
Starring	Erich von Stroheim ; Denise Vernac ; Palau
Cinematography	Robert Lefebvre
Edited by	Madeleine Bagiau
Music by	Guy Bernard
Production; companies	Alcina ; Ardea Film
Distributed by	Atlantis Film ; Gaumont
Release date	8 December 1948;
Running time	88 minutes
Countries	France ; Italy
Language	French

The Dance of Death (French: La danse de mort, Italian: La prigioniera dell'isola), is a 1948 French-Italian drama film directed by Marcel Cravenne and starring Erich von Stroheim, Denise Vernac and Palau.^[1] It is based on August Strindberg's The Dance of Death. It was shot at the Titanus Studios in Rome and the Icet Studios in Milan. The film's sets were designed by Georges Wakhévitch.

Plot

An egocentric artillery Captain and his venomous wife engage in savage unremitting battles in their isolated island fortress off the coast of Sweden at the turn of the century. Alice, a former actress who sacrificed her career for secluded military life with Edgar, reveals on the occasion of their 25th wedding anniversary, the veritable hell their marriage has been. Edgar, an aging schizophrenic who refuses to acknowledge his severe illness, struggles to sustain his ferocity and arrogance with an animal disregard for other people. Sensing that Alice, together with her cousin and would-be lover, Kurt, may ally against him, retaliates with vicious force. Alice lures Kurt into the illusion of sharing a passionate assignation and recruits him in a plot to destroy Edgar.

Cast

Erich von Stroheim, as Edgar^[2]
Denise Vernac, as Théa^[2]
María Denis, as Rita^[2]
Palau as Le sergent / Il sergente
Massimo Serato as Stéphane / Stefano
Paul Oettly as Le général / Il generale
Marie Olivier
Henri Pons as Le timonier / Il timoniere
Roberto Villa
Galeazzo Benti
Margo Lion as Mathilde - la servante
Jean Servais as Kurt
Roberto Bertea

References

^ Lennig, Arthur (2003-04-18). Stroheim. University Press of Kentucky. p. 473. ISBN 978-0-8131-9044-0.
^ ^a ^b ^c Palacio, Manuel; Türschmann, Jörg (2013). Transnational Cinema in Europe. LIT Verlag Münster. p. 66. ISBN 978-3-643-90478-2.

External links

The Dance of Death at IMDb

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[1] Lennig, Arthur (2003-04-18). Stroheim. University Press of Kentucky. p. 473. ISBN 978-0-8131-9044-0.

[:0-2] Palacio, Manuel; Türschmann, Jörg (2013). Transnational Cinema in Europe. LIT Verlag Münster. p. 66. ISBN 978-3-643-90478-2.

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