A French diplomat who's recovered from amnesia is blackmailed over crimes he can't remember.
Acting
Powell's amnesiac confusion vs. Rathbone's silky menace.
Costume
Lamarr's wardrobe alone justifies Technicolor dreams.
Production
Paris sets so lush you'll forget it's MGM backlots.
Director
Jack Conway
William Powell
David Talbot aka Jean Pelletier
Hedy Lamarr
Lucienne Talbot
Claire Trevor
Michelle Allaine
Basil Rathbone
Henri Sarrou
Margaret Wycherly
Madame Pelletier
Felix Bressart
Dr. Andre Tessier
Sig Ruman
Dr. Alex Dubroc
H.B. Warner
Prosecuting Attorney
Philip Merivale
Commissaire
Enrique Acosta
Associate Judge (uncredited)
Francis X. Bushman Jr.
Giant Policeman (uncredited)
Frank Conroy
Defense Attorney (uncredited)
Gibson Gowland
Reporter (uncredited)
Fritz Leiber
Foreign Minister Deval (uncredited)
Eric Mayne
Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Lamarr was simultaneously developing frequency-hopping technology for torpedoes during production; she reportedly found acting less stimulating than inventing.
Powell's post-Thin Man amnesia roles reflect 1940s cultural anxiety about shell shock and fractured identity, filtered through escapist glamour.
US
