The Mask of Dimitrios

turner entertainment group and u.s. Department of education

aah!

Man:
"dimitrios makropoulos."

The case of

dimitrios makropoulos

is now officially closed.

That is all, gentlemen.

Colonel haki,

could you tell me-

i'm sorry.

Gentlemen, there is

nothing i can add

to what you've

heard here.

I've known of this

dimitrios makropoulos for years,

and yet have known

so little about him,

so very little.

We'll probably never

know who killed him.

But whoever it was

did us all a favor.

Good night.

Good evening,

colonel haki.

Good evening.

Ooh, colonel haki,

how nice to see you.

Madame chavez.

This is such

a wonderful party,

so many beautiful women.

But none more beautiful

than yourself.

You flatterer.

I've got a surprise for you.

The dutch writer

cornelius leyden.

Cornelius latimer leyden

here? Wonderful.

You invited him for me?

You expressed such

a desire to meet him.

I must say i expected

a different sort.

Writers are writers.

Yes, but mr. Leyden

tells me he was professor of economics

at the university

of amsterdam before he became a writer.

He looks like it.

Ha ha.

Ah, there you are,

mr. Leyden.

I want you to meet

my good friend colonel haki,

who's

an ardent reader of your books.

How do you do?

Mr. Leyden,

i long wanted to talk

to the writer whose work

i so much admire.

Thank you

very much.

Well, i'll leave

you gentlemen to discuss literature.

It would bore you,

perhaps,

but long have i

admired mr. Leyden,

and you understand,

madame.

But of course.

You'll excuse me, please?

Madame.

I read nothing but

detective stories.

I get them sent

from paris.

All the best

are translated into french.

To you, mr. Leyden.

Thank you.

I've just added

your une pelle ensanglantee

to my library.

Formidable.

But i cannot quite

understand

the significance

of the title.

Well, "bloody shovel."

Exactly.

It is my ambition

to write

a good detective

story of my own.

I have often thought

i could do so,

if i had only

the time.

Oh, madame,

such a pleasure.

Colonel haki.

I've got to play

the fool like this.

It is expected

of me.

But don't think

i like it. A cigarette?

Yes, please.

Please follow me.

I should like very much

to talk to you,

but these women...

come, let us go

to the veranda

where we will not

be disturbed.

This is better.

Mm-hmm.

Thank you.

You must excuse me

if i am a little nervous.

All day i've been

involved in the affairs

of a murderer.

Are you interested

in real murderers, mr. Leyden?

Maybe. Why?

I find a murderer

in a detective story

much more sympathetic

than a real murderer.

Have you ever heard of

dimitrios makropoulos?

I don't think so.

I've known of

his existence for nearly 20 years.

A dirty, cowardly

type.

Murder, espionage,

assassination.

Assas-well, that argues

a certain courage,

doesn't it?

My dear leyden,

dimitrios would have

nothing to do with the actual shooting.

Their kind never

risk their skins for that.

They stay on the

fringe of the blood.

But to me the most

important thing to know about an assassination

is not who fired

the shot, but who paid for the bullet.

That's true.

As far as i know,

no government ever caught dimitrios,

and there is

no photograph in his dossier.

But we knew him,

all right-

and so did athens,

sofia, belgrade, paris.

He was a great traveler,

this dimitrios.

Was? Sounds as if

he were dead.

Yes, he's dead.

His bloated body

was washed ashore this morning.

It is believed he

had been knifed

and thrown in

the bosporus.

But then he died

by violence.

That's very much

like justice, isn't it?

There's the writer

speaking.

Everything must be

tight, artistic,

like a detective

story.

The case of

dimitrios has loose ends-

dozens of them.

In just one hour

his body will be disposed of,

and the loose ends

will still be loose ends.

You see?

It is not artistic.

Now tell me,

mr. Leyden,

is there anything

in this story that could be

of the slightest

interest to a writer?

L-i've always liked

police work.

Colonel haki,

i have a rather strange

request to make.

Anything.

I would very much like

to see the body

of that dimitrios,

if it's possible.

By all means,

but-

you know, i've never

seen a dead man.

Not even in a mortuary...

ugly devil, isn't he?

These eyes have seen

things i should like to see.

It is a pity that

the mouth can never speak about them.

For 20 years it was

my hope to get him.

Now-

not very

prepossessing,

is he, mr. Leyden?

L-it isn't quite what

a thought it would be.

Would you like

to see the wound?

No, uh...

see?

It's getting warm

in here.

Well, do you still

want to hear more of dimitrios?

If you have the time.

The evening

is young.

Shall we go to

my hotel?

It's a little better

there.

Splendid.

Well, all we know

of dimitrios

is that he was born

in 1889.

He was found abandoned,

parents unknown.

A poor family

adopted him.

A good deed they

had cause to regret.

1889...

you have an

exceptional memory.

That is my business.

The first time we heard

of him was in smyrna, in 1922.

The city was under martial law,

and i was the head of

the military police.

At that time,

dimitrios worked as a fig-packer

who already had

a criminal record...

abdul.

Abdul dhris.

Dimitrios.

Are you in trouble?

I must flee the country.

But i have no money,

and the shipmasters

are asking 1,000

piasters for passage.

Well, i'm a poor man,

you know.

But if you could wait

till saturday-

oh, i can't.

But, abdul, i know where

i can get the money.

1,000 piasters-

2,000,

and 2,000 for you.

What would

i have to do?

Very little.

It's dimitrios, konrad.

Open up.

I got the plate,

konrad.

I told you to come alone.

Abdul's my partner.

He shares with me.

Let me see the plate.

If it isn't gold,

i'm not interested.

It's gold.

I'll show you in back.

Come on.

Let me see it now.

They shoot looters.

I risked my life

for this plate.

Come on.

Now let me have

the plate.

First we'll see

what's in your safe.

Robber!

Now i'll show you

the plate.

You said we wouldn't

kill him.

He'd tell the police.

He's better dead.

I was willing to

rob him, but murder...

they'd hang us

for robbery alone, you fool.

There's martial law

here now.

But you killed him before

you opened his safe.

His safe's full of

worthless junk.

Oh, he was a clever one,

that konrad.

But not clever enough

for dimitrios.

Here it is! That's where

i saw him hide it.

His money?

Naturally.

Ali! Wine!

Fill them up again

for everybody!

Ali, bring the wine!

Ali, where-

we was only having

a little drink.

Would you have

a drink with us?

I do not drink.

You seem to have

a lot of money.

Perhaps you could

tell me where you got it.

Why, i...

dimitrios?

Wait, dimitrios!

I was only having

a little drink...

i did not kill konrad,

i tell you i did not

kill him.

He stabbed himself?

He robbed his own

money?

1,200 piasters

were found in your possession.

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