The Great Sinner (1949)
Directed by Robert Siodmak

Film Review

Although he is undoubtedly best known for his classic film noir thrillers of the mid-1940s, Robert Siodmak was in fact a remarkably versatile director who managed to score some notable successes in other genres.  The Great Sinner is one of Siodmak's most opulent films, a big budget period production made as part of MGM's Silver Jubilee celebration, and starring two of Hollywood's biggest stars, Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner.  Whilst the film's production values are excellent, it was not a commercial success, and received generally poor reviews from the critics of the time.

The film's storyline is a typical Hollywood reinterpretation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel The Gambler, including elements from Dostoevsky's own experiences as a young man (experiences which were the inspiration for the novel).  Siodmak's meticulous direction, which carries something of the imprint of film noir, transforms a relatively anodyne plot into a gripping Faustian morality tale against the vile sin of gambling.  An appropriately melodramatic performance from Gregory Peck adds to the film's darkness and theatrical intensity, and whilst the plot is a little too predictable in places, there are some moments of almost unbearable tension.  There are also some touches of inspired brilliance  - for instance, the viscerally dark sequence in which Fedja contemplates murdering a pawnbroker, a reference to Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment.

Although it is still tainted by the lukewarm reception it received on its initial release, The Great Sinner is a great film and deserves to be considered one of the classics of 1940s Hollywood.  It has one or two flaws - it's slightly overlong and has an uncomfortably schmaltzy ending - but the direction, design and acting are impeccable.  What makes the film so memorable is that its portrayal of the psychological impact of an uncontrollable gambling addiction is handled with great conviction and poignancy, perhaps more so than any other film since.

Film Synopsis

In 1860, during a long train journey to Paris, a Russian writer named Fedja gets to know an attractive young woman, Pauline.   When the latter gets off at Wiesbaden, a town famous for its gambling casinos, the writer feels compelled to follow her.  Pauline introduces Fedja to her father, General Ostrovski, who has a gambling addiction that risks losing him his fortune.   Fedja learns that the General's debts have resulted in Pauline being promised in marriage to Armand de Glasse, the owner of a casino.  Fascinated by the idea of gambling, Fedja plays a few games of roulette - and is surprised when he transforms his small amount of cash into a fortune.  With his winnings, he intends to buy Pauline back from the casino manager.  However, the urge to continue playing proves too strong...