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Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre

The Mad Hatter

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A quick Google search yields no information on this, but - for all their sinister, creepy reputation - I would suggest that the team of Syndey Greenstreet and Peter Lorre comes from the Commedia dell’arte.

In particular, Greenstreet's character derives from the bullying, blustering Punch or Pulcinella; while Lorre's derives from the wily Brighella.

Given this characterization, Bogart and Bergman in Cassablanca are the Innamorati while Strasser and the various Nazi's are Il Capitano. Characterizing Lorre as one of the zani aiding the innamorti works well in many of the Mr. Moto films; while the blustery Greenstreet, wily Lorre, and lovers frustrated by authority figures typically feature in all their films.
lorre_greenstreet.jpg
 

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