The Egyptian Theatre was packed once again with fans of the dark city. The second Saturday of the Noir City festival was reserved for Peter Lorre, an actor who could be more threatening with an expressionless look than most could be with a full-on grimace. Eddie Muller, Founder and President of the Film Noir Foundation hosted once again. But in addition to the Lorre films on the agenda, the audience was treated to a short film written by Muller himself: The Grand Inquisitor, starring Golden Age actress Marsha Hunt and introducing stage actress Leah Dashe. Inquisitor centers on Dashe's character "Lulu", a young girl with a Louise Brooks hairstyle who finds a pile of suspicious old books. Based on the writings inside, she becomes convinced that they were once owned by the infamous Zodiac killer. What's more, she suspects that her elderly neighbor Hazel Reedy (Hunt) is Zodiac's widow. The two women sit across from each other in Reedy's claustrophobic home and trade subtle jabs while the truth lingers in the air like decades of trapped cigarette smoke. Both Hunt and Dashe are fantastic in this noirish tale. More information on the film can be found on the official website.

Muller, along with Kim Morgan of Sunset Gun, conducted a Q&A session with Ms. Hunt following the Inquisitor screening. She spoke about working with everyone from director Jules Dassin to Van Heflin. Concerning her appearance in Muller's film, Ms. Hunt claimed to have no trouble playing a darker character, but rather, was more concerned with the amount of smoking required in the script. As an ex-smoker, she had a few reservations. But the greater portion of the smoking was suggested by filled ash trays; she only had to physically smoke a few times on camera. Throughout the interview, Ms. Hunt was humble and very complimentary towards Muller's directorial methods. It was the light-hearted exchanges between Muller, Morgan, and Hunt that really made for an enjoyable discussion. Enter Peter Lorre.

While most of the audience was probably familiar with the first Lorre film, Stranger on the Third Floor, it's likely than many had never seen it. The 1940 gem centers on Mike Ward (played by John McGuire), a newspaper reporter whose big break comes when his article on the murder of a coffee shop owner hits the front page. The accused is a timid, wide-eyed, frantic young man named Joe Briggs (Elisha Cook, Jr.). Briggs proclaims his innocence like anyone would, but is nonetheless convicted, largely due to Mike's testimony. Despite the fact that his soon-to-be wife Jane (Margaret Tallichet) seems to be greatly affected by the proceedings, Mike reassures her that Briggs is guilty. That is, until he begins to second-guess himself. After a long, thoughtful walk home, he happens upon a mysterious stranger (Lorre) sitting on his apartment building's steps. The stranger says nothing, but moves out of the way. Later, Mike catches the stranger in the building and suspects that he has killed an annoying next-door neighbor. It soon occurs to Mike that the stranger may also have killed the coffee shop owner. Read our full review of Stranger on the Third Floor right here. With an extremely limited amount of airings on Turner Classic Movies, Stranger was a wonderful choice for inclusion in the Peter Lorre double feature. The running time barely cracks the one-hour mark, but it's Lorre's performance, which contained almost no dialogue, that makes it a treasure.

The final lap of the evening came with a hard-to-find Lorre film titled The Face Behind the Mask. Like Stranger, it has a short running time but managed to convey a million messages. Lorre stars as Janos 'Johnny' Szabo, a pure and honest immigrant who travels to America in search of work. He plans to save enough money to bring his girlfriend over and then marry her in the land of the free. But this is Film Noir, right? It would never be that simple. When his hotel catches fire, Janos is trapped on the stairs and knocked out by a falling beam. He survives, but has sustained severe burns which leave his face hideously disfigured. Though he is experienced in many trades, including watch-making, his appearance makes it nearly impossible for him to find work. Numerous rejections push him to the edge and he contemplates suicide until a sympathetic man named Dinky (George E. Stone) befriends him. Dinky is into the criminal way of things and Janos soon finds himself involved in illegal activities to make a living. Like everything else, Janos becomes "good at what he does" and is able to buy a realistic mask to hide his scarred face. In reality, he is unhappy as a criminal, but has little choice. He meets a blind girl named Helen (Evelyn Keyes) who loves him unconditionally. But when Janos decides to get out of "the life", things become complicated.

Chalk it up to another successful night at the Egyptian! Lorre was known primarily as a supporting actor but he was the star of Noir City tonight. The festival runs through April 24, 2008.