The Firebird

The Firebird

NR 1934 · 74 min · ★ 6.4 · Mystery, Drama

Herman Brandt, a handsome but overly conceited actor, lives in the same apartment building in Vienna as Carola and John Pointer and their 18-year-old daughter Mariette. One day, as Carola leaves the building, Brandt catches her in the stairwell and proposes she "visit" him at his apartment after everyone has gone to bed. Shocked and offended at his brazenness, she complains to the building manager, who orders Brandt to leave. He refuses, so the Pointers decide that they will move out instead. While they're packing, the police show up at their apartment with some bad news--Brandt has been found murdered, shot in the head. Inspector Muller, the detective investigating the murder, discovers that there is more to this case than meets the eye.

Directed by William Dieterle · Written by Charles Kenyon

Your Rating

Cast

Verree Teasdale Carola Pointer
Ricardo Cortez Herman Brandt
Lionel Atwill John Pointer
Anita Louise Mariette Pointer
C. Aubrey Smith Police Inspector Miller
Dorothy Tree Mrs. Jolan Brandt
Helen Trenholme Mlle. Josephine Mousquet, the Governess
Hobart Cavanaugh Emile, Brandt's Valet
Robert Barrat Halasz, the Apartment House Manager
Hal K. Dawson Assistant Stage Manager
Russell Hicks Mr. Beyer, the Stage Manager
Spencer Charters Max Bauer, the Porter

Make it a double feature

2h 30m together

The Firebird

Scarlet Dawn

Both from William Dieterle.

More from William DieterleSee all →

Hölle der Liebe

Hölle der Liebe · 1926

Hölle der Liebe

Faust

MovieFantasyDrama

God and Satan wager on the soul of a learned and prayerful alchemist as part of their eternal war over Earth.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame · 1939

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

MovieDramaRomance

Paris, France, 1482. Frollo, Chief Justice of benevolent King Louis XI, gets infatuated by the beauty of Esmeralda, a young Romani girl. The hunchback Quasimodo, Frollo's protege and bell-ringer of Notre Dame, lives in peace among the bells in the heights of the immense cathedral until he is involved by the twisted magistrate in his malicious plans to free himself from Esmeralda's alleged spell, which he believes to be the devil's work.

Scarlet Dawn

Scarlet Dawn · 1932

MovieDramaHistory

During the Russian Revolution, a young nobleman and his peasant maid flee from their homeland to Constantinople where they marry and begin a challenging new life.

The Weavers

The Weavers · 1927

Die Weber (1927), a rousing German tale of the 1844 weavers’ revolution.

Portrait of Jennie

Portrait of Jennie · 1948

Portrait of Jennie

MovieDramaRomance

A mysterious girl inspires a struggling artist.

The White Angel

The White Angel · 1936

The White Angel

In Victorian England, Florence Nightingale's heroic measures slowly change the attitude towards nurses when it was considered a disreputable profession.

Screen Director's Playhouse

Screen Director's Playhouse · 1955

Screen Director's Playhouse

SeriesComedyDrama

Presented by Eastman Kodak, this show was a series of original scripts directed by acclaimed directors and featuring well-known performers. The stories ranged from musicals to comedies and dramas.

All That Money Can Buy

All That Money Can Buy · 1941

All That Money Can Buy

MovieDramaFantasy

Farmer Jabez Stone, about to lose his land, agrees to sell his soul to the devil, known as Mr. Scratch, who gives Jabez seven years to enjoy the fruits of his sale before he collects. Over that time, Jabez pays off his debts and helps many neighboring farmers, then becomes an advocate for the upstanding Sen. Daniel Webster. When Jabez's contract with Mr. Scratch concludes, he desperately turns to Webster to represent him in a trial for his soul.

The Story of Louis Pasteur

The Story of Louis Pasteur · 1936

The Story of Louis Pasteur

MovieDramaHistory

A true story about Louis Pasteur, who revolutionized medicine by proving that much disease is caused by microbes, that sanitation is paramount and that at least some diseases can be cured by vaccinations.

I'll Be Seeing You

I'll Be Seeing You · 1944

I'll Be Seeing You

MovieRomanceDrama

Mary Marshall, serving a six year term for accidental manslaughter, is given a Christmas furlough from prison to visit her closest relatives, her uncle and his family in a small Midwestern town. On the train she meets Zach Morgan, a troubled army sergeant on leave for the holidays from a military hospital. Although his physical wounds have healed, he is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and is subject to panic attacks. The pair are attracted to one another and in the warm atmosphere of the Christmas season friendship blossoms into romance, but Mary is reluctant to tell him of her past and that she must shortly return to prison to serve the remainder of her sentence.

The Life of Emile Zola

The Life of Emile Zola · 1937

The Life of Emile Zola

MovieDramaHistory

A fictionalized account of famous French writer Emile Zola and his involvement in the Dreyfus Affair. After struggling to establish himself, Zola wins success writing about the unsavory side of Paris and settles into a comfortable upper-class life. However, Zola's complacency is shaken when Jewish officer Alfred Dreyfus is imprisoned for being a spy. Realizing that Dreyfus is an innocent victim of anti-Semitism, Zola boldly pens a newspaper article exposing the truth, is charged with libel and must defend himself in a dramatic courtroom testimony.

Her Majesty, Love

Her Majesty, Love · 1931

Her Majesty, Love

The wealthy von Wellingens are shocked when the father of their son Fred's fiancée Lia juggles desserts at a formal dinner. They encourage Fred to break the engagement. Lia goes to Berlin to marry a Baron von Schwarzdorf, and Fred arrives too late to stop the marriage.

Fashions of 1934

Fashions of 1934 · 1934

Fashions of 1934

MovieComedyMusic

When the Manhattan investment firm of Sherwood Nash goes broke, he joins forces with his partner Snap and fashion designer Lynn Mason to provide discount shops with cheap copies of Paris couture dresses.

Jewel Robbery

Jewel Robbery · 1932

MovieRomanceComedy

A gentleman thief charms a Viennese baron's wife and also conducts a daring daylight robbery of a jeweller's shop.

Dark City

Dark City · 1950

MovieDramaThriller

Gamblers who "took" an out-of-town sucker in a crooked poker game feel shadowy vengeance closing in on them.

More Like This

Elsa & Fred

Elsa & Fred · 2014

MovieDramaComedy

After his daughter persuades him to move into a new apartment, aged widower Fred strikes up a friendship with his eccentric 74-year-old neighbour Elsa, who convinces him it's never too late to keep enjoying life. Although he seemed resigned to a miserable bedridden existence, Fred embraces Elsa's youthful enthusiasm as she introduces him to the path of life and entertains him with outlandish stories about her past life. But when he discovers Elsa's terminally ill, Fred decides to accompany her on the trip of her dreams to the eternal city of Rome to help her fulfil a lifelong ambition.

The Maltese Falcon

The Maltese Falcon · 1931

The Maltese Falcon

MovieMysteryCrime

A lovely dame with dangerous lies employs the services of a private detective, who is quickly caught up in the mystery and intrigue of a statuette known as the Maltese Falcon.

Little Caesar

Little Caesar · 1931

MovieDramaCrime

A small-time hood shoots his way to the top, but how long can he stay there?

Woman on the Run

Woman on the Run · 1950

Woman on the Run

MovieThrillerCrime

Frank Johnson, a sole witness to a gangland murder, goes into hiding and is trailed by Police Inspector Ferris, on the theory that Frank is trying to escape from possible retaliation. Frank's wife, Eleanor, suspects he is actually running away from their unsuccessful marriage. Aided by a newspaperman, Danny Leggett, Eleanor sets out to locate her husband. The killer is also looking for him, and keeps close tabs on Eleanor.

Murders in the Rue Morgue

Murders in the Rue Morgue · 1932

Murders in the Rue Morgue

MovieHorrorMystery

In 19th century Paris, a maniac abducts young women and injects them with ape blood in an attempt to prove ape-human kinship but constantly meets failure as the abducted women die.

Manhattan Melodrama

Manhattan Melodrama · 1934

Manhattan Melodrama

MovieCrimeDrama

The friendship between two orphans endures even though they grow up on opposite sides of the law and fall in love with the same woman.

The Lodger

The Lodger · 1944

MovieThrillerMystery

In Victorian era London, the inhabitants of a family home with rented rooms upstairs fear the new lodger is Jack the Ripper.

Mark of the Vampire

Mark of the Vampire · 1935

Mark of the Vampire

MovieMysteryHorror

Sir Borotyn, a prominent Prague resident, is discovered murdered in his home, with all indications pointing to a vampire assault. The victim's friend, Baron Otto, and the physician who analyzes the body, are certain that the vampire is the mysterious Count Mora or his daughter. Receiving little help from the law, Professor Zelen, an expert in the occult, is called in to assist with their investigation.

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution · 1976

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution

MovieMysteryThriller

Concerned about his friend's cocaine use, Dr. Watson tricks Sherlock Holmes into travelling to Vienna, where Holmes enters the care of Sigmund Freud. Freud attempts to solve the mysteries of Holmes' subconscious, while Holmes devotes himself to solving a mystery involving the kidnapping of Lola Deveraux.

Baby Face

Baby Face · 1933

A young woman uses her body and her sexuality to help her climb the social ladder, but soon begins to wonder if her new status will ever bring her happiness.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter