The Theft of the Mona Lisa ( 1931 )

Overview

This German crime drama was based on a true story. Willy Forst stars as a poverty-stricken Italian glazier who falls in love with French hotel maid Rosa Valletti. Struck by the girl's resemblance to Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, Forst manages to steal the painting from the Louvre in hopes of impressing his sweetheart. But when the girl proves to be a fickle sort, the crestfallen hero confesses his crime and is carted off to jail. Unwilling to admit that he'd been led astray by a woman, Forst claims that he stole the Mona Lisa to restore it to his native Italy, and as a result is hailed as a national hero! Raub der Mona Lisa was distributed in the U.S. by RKO Radio, under the title The Theft of the Mona Lisa.

Top Cast

Trude von Molo

Mathilde

Willi Forst

Vincenzo Peruggia

Gustaf Gründgens

Unbekannter

Fritz Odemar

Direktor des Louvre

Max Gülstorff

Oberaufseher

Paul Kemp

Polizeileutnant

Hubert von Meyerinck

Museumsführer

Alexander Roda-Roda

Anton Pointner

Reisender

Alexander Granach

Redner

Fritz Grünbaum

Angeblicher Bilderdieb

Fritz Alberti

Fritz Greiner

Paul Vincenti

Paul Wagner

Ernst Reicher

Hugo Döblin

Angelo Ferrari

Italienischer Polizeikommissar

Bruno Ziener

Teddy Bill

Elfriede Jera

Alexandra Molino von Kluck

Lilian Ellis

Hermine Sterler

Ferdinand von Alten

Gerti Klemm

Sängerin

Max Linder

(archive footage)

Rosa Valetti