The Dance of Death (1948 film)

The Dance of Death (French: La danse de mort, Italian: La prigioniera dell'isola), is a 1948 French-Italian drama film directed by Marcel Cravenne and starring Erich von Stroheim, Denise Vernac and Palau. It is based on August Strindberg's The Dance of Death. It was shot at the Titanus Studios in Rome and the Icet Studios in Milan. The film's sets were designed by Georges Wakhévitch.

Plot
An egocentric artillery Captain and his venomous wife engage in savage unremitting battles in their isolated island fortress off the coast of Sweden at the turn of the century. Alice, a former actress who sacrificed her career for secluded military life with Edgar, reveals on the occasion of their 25th wedding anniversary, the veritable hell their marriage has been. Edgar, an aging schizophrenic who refuses to acknowledge his severe illness, struggles to sustain his ferocity and arrogance with an animal disregard for other people. Sensing that Alice, together with her cousin and would-be lover, Kurt, may ally against him, retaliates with vicious force. Alice lures Kurt into the illusion of sharing a passionate assignation and recruits him in a plot to destroy Edgar.

Cast
• Erich von Stroheim, as Edgar

• Denise Vernac, as Théa

• María Denis, as Rita

• Palau as Le sergent / Il sergente

• Massimo Serato as Stéphane / Stefano

• Paul Oettly as Le général / Il generale

• Marie Olivier

• Henri Pons as Le timonier / Il timoniere

• Roberto Villa

• Galeazzo Benti

• Margo Lion as Mathilde - la servante

• Jean Servais as Kurt

• Roberto Bertea