Decoy

Viktor Schott, daredevil and womanizer, is charged by his father, a jeweler, to go to Istanbul and purchase a valuable emerald necklace from a rich Persian and to bring it back by ship to Marseille. A pair of criminals are watching him and attractive Delia, with whom Viktor is in love, is used as bait. His boyhood friend Sibyl, who is in love with Viktor, warns him of the criminal ship owner and the captain, who intend to steal the jewel during a masked ball on board. Shortly before reaching the coast of France, an explosion causes the ship to capsize.

Directed by Hans Steinhoff, Decoy leans on a strong ensemble — Jakob Tiedtke, Viktor de Kowa, Fritz Rasp — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1934.