The Match King

The Match King

Year: 1932

Runtime: 79 mins

Language: English

Directors: William Keighley, Howard Bretherton

Drama

Scheming Chicago janitor Paul Kroll lies and steals to finance a trip back to his native Sweden. Once there, his relentless fraud and manipulation enable him to seize control of the match‑stick industry across multiple nations, turning him into a powerful international magnate. The film follows the true story of Ivar Kreuger.

Dark
Bleak ending
Emotionally heavy
High intensity
Fast pacing
Moderate complexity

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – The Match King (1932)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The Match King (1932). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1920s–1930s

Set in the late 1920s and early 1930s, the film captures the optimism of a roaring economy followed by the trauma of the stock market crash. It depicts a finance-driven world where loans, monopolies, and bribery propel empires, then crumble under economic collapse. The era's lax oversight allows Kroll's frauds to flourish until the crisis exposes them.

Location

Chicago, Sweden, Hollywood, Poland, Germany

Set across Chicago's gritty streets and industrial outskirts, the film follows Paul Kroll's rise from a street cleaner to a global match-empire magnate. The action shifts to Sweden, where the local match factories become his playground for expansion, aided by loans and manipulation. The tale then threads through Hollywood and wider Europe (Poland and Germany), illustrating how Kroll spreads his influence through bribery and predatory finance while glamour and romance accompany his ascent.

🏙️ Urban Chicago 🏭 European industrial centers 🌍 Global finance hubs

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:35

Main Characters – The Match King (1932)

Meet the key characters of The Match King (1932), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Paul Kroll (Warren William)

A Chicago street cleaner who becomes an unscrupulous magnate, masterminding phantom workers to siphon salaries and then expanding across borders to dominate the match industry. He romances Babe behind his partner's back and brazenly deceives his hometown to appear successful. His empire grows through loans, forged bonds, and political influence, only to unravel when the market crashes.

💼 Ambitious 🧭 Ruthless 🎯 Manipulative

Babe (Glenda Farrell)

The partner's wife whom Kroll seduces, pulling her into his deceit and convincing her to withdraw stolen money as they pretend to flee together. She is left behind when Kroll sails to Sweden, becoming a casualty of his expanding con. Her trust in him underscores the personal cost of Kroll's manipulations.

💘 Romantic entanglement 🧠 Calculating 💰 Materialistic

Erik Borg (Hardie Albright)

Kroll's old friend and the only one who knows the truth about his schemes. Hired as Kroll's assistant, he embodies loyalty tested by ambition and the risk of being drawn into Kroll's dangerous world. His presence hints at the moral ambiguity at the heart of Kroll's operation.

🤝 Loyal 🧠 Strategic 🕵️‍♂️ Truth-seeker

Marta Molnar (Lili Damita)

A rising actress who captivates Kroll, fueling his obsession with glamour and social influence. Her charm prompts elaborate gestures, including hiring a gypsy violinist to serenade her. Her departure for Hollywood becomes a milestone in Kroll's life as he pursues power over celebrity and fortune.

💃 Glamour 🎬 Fame 💌 Romance

Ilse Wagner (Claire Dodd)

One of Kroll's romantic conquests, used to entice and manipulate powerful circles. She embodies the allure and danger of Kroll's world, where personal relationships are leveraged for business advantage. Her presence exposes the intimate costs of his strategic pursuits.

💋 Femme fatale 🧭 Manipulation 💼 Affairs

Scarlatti (Harold Huber)

The master forger who supplies fake Italian bonds, enabling Kroll to secure vast loans and finance expansion. His dealings with Kroll illustrate the concrete mechanics of international fraud that underpin Kroll's empire. Scarlatti's actions precipitate the moment when Kroll's luck begins to unravel.

🪙 Counterfeiting 🕵️‍♂️ Criminal mastermind 💼 Black market

Christian Hobe (Harry Beresford)

An eccentric recluse inventor of an everlasting match whom Kroll manipulates for his own ends, ultimately institutionalizing him. This subplot highlights the destructive reach of Kroll's ambitions and his willingness to exploit odd genius for profit. Hobe's fate underscores the moral costs of unchecked power.

🧪 Eccentric genius 🔬 Invention 🕶️ Obsession

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:35

Major Themes – The Match King (1932)

Explore the central themes of The Match King (1932), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💰 Greed

Kroll's relentless greed drives his ascent from a street cleaner to a multinational monopolist. He expands across borders by exploiting workers, financing loans, and bribing officials, all in the name of profit. The pursuit of wealth blinds him to personal cost and ethical boundaries. The film uses his climb to critique how greed can corrupt both business and relationships.

🎭 Deception

Deception is the engine of Kroll's entire operation. He fabricates workers, misleads his hometown, and uses charm to win influence over women and officials. The forged bonds and fraudulent schemes expose how truth and trust erode in a world driven by money. The emotional costs are paid by those who believe him and by him as he loses control.

📉 Downfall

The pursuit of power ends in a spectacular fall when the stock market crashes and loans collapse. As Kroll's forgeries are uncovered and his American loan is canceled, his carefully built empire crumbles. He shoots himself on the balcony, and his body tumbles into the gutter where his journey began. The ending serves as a cautionary note about hubris and the fragility of wealth.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:35

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Ruthless Rise and Fall Stories like The Match King

Stories of ambition-fueled ascents that carry the seeds of their own destruction.If you liked the story of ambition and corruption in The Match King, explore these movies about morally compromised characters whose rapid climbs to power lead to an inescapable and bleak downfall. These films share a dark tone and heavy emotional weight.

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Narrative Summary

This thread groups narratives centered on a predictable but compelling arc: a protagonist uses deception and manipulation to rise from obscurity to immense power, only for their web of lies to tighten around them, leading to an unavoidable and total collapse.

Why These Movies?

Movies in this thread are united by a shared dark tone, fast-paced plotting that accelerates the protagonist's schemes, and a heavy, cynical emotional weight. They explore themes of greed, moral corruption, and the psychological cost of a fraudulent life.

Financial Fraud and Corruption Movies like The Match King

Tense chronicles of intricate cons that threaten to unravel at any moment.For viewers who enjoyed the financial intrigue of The Match King, this section features similar movies about ambitious fraud, corporate monopoly, and moral corruption. These stories are fast-paced, tense, and explore the devastating consequences of greed.

anxiousdeceptivecorruptparanoidgreedytensecalculating

Narrative Summary

These stories typically follow the planning and execution of a large-scale financial con, focusing on the technical details of the fraud and the psychological strain on the perpetrator. The conflict arises from external investigators and the internal pressure of maintaining the lie.

Why These Movies?

They share a high-intensity, anxious mood driven by the precarious nature of the central deception. The pacing is often fast, reflecting the relentless progression of the scheme, and the tone is consistently dark, exploring themes of corruption and betrayal.

Unlock the Full Story of The Match King

Don't stop at just watching — explore The Match King in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what The Match King is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

The Match King Summary

Read a complete plot summary of The Match King, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

The Match King Summary

The Match King Timeline

Track the full timeline of The Match King with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

The Match King Timeline

The Match King Spoiler-Free Summary

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The Match King Spoiler-Free Summary

More About The Match King

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about The Match King: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About The Match King

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