Underworld (1927 film)

Underworld
Theatrical one-sheet release poster
Directed byJosef von Sternberg
Written byBen Hecht
Charles Furthman
Robert N. Lee
Produced byHector Turnbull
B. P. Schulberg
StarringClive Brook
Evelyn Brent
George Bancroft
Larry Semon
Fred Kohler
CinematographyBert Glennon
Edited byE. Lloyd Sheldon
Production
company
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • August 20, 1927 (1927-08-20)
Running time
80 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)

Underworld (also released as Paying the Penalty) is a 1927 American silent gangster film directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Clive Brook, Evelyn Brent and George Bancroft. The film launched Sternberg's eight-year collaboration with Paramount Pictures, with whom he would produce his seven films with actress Marlene Dietrich. Journalist and screenwriter Ben Hecht won an Academy Award for Best Original Story.