The Soho Phantom

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Movie
Original title The Soho Phantom
The Phantom of Soho Logo 001.svg
Country of production Federal Republic of Germany
original language German
Publishing year 1964
length 97 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Franz Josef Gottlieb
script Ladislas Fodor
production Artur Brauner
music Martin Böttcher
camera Richard fear
cut Walter Wischniewsky
occupation

The Phantom of Soho is a German crime film that was shot in 1963/64 under the direction of Franz Josef Gottlieb . It is the fifth of a total of ten Bryan Edgar Wallace films with which the film producer Artur Brauner wanted to share in the success of the Edgar Wallace film series . The black and white film in Ultrascope opened in German cinemas on February 14, 1964.

action

In London district of Soho man is stabbed. As Sergeant Hallam later reported to the Scotland Yard boss Sir Phillip, 100 pounds and an African wooden figure were found in the murderer's pockets . Chief Inspector Hugh Patton, known as an Africa expert, is taking over the case. He notes that the figure is an imitation of an African fetish . He also learns that the dead man is Archibald Bessell, with whom he once went on several expeditions. In the "Zanzibar", a nightclub with a dubious reputation, Patton and Hallam come across numerous questionable people such as the convicted manager Gilyard or the knife thrower Jussuf. Just as the yard officials want to question the artist, he falls victim to the phantom. Again one finds money with the dead man. The wheelchair-bound bar owner Joanna Filiati and her alternative practitioner Dr. Dalmer secretly observe what is going on at the bar through a semi-transparent mirror . Both claim to know nothing more about the murdered. A man with a mole who is always there where something is happening also makes himself suspicious . Clarinda Smith, a well-known crime writer and Sir Phillips acquaintance, develops a strange interest in the series of murders and even does her own research.

In the meantime, Lord Harold Malhouse appears in the "Zanzibar". Joanna Filiati and Dr. Dalmer are not exactly happy to see him. They hire the club photographer Corinne Smith to lure the wealthy lord to a neighboring hour hotel . But even there the phantom strikes mercilessly. At first, all trace of Corinne, who almost witnessed the murder, is lost. In their apartment, the investigators find some photos that prove that the victims of the phantom were connected to each other. At the same time, Dr. Dalmer visit by a certain Captain Muggins who wants to blackmail him. But shortly before the agreed handover of the money, the captain is stabbed by the phantom in a dark side street. On the fringes of a large-scale raid , Chief Inspector Patton meets Clarinda Smith, who is now engaged to Sir Philipp. He's also in the notorious area and obviously has something to do with Corinne's disappearance. When Patton starts chasing his boss, he gets into a duel with the mysterious "mole". As it turns out the next morning, the man used to work as a ship mechanic. Sergeant Hallam has also learned that Captain Muggins allegedly went down with a ship called the "Yolanda".

Investigators found the passenger list from the last voyage at the luxury yacht's insurance company. On board were the yacht owner Lord Harold Malhouse, Archibald Bessell, the later knife thrower Jussuf and Dr. Dalmer. The "mole" from which Scotland Yard was hoping for more information, has meanwhile taken its own life in custody. Because he is speculating on a reward from the insurance company, the club manager Gilyard reveals the whereabouts of Corinne. In a motel not far from London, Patton doesn't meet the photographer he is looking for, but the writer Clarinda Smith. There the two learn of Gilyard's murder and immediately go to London. After a visit to the morgue, Sergeant Hallam reports on his latest discovery: The passengers of the "Yolanda" were unscrupulous drug - and girl traffickers . Its boss, Joanna Filiati, had numerous customers, including both high finance and members of the nobility.

At the airport, Patton and Hallam are waiting for the fugitive Joanna Filiati and Dr. Dalmer, and they find the latter stabbed to death on the baggage carousel. In addition, the investigators observe Sir Philipp, who accompanies the missing Corinne Smith to an airplane. In the meantime, the Phantom has tracked down Joanna Filiati. At the last moment, Chief Inspector Patton snatched the gun and mask behind which Clarinda Smith was hiding. She was once employed as a stewardess on the "Yolanda". When the ship had cast off, she was abused by Lord Harold Malhouse and other passengers. In order not to be able to speak any more, she was later handcuffed to go down with the highly insured yacht. At the last moment she was saved by the machinist, the “mole”. Instead of reporting the men who molested her to the police, Clarinda Smith lived from now on only for her revenge. While the interrogation is in progress, she manages to bite a poison capsule. She dies in front of Chief Inspector Patton and her fiancé Sir Philipp. Meanwhile, Sergeant Hallam has tracked down Corinne Smith, Clarinda's sister. To prevent Corinne from finding out the phantom's identity, Clarinda had asked Sir Philipp to bring her sister to safety.

History of origin

Background and script

In the course of the Edgar Wallace films by Rialto Film , which have been marketed by Constantin Filmverleih since 1959 , numerous other crime films based on a similar pattern were made in the 1960s. In 1960, the film producer Artur Brauner started his own crime series with the Doktor Mabuse films. From 1962 his CCC-Film also brought films based on material by Bryan Edgar Wallace , the son of the famous writer, to the cinemas.

In 1963 Brauner had the Bryan Edgar Wallace film The Man with the Glass Eye announced in the journal Filmecho / Filmwoche . It can be assumed that this project resulted in the film The Phantom of Soho . The script was written by Ladislas Fodor . According to the distribution advertising and title credits, it was created "based on a novel by Bryan-Edgar-Wallace". Some sources, including the movie poster, cite the novel Murder by Proxy as a template , of which, however, no publication is known. It can be assumed that Artur Brauner made use of his right to use the name Bryan Edgar Wallace for freely invented substances.

It is possible that the treatment or the original screenplay by Ladislas Fodor was later sold to Rialto Film, where it was also called The Cruel Doll . There it could have been revised by Paul Hengge to serve as a template for the Edgar Wallace film The Man with the Glass Eye (1969). The fact that The Phantom of Soho and The Man with the Glass Eye have several parallels in terms of content would also fit this process, which was quite common in the film industry at the time. These include, among other things, the motive for revenge of the forced prostitutes, their abduction by ship and a woman as the head of the criminal organization.

production

Among other things, the film shows the check-in hall at Berlin-Tempelhof Airport.

The black and white film with a colored title sequence , produced in Ultrascope , was shot from November 18, 1963 to January 6, 1964 in West Berlin . The airport scenes were filmed at Berlin-Tempelhof Airport . The studio recordings were made in the CCC film studios in Berlin-Haselhorst . As a production designer was Hans-Juergen Kiebach and Ernst Shomer committed. Trude Ulrich was responsible for the costumes. Production manager was Heinz Willeg .

Film music

The film music was composed by Martin Böttcher . The by Tanja Berg from the Off sung song Soho (Text: Doris Kirchner ) appeared at the time on a single label Telefunken . In this version, which can be heard at the end of the film, it was re-released on CD in 2006 . Eight other titles, including the Soho version of the opening credits, are included on Martin Böttcher's 1996 CD Kriminalfilmmusik :

  1. Soho (instrumental) 1:31
  2. Striptease Blues 3:08
  3. "Zanzibar" Medley 5:27
    1. Midnight Bossa Nova
    2. Locomotion
    3. Puppet dance
    4. Holiday for Trombones
  4. Phantom Blues 2:57
  5. Soho (Vocal: Tanja Berg) 2:04

reception

publication

The FSK was The Phantom of Soho on February 6, 1964. 18 years free. The film, marketed by Gloria Filmverleih, opened in German cinemas on February 14, 1964. On February 3, 2006, the age rating was downgraded from 16 to 12 years. The film was shown several times on German television and was released on DVD in 2006 .

The Soho Phantom could also be marketed abroad and ran there under the following titles, among others:

Reviews

“Unfortunately, there is someone among the victims of the phantom who would have excelled himself well among the many horror props: humor. If the strip had taken itself a little less seriously, it would certainly have gotten even better. "

- Hamburger Abendblatt , March 11, 1964

“With which, in a logically opaque fable, both environment-related (Soho, well-off in Spandau) thrills and humor […] are offered; under fluid direction, [...] in carefully adjusted and illuminated images. "

- Paimann's film lists , April 22, 1964

"Trivial crime film based on an idea by Bryan Edgar Wallace, the son of the popular crime writer."

- Lexicon of international film

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 97 minutes for cinema projection (24 images / second), 93 minutes for television playback (25 images / second), film length: 2644 meters
  2. ↑ a b Certificate of Release for The Phantom of Soho . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , February 2006 (PDF; re-examination 2006, formerly FSK 18).
  3. ↑ German trailer at filmportal.de
  4. ↑ Tanja Berg: Especially in the night / Soho at 45cat.com
  5. ↑ Criminal Tango - Rogues, Sultry & Dunkers . Bear Family Records . 2006. ISBN 3-89916-166-1
  6. ↑ Booklet of the CD Kriminalfilmmusik by Martin Böttcher . BSC Music. 1996. Order no. 307.6518.2
  7. ^ Nieuwsblad van het Noorden : Night of the long measure . March 8, 1968.
  8. ↑ Detective stories from over here and over there. In: Abendblatt.de. Hamburger Abendblatt , March 11, 1964, accessed on October 13, 2016 .
  9. ↑ The Phantom of Soho. (No longer available online.) In: old.filmarchiv.at. Paimann's film lists , No. 2854_2, April 22, 1964, archived from the original on October 14, 2016 ; accessed on October 13, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / old.filmarchiv.at
  10. ↑ The Phantom of Soho. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used