The forger of London
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The forger of London |
 | |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1961 |
| length | 94 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Harald Reinl |
| script | Johannes Kai |
| production |
Horst Wendlandt , Preben Philipsen |
| music | Martin Böttcher |
| camera | Karl Löb |
| cut | Hermann Ludwig |
| occupation | |
| |
The Forger of London , a crime film by director Harald Reinl , is the eighth German Edgar Wallace film of the post-war period . The film adaptation of the Wallace novel Der Banknotefälscher (original title: The Forger) produced by Rialto Film was filmed from May 2 to June 6, 1961 in North Rhine-Westphalia and Hamburg . The first performance took place on August 15, 1961 in the New Bavaria Theater in Aachen .
action
The just married millionaire heir Peter Clifton is spending his honeymoon with Jane at Longford Manor. When Jane discovers her husband at night behind a secret door on a printing press, she believes that he is dealing with the long sought after "forger of London", a notorious and ingenious forger of 5 pound notes.
Jane's old admirer Basil Hale also discredits Clifton with mysterious hints about his past. After a violent argument with Clifton, Hale is found slain in the castle grounds the next day. Jane finds her injured, unresponsive husband and removes all traces as well as the alleged murder weapon.
Inspector Rouper sees Clifton's guilt as proven, but not the thoughtful Chief Inspector Bourke. When Radlow, Peter Clifton's attorney and executor, asks Bourke to come to him, he finds the attorney stabbed to death in his study when he arrives. In the garden lies the unconscious Clifton, next to it a bloodstained stiletto .
Despite the seemingly clear evidence, Bourke Clifton's family doctor, Dr. Wells up. He confesses to having drugged Clifton with syringes to blame him for the murders. Bourke also convicts his colleague Rouper as an accomplice and has him arrested. And Clifton learns from Bourke that his father is different from what he previously thought was. Mrs. Unterson, the mother of Basil Hale, shot dead while searching for Clifton, the alleged murderer of her son, Dr. Wells. The honest painter John Leith is finally exposed as the “forger of London”.
History of origin
The previous Edgar Wallace films by Rialto Film have proven to be extraordinarily successful, while numerous other film producers have already felt the consequences of falling audience numbers since the introduction of television . Horst Wendlandt , co-partner at Rialto Film alongside Preben Philipsen since 1961 , gained increasing influence on Wallace productions through his success. At Constantin Film he was supported by competent business partners and consultants in Waldfried Barthel and Gerhard F. Hummel .
For the planning of the 1961/62 cinema season, they again agreed with Wendlandt on the production of four Edgar Wallace adaptations: Der Banknotefälscher (Der Fälscher von London) , The Strange Countess , The Door with the Seven Locks and Gangsters in London ( Das Riddle of the Red Orchid ) . Constantin Film was able to win over the writer Johannes Kai for the adaptation of the novel The Banknote Forger. His script was adopted practically unchanged, the film title was changed to The Forger of London . Harald Reinl , who was already scheduled to direct the Edgar Wallace films The Dead Eyes of London and The Secret of the Yellow Daffodils , took over the direction.
For the third time in a Wallace film, Reinl's then-wife Karin Dor played . Siegfried Lowitz , Ulrich Beiger and Eddi Arent from the established Wallace ensemble could also be seen. Viktor de Kowa , Mady Rahl , Robert Graf and Walter Rilla had guest appearances . The male lead took on Hellmut Lange , who was hardly known at the time. This allowed the audience to react as impartially as possible to his shady character.
The outdoor shots were shot at Herdringen Castle in the Sauerland and in Hamburg's Speicherstadt , among other places . The interior shots were made in the real film studio in Hamburg-Wandsbek . The London recordings came from the archive. At the beginning of the shooting, the recordings for the previous Wallace film The Secret of the Yellow Daffodils were not yet finished. Martin Böttcher composed the film music for an Edgar Wallace film for the first time . A total of five soundtracks from the series come from the successful film composer. The film was approved by the FSK from the age of 16 without editing requirements; in 1991, approval from the age of 12 followed.
Specialty
The first scene at the horse race shows archive shots of Queen Elisabeth II from the Ascot racecourse , and the last scene shows archive shots of the final of the European Cup, again with a short fade-in of Queen Elisabeth II and with her husband Prince Philip . Both shots were inserted into the plot of the film.
Goofs
The Scotland Yard officers wearing police uniforms of the 1960s , but helmets with the emblem of King George VI. , although in 1961 his daughter Elizabeth II had been queen for eight years.
Reviews
“A millionaire, a mysterious castle, screams in the night and a lot of counterfeit money - these ingredients, supplied by Edgar Wallace, are what director Dr. Harald Reinl processed into a remarkable crime thriller. So much that is incomprehensible and unexpected happens as friends of such conversation can just bear. Before they can even think, however, this short-lived pleasure ends with a surprising explanation. What more do you want?"
“Anyone who enjoys having cold goose bumps chased down their back, who loves scary scenes more than real tension, will probably get their money's worth here. He is at liberty. "
“The honest home cooking that is served there is not attractive enough to differ from the television program. - The Forger of London is appropriately filmed (director: Harald Reinl), and Wallace-obsessed people may appreciate the modernization. But the strange role that modern art has to play in this film should be examined more closely: The sympathetic hero daintily cuts copper, while the criminal psychiatrist indulges in modern painting. "
"A script designed according to a tried and tested scheme and staged almost too opaque [...]"
"With no claim to cinematic art and without ambitions, director Harald Reinl offers a piece of detective entertainment - and that should actually be enough."
"Skillfully staged series thriller."
"A series thriller based on Edgar Wallace based exclusively on horror effects."
“With The Forger of London , producer Horst Wendlandt filmed yet another Edgar Wallace novel. This time he entrusted the direction to Harald Reinl, whose wife Karin Dor was also allowed to play one of the leading roles. The result is well cast and exciting, a highlight of the early Wallace films. "
"Only the familiar atmosphere and the good actors save this flick to a solid, average level."
literature
- Edgar Wallace: The banknote counterfeiter . German translation. Goldmann Verlag, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-442-05306-4 .
- Joachim Kramp , Jürgen Wehnert: The Edgar Wallace Lexicon. Life, work, films. It is impossible not to be captivated by Edgar Wallace! Verlag Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2004, ISBN 3-89602-508-2 .
- Joachim Kramp: Hello! This is Edgar Wallace speaking. The story of the legendary German crime film series from 1959–1972 . 3. Edition. Verlag Schwarzkopf and Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-89602-645-3 .
Web links
- The forger of London in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The forger of London at filmportal.de (with photo gallery)
- The Forger of London ( Memento from December 26, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) at deutscher-tonfilm.de
- Sound carrier with the film music
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Forger of London. In: Abendblatt.de. Hamburger Abendblatt , August 26, 1961, accessed on October 27, 2016 .
- ↑ The Forger of London. (No longer available online.) In: old.filmarchiv.at. Paimann's film lists , No. 2662_1, October 5, 1961, archived from the original on October 27, 2016 ; accessed on October 27, 2016 .
- ↑ The Forger of London. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed October 27, 2016 .
- ↑ Film review by Frank Ehrlacher at moviemaster.de
- ^ Film review ( memento of March 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) by Thomas Ays at moviesection.de, accessed on September 7, 2019.
