The Indian death
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The Indian death |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1915 |
| length | approx. 76 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Emil Justitz |
| script | Paul Rosenhayn |
| production | Richard Eichberg for Eichberg & Feibisch, Berlin |
| camera | Willy Goldberger |
| occupation | |
| |
The Indian Death is a German detective and crime silent film from 1915 by Emil Justitz .
action
James Westcott and John Pittsburgh (also known as Pittbury) are pretty close friends until one day that friendship is put to the test by the presence of young Florence, in whom both men are beginning to care. One day Westcott receives a strange letter. When he opens it, it contains a blank sheet of paper, while another sheet says that he should heat the blank piece of paper over a flame. James follows the instruction and falls dead a little later. The police investigation raises serious suspicions about Pittsburg, whereupon Pittsburg is arrested. There is a process. Since Westcott's bride testifies against him, John Pittsburg is convicted. Florence reads old letters from Westcott to Pittsburg, in which he is described as a good person. She then visits Pittsburg and comes to the conclusion that it must be innocent.
She then hires private detective Harry Hay to investigate James Westcott's mysterious death. Hay discovers the charred letterhead in the murdered man's room. Hay warms it up slightly and notices that the poisonous fumes that then evidently wilt a flowering pot plant in an instant. Hays research in a specialist dictionary shows that it must be a particularly effective poison that is known under the name "Indian death". It is obtained from a species of nettle that is only found on the Indian island of Tibor. By means of an animal experiment on a guinea pig, Hay proves the deadly effect of the poison.
Florence, meanwhile, is dealing with another candidate for her favor, lawyer Shelley. This was once in charge of paying out her dowry. He showed interest in Florence, but she rejected him. Now he is ante portas again and wants to speak to Florence. Meanwhile, Florence is preparing tea in the kitchen, but breaks down while making it. They are taken outside so that they can get fresh air. There Florence meets Hay, with whom she discusses this strange breakdown. The tea also shows traces that are identical to the “Indian death”. Fine traces of sand lead to the drawing room of Florence's house. Since that Mr. Shelley was staying there, this Harry Hay appears extremely suspicious. In fact, this lead turns out to be correct and finds out that Shelley is in contact with the Indian Dabul. However, the Indian becomes suspicious and, together with Shelley, overwhelms the detective, who is tied to a chair.
However, Hay is a clever fox. With the help of a lens, he knows how to bundle the sunbeams falling through a window in such a way that it simply burns through the rope that holds it. Hay escapes, pursued by Dabul and Shelley. When he arrives at his apartment, the two criminals confront him: They want to force him to write a letter to the President of the Court in which Hay writes down his finding that Pittsburg was actually the murderer of James Westcott. The story takes on an absurd twist towards the end: Hay asks the two of them to play billiards. When he was playing the red billiard ball, a signal was triggered at the local police station, the agreed signal for the greatest danger. The police then move in and arrest Dabul and Shelley. His motive for the murder and the subsequent attempted murder, of which Florence became the victim, was Shelley's intention to obtain Florence's considerable dowry.
Production notes
The Indian death passed film censorship in October 1915 and was presumably premiered a little later. The strip was first published in Vienna on November 17, 1915. The film had five acts and was around 1,400 meters long.
For 17-year-old Willy Goldberger , this film was one of his first works as a cameraman.
criticism
"The Polo company also showed the detective film" The Indian Death "written by the well-known writer Paul Rosenhayn, a picture that is worth seeing because of its moving plot and various sensations."
Individual evidence
- ↑ according to sources from 1915. The more recent sources adopt Gerhard Lamprecht's attribution of "Emmerich Hanus", which, however, was still provided with a question mark on page 68 in his volume "German silent films 1915-1916"