The red circle (1929)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The red circle |
| Country of production | Germany , Great Britain |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1929 |
| length | 109 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Friedrich Zelnik |
| script | Fanny Carlsen |
| production | Friedrich Zelnik |
| music | Edmund Meisel |
| camera |
Frederik Fuglsang Leslie Rowson |
| occupation | |
| |
The red circle is a German crime film based on the novel of the same name (original title: The Crimson Circle ) by Edgar Wallace . The silent film directed by Friedrich Zelnik was produced in 1928 by his Berlin- based Efzet-Film GmbH. The film premiered in the Capitol in Berlin on March 25, 1929 . This second German Edgar Wallace film is considered lost .
action
A man is shot dead by a stranger during a gala performance in a theater. The dead man has a threatening letter with the warning: "If the money is not deposited by five o'clock, you are a dead man." The letter is also provided with a mysterious symbol, a red circle. It turns out that similar crimes are taking place across Europe and that the author of these letters appears to be in London. There Inspector Parr is tasked with clarifying the case. Mr. Birdmore, who has also received threatening letters from the red circle, has meanwhile been protected by private detective Derrick Yale. But neither Yale nor Inspector Parr can prevent Birdmore from falling victim to the unscrupulous criminal.
Parr discovers that Thalia Drummond, the secretary of Birdmore's neighbor, Mr. Froyant, stole and mortgaged her boss's golden Buddha. Jack, the son of the murdered Birdmore, has his eye on the attractive Thalia. But he also learns that Thalia is known to the police as a thief and cheat. Parr takes Thalia to court, which gives her a suspended sentence. A little later, Thalia, who appears to be in contact with the red circle, receives the order from the boss of the criminal gang to take a job at the Brabazon bank. Real estate agent Marl, who had business connections with the old Birdmore, is a customer of Brabazon. He blackmailed Brabazon using a photo that proves that Brabazon's wife died an unnatural death. After Marl wants to withdraw his entire fortune from Brabazon and is asked to be patient for a few days, he invites Thalia to dinner. The next day, Marl is also found dead.
To the horror of Inspector Parr and Derrick Yale, the Prime Minister receives a threatening letter from the red circle. Thalia Drummond receives an order from the red circle to approach the prime minister during a party. Thalia follows the instructions and receives an invitation to the Prime Minister's villa. After Thalia leaves the house, servants find the prime minister, who has been badly injured by a dagger. Derrick Yale arrests Thalia a short time later. The next day, it turns out that Thalia has inexplicably escaped from prison. Inspector Parr can put an end to this scandal at an extraordinary meeting of the Supreme Police Department. And he is now able to solve the crimes of the red circle.
background
The original version of the film, about 25 minutes longer, was banned by the film inspection agency on December 28, 1928 . The abridged version was released on January 14, 1929 and banned from young people. The film was made by British Sound Film Productions Ltd. dubbed in English and was also released into British cinemas as a sound film using the De Forest phono film. The first performance of this version, entitled The Crimson Circle, took place in London in March 1929 . The film was shown there in a double program with the British Edgar Wallace film adaptation The Clue of the New Pin (1929).
The red circle is one of two films that the film character Juror No. 4 from the film The Twelve Jurors had seen in the cinema the previous week. However, this only applies to the German dubbed version.
Reviews
“Essentially, there is little in this film that sets it apart from other detective stories. The letter signed with a mysterious cipher is old hat, especially in serials , and the crimes themselves offer little new. The fact that Detective Yale, the criminal and the girl are innocent is carefully concealed until the very end, and a not too demanding audience will enjoy the film. "
Further film adaptations
- The Crimson Circle (UK 1922) - directed by George Ridgwell (with Madge Stuart , Rex Davis )
- The Crimson Circle (UK 1936) - directed by Reginald Denham (with Hugh Wakefield , Alfred Drayton )
- The Red Circle (Germany 1960) - Director: Jürgen Roland (with Renate Ewert , Klausjürgen Wussow )
literature
- Edgar Wallace: The red circle . German translation. Goldmann Verlag, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-442-00035-1 .
- 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 .
Web links
- The red circle in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The red circle at Filmportal.de
