The strange countess
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The strange countess |
 | |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1961 |
| length | 95 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director |
Josef von Báky ( Ottokar Runze , Jürgen Roland ) |
| script |
Robert A. Stemmle Curt Hanno Gutbrod |
| production |
Horst Wendlandt , Preben Philipsen |
| music | Peter Thomas |
| camera | Richard fear |
| cut | Hermann Ludwig |
| occupation | |
| |
The Strange Countess is a crime film and the ninth German Edgar Wallace film of the post-war period . The film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Edgar Wallace (original title: The Strange Countess ) was produced by Rialto Film on behalf of Constantin Film . The film was shot from August 28 to September 29, 1961 under the direction of Josef von Báky and, after his illness, at times by Jürgen Roland in West Berlin and Schleswig-Holstein . The premiere of the film took place on November 8, 1961 in the Capitol in Trier .
action
The young secretary Margaret Reedle wants to take a job at Countess Eleanora Moron's castle. One evening she receives mysterious threatening phone calls from a stranger who threatens her with death. Margaret and her friend Lizzy ignore this, however. A short time later Margaret is almost hit by a falling wheelbarrow at a construction site. She can only save herself with the help of the mysterious Mike Dorn.
At the same time, the murderess Mary Pinder is to be released from prison. Years ago she is said to have poisoned her husband. The death penalty has been commuted to imprisonment for her pregnancy. Margaret is to have Mary Pinder sign a power of attorney for her dismissal on behalf of her employer, attorney Shaddle. During the journey she barely escapes an attack again with the help of Mike Dorn. The threatening calls also continue. During the night, Dorn breaks into her room to steal a poisoned box of chocolates.
Mike Dorn turns out to be Inspector of Scotland Yard to monitor that has been commissioned by Shaddle Margaret. Margaret is now taking up her position with Countess Moron, who runs an aid organization for released convicts. Meanwhile, Margaret's friend Lizzy receives another threatening phone call. Lizzy meets with the mysterious stranger and is almost strangled by him. The completely desperate Margaret finds out meanwhile that Mary Pinder is her birth mother. To her delight, however, her current, opaque employer wants to hire her mother as a housekeeper. But the castle and its peculiar inhabitants also do not offer adequate protection from the mysterious events. The butler Adams, who is actually a Dorn detective, dies from an electric shock. In order to avoid a complete nervous breakdown , the countess calls in the doctor Dr. Tappat added to Margaret's health. But Margaret asks her to be released. However, the countess justifies her displeasure about Margaret's dismissal with her fear of her family and those around her, which is why she asks her to stay.
Meanwhile, Dorn finds out that Selwyn, the countess's son, is the heir to the property. In fact, the rightful heir would have been the countess's brother. However, this is considered to have disappeared about twenty years ago. After Margaret's brief arrest by thorns it enters the sanatorium of Dr. Tappat, to which her mother was also brought. Here she also meets the insane Stuart Bresset, who she meets with Dr. Threatened Tappat's instructions with his calls. Chesney Praye, a friend of the Countess, offers to release her if she marries him. After Dorn has freed himself from the clutches of the criminals in the sanatorium, he confronts Praye, who, however, is led by Dr. Tappat is shot. Dorn and Mary follow Tappat into the castle.
In the meantime, Mary Pinder is received by Countess Moron in the castle. Mary secretly married the countess's brother twenty years ago. She is said to have murdered him, although the countess is actually responsible for his death in order to preserve the inheritance, while Mary is innocently in prison. Now the countess offers her a pension and a life in South America so that she disappears from the picture. Mary, sure about the countess's guilt, declines this offer. Margaret, consequently the count's daughter, was also to be eliminated by the countess's accomplices. Once at the castle, Dorn tries to overpower Tappat until Selwyn shoots Tappat. Realizing what she was doing, the countess commits suicide with the same poison needle that she used to murder her brother.
Reviews
“This time, Josef von Baky Wallace directed it. Immediately perfect. The most remarkable thing: the selection of his characters. Brigitte Grothum and Joachim Fuchsberger in interaction with the greats of a film generation: Lil Dagover, Marianne Hoppe, Rudolf Fernau, Fritz Rasp. Unleashed loner: Klaus Kinski ... "
"In this film - and therefore it is a phenomenon in its own way - all imaginable bad habits of German film are gathered."
"A 'classic crime thriller' which [was] staged between reality and parody."
"The confused, crocheted plot allegedly takes place in London, but could also take place on the moon with its clichés in a blurred environment."
“The mysterious assassinations [...] hardly justify the large star cast, which is in complete contrast to the mediocre cinematic result. (Rating: moderate) "
“The direction by Josef von Baky (“ Münchhausen ”) and Jürgen Roland (who stood in for the sick Baky) seems too cautious today. Former star Lil Dagover (' The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari ') plays wonderfully distant and distinguished. Marianne Hoppe, the wife of Gustav Gründgens, is also fascinating. "
"Wallace horror according to a familiar pattern."
"Edgar Wallace film, the actors of which act listless and which tries desperately to create a creepy atmosphere."
"All in all, 'The Strange Countess' is one of the best Edgar Wallace crime novels in which the cast is absolutely worth seeing and in which the tension is right from start to finish."
Award
- Feature film bonus (200,000 DM) from the Federal Ministry of the Interior , 1961
Others
- Curt Hanno Gutbrod had already written three script versions before the experienced writer Robert A. Stemmle took over and wrote the final script version.
- With this film, the Hungarian-born Josef von Báky said goodbye to his long and successful work as a film director. Due to an illness, his then assistant Ottokar Runze and Jürgen Roland took over the directing of the film.
- The outdoor shots took place in West Berlin and at Ahrensburg Castle in Schleswig-Holstein . The London recordings came from the archive. The interior shots were taken in the Ufa film studios in Berlin-Tempelhof .
- The title role was played by Lil Dagover , who was one of the most famous actresses in Germany even during the silent film era. In addition to Fritz Rasp , who has already been seen in several Wallace adaptations, Marianne Hoppe and Rudolf Fernau and Richard Häussler played important supporting roles in one of the series' films. Cinema audiences had all heard of them since the 1930s.
- Marianne Koch was initially planned for the role of Margaret Reedle . Ultimately, the decision was made to go with Brigitte Grothum , who was to appear in two other films in the series. Joachim Fuchsberger took on the male lead role in an Edgar Wallace film for the fifth time.
- For this crime thriller, Peter Thomas composed the film music for a Wallace film for the first time . With a total of 18 soundtracks, he was to become the most influential composer in the film series. The song Come on, put your arm around me , actually written for this Wallace film, was used by Peter Thomas shortly afterwards for the film The Endless Night , for which he received the gold tape for best film music .
- At the FSK , which released the film without editing requirements from the age of 16, the film was registered with two different length specifications. In the original version, at the end of the film, after the shot with the poison needle, there are a few more scenes and a short dialogue. This version was probably never shown in the cinema because the film was cut before the premiere, but the FSK only informed about it later. One of the missing scenes was added to the film on DVD.
- A small technical mistake: Margaret Reedle had been rescued from the crashed balcony, and all the castle residents gather in her room. While Countess Moron insisted on what was going on there, behind her on the wall one can clearly see the moving shadow of the boom .
- When he tries to free himself from a straitjacket with a nail file, Joachim Fuchsberger, as Mike Dorn, says to reassure him "Don't get nervous!" That was also the title of his first eponymous Rate program, which he hosted from 1960 to 1961.
literature
- Edgar Wallace: The Black Abbot / The Strange Countess / The Dead Eyes of London . Three novels in one volume. German translation. Goldmann Verlag, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-442-55504-8 .
- 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 strange countess in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The Strange Countess ( memento from December 26, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) at deutscher-tonfilm.de
- The strange countess at Filmportal.de
- Sound carrier with the film music
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Strange Countess. From MoviePilot.de, accessed on January 6, 2019.
- ↑ And four more premieres for the weekend - “The Strange Countess” . In: Hamburger Abendblatt , November 25, 1961. Abendblatt.de; accessed on January 6, 2019.
- ↑ The Strange Countess . In: Paimann's film lists . No. 2676 , December 20, 1961 ( Reizfeld.net ). Reizfeld.net ( Memento of the original from January 4, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) 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.
- ↑ The Strange Countess. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed June 25, 2017 .
- ^ A film review by Thomas Ays at moviesection.de
- ↑ Deutsche Filmakademie ( Memento of the original from March 28, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) 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.
