Phantom of the great tent
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Phantom of the great tent |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1954 |
| length | 100 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Paul May |
| script |
Egon Eis , Walter F. Fichelscher |
| production |
Algefa -Film GmbH, Berlin ( Friedrich Wilhelm Gaik ) |
| music | Rolf A. Wilhelm |
| camera | Georg Krause |
| cut | Hilde Gabow |
| occupation | |
| |
The Phantom of the Big Tent is a circus crime film by Paul May with René Deltgen and Angelika Hauff in the leading roles.
action
Messrs Rossi and Capelli are the owners of a large circus company, work closely together and have considerable success as a result. Only in their love for the lion tamer Dolores are they in a select rivalry. One day Rossi is attacked by one of the lions when he rushes to the aid of his ten-year-old daughter Lolita, who everyone just calls "Lilly". In the process, Rossi's face is horribly disfigured and is ultimately considered dead. For Capelli and Dolores, who have since become a couple, this incident marks the end of their relationship, as they assume a certain complicity in death. In order not to let Lilly grow up fatherless, Alfredo Capelli decided to adopt the little one and from then on raised her like his own daughter.
Years have passed since the terrible events. For some time now, the circus has been plagued by a series of scary accidents that can safely be described as attacks. Soon there is talk of a phantom doing its dark work under the big circus tent. Despite calling in the police, the saboteur, who was responsible for these events, cannot be caught. Especially those men are affected who seek the favor of Lolita "Lilly" Capelli, who in the meantime has matured into a beautiful young woman and has built a name for herself as an art rider. Soon the atmosphere is marked by general distrust, fear and mutual insinuations. Finally, the trail leads to the circus clown, whom you only know with his mask. It is none other than the severely disfigured Rossi, who can now be put down to his trade.
Production notes
Phantom of the big tent , materially based on The Phantom of the Opera , was made in the summer / autumn of 1954 in the CCC film studios of Artur Brauner and on the circus grounds (exterior shots) in Berlin-Spandau . The world premiere took place on December 21, 1954 in Hanover. The film opened in Austria on March 25, 1955.
Production management was in the hands of Erich Holder , while Hanns H. Kuhnert and Theo Zwierski were responsible for building the films .
For the two main actors Deltgen and Hauff this was already the second meeting in a circus film. In 1943 both artists celebrated a great success in Arthur Maria Rabenalt's production of Circus Renz .
Reviews
“An average circus film, a bumpy detective story and a - reluctantly cheerful - horror piece. Even good actors like Ilse Steppat and Hans Christian Blech cannot help much under the indecisive direction of Paul May ('08/15'). "
Paimann's film lists summed up: “Manege film with the usual prop (circus acts), which due to a lack of dramaturgical work through (dialogues) and hardly any seamless amalgamation of actors and the like. Artists lack the inner tension as well as the circus atmosphere and ... just prove to be a very effective thrill for friends of the genre. "
"Clichéd crime and horror film in the circus environment."
Web links
- Phantom of the big tent in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Phantom of the big tent at filmportal.de
