Zinc coffins for the golden boys
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Zinc coffins for the golden boys |
| Original title | Zinc coffins for the golden boys / Il re della mala |
 | |
| Country of production | Federal Republic of Germany , Italy |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1973 |
| length | 87 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Jürgen Roland |
| script |
Werner Jörg Lüddecke August Rieger |
| production | Wolf C. Hartwig for Rapid Film, Studio Hamburg, Roma Film, Rome |
| music | Coriolano Gori |
| camera | Klaus Werner |
| cut | Herbert Taschner (German verse) |
| occupation | |
| |
Zinc Coffins for the Golden Boys is a German-Italian crime, gangster and action film from 1973 by Jürgen Roland .
action
Hamburg , at the beginning of the 1970s. Otto Westermann and his gang, who hold their meetings in the "Schwarzer Pudel" bowling club, which is used as a cover for the crooked business, controls the gambling and prostitution in the Hanseatic city. In addition, he does a profitable business with extortion of protection money. Those who do not pay on time or who do not adhere to Westermann's demands when betting are visited by their hard-nosed and flogging men. These guys don't shy away from cold-blooded murder either.
One day Westermann faces massive competition in the form of a true mafia godfather who arrives in style with the Queen Elizabeth in the port of Hamburg. It's about the Chicago- born, Italian-American underworld boss Luca Messina, who has his daughter Sylvia, his mother, the decal of a mamma italiana , and his rather ordinary lover Kate in tow. No sooner have Messina and his 15-strong entourage set their feet on Hamburg soil than the gang boss notes with satisfaction that he likes this city, which is so completely different from the cities in which he has been up to now, exceptionally well. Here he wants to stay, "this will be my city" he swears. And: "I don't want to give a guest appearance in this city, I want to take it over!" This inevitably does not mean anything good for the previous top dog Otto Westermann.
Because it soon turns out that Hamburg is too small for two underworld gang bosses with giant egos and zero indulgence. One does not want to give up any of his cake, but the other wants a large part of the cake for himself. And so there is massive trouble quickly. Messina deliberately interferes with his men in Westermann's business, threatening and booting out, even demanding 40 percent of Westermann's income from his illegal business. When Messina bursts into Westermann's gangster club, the “Black Poodle”, without being asked, he leaves no doubt as to what will happen if Westermann does not comply with his demands: “If you don't like that, you can order a coffin - but made of zinc, that's enough for you rats! "
But Otto Westermann is not ready to just let himself be driven out of his lucrative business. He accepts the challenge and the situation escalates at lightning speed. Finally there is a real gang war. While the thugs and killer types of the two gang bosses decimate each other, a tender love develops between Westermann's eldest son Erik and Sylvia Messina, which soon becomes explosive as a tragedy of " Romeo and Juliet " dimensions. The young people met at a boxing match between Erik's younger brother Karl and his challenger named "Tiger". When Messina's thugs beat Karl to death, the situation finally spiraled out of control. Erik and Sylvia put themselves in great danger when they try to bring the two parties to their senses. But it is already too late, the two gangs exterminate each other in a big showdown, and the gang bosses deliver a deadly motorboat race in the port of Hamburg.
Production notes
Zinc coffins for the golden boys was made in the summer of 1973 in Hamburg (external shoots mainly in the harbor and in the Blankenese district ), the hometown of the director and former police reporter Roland. The film is heavily influenced by the mafia film wave of Italian and American provenance, which was rampant at the time, and in Hollywood actor and experienced gangster actor Henry Silva has an adequate interpreter of the Italian-American gangster boss Messina.
The strip had its world premiere on November 30, 1973. On July 12, 1974, the Italian premiere took place under the title "Il re della mala" (The King of Evil). This version was about seven minutes shorter and also changed compared to the German version.
The film structures were designed by F.-Dieter Bartels , the interior shoots took place in the Hamburg studio . Karl Baumgartner took care of the pyrotechnic special effects. Zinc Coffins for the Golden Boys was Roland's last film, after which he directed exclusively for television.
Reviews
In the Handbuch Films 1971–76 it says: "Rüdes gang spectacle with savored depictions of violence and parable-like attempts at mirroring."
On the occasion of the DVD release on August 9, 2013, kino-zeit.de reads: “There is a lot to laugh about at zinc coffins for the golden boys , sometimes even voluntarily, but when Herbert Fleischmann and Henry Silva, the respective gang bosses, show up, one automatically winces. These guys are damn serious and only the heart attack of Silva's wildly gesticulating mom can briefly bring a touch of humanity over the tanned cheeks. The climate in Hamburg is simply harsh, even if a large part of the film is set in Blankenese. That with the all too posh Hamburg flair is actually a bit disappointing, but dirty garages, a dim puff bar and a boxing ring are also used. In any case, the film is clearly upgraded at the end, when a rapid chase towards the harbor leads to an equally rapid chase through the waterways of the Speicherstadt. Jürgen Roland's staging is not necessarily elegant, but definitely tight, and the bank account was apparently big enough for big explosions. "
In the assessment of the online film database, the difference between the German and the Italian version is highlighted: “Sometimes the way in which the sequence of scenes originally selected by Jürgen Roland was rearranged in the Italian version seems adventurous. The scene with the arson attack on the striptease club already shows “Il re della mala” in the opening credits, which was intended to emphasize the violence of the German gang early on, and Westermann's plan to blame the Italo gang for their own attacks and executions , takes place here as an immediate reaction to Messina's takeover attempt. In the German version, the murder of his son Karl triggers these consequences, which legitimizes his behavior in the eyes of the viewer. The Italian cut tried to make the relationship between the gangs more balanced - a necessary measure, since Silva was much more uncompromising in his role than Fleischmann. Despite these differences between the versions, which are shaped by the adaptation to the respective market, these details do not change the basic message of a film that consistently and without glossing over the consequences of an unchecked spiral of violence, is staged rapidly and is extremely exciting to the end remains - carried by two convincingly acting protagonists. "
Web links
- Zinc coffins for the golden boy in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Zinc coffins for the golden boys at filmportal.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ Comparison of German and Italian versions on schnittberichte.com, accessed on October 1, 2016
- ^ Films 1971-76, Handbuch 9, Cologne 1977, page 363.
- ↑ Zinc coffins for the gold boys on kino-zeit.de ( Memento of the original from June 30, 2016 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.
- ↑ Zinc coffins for the golden boys on ofdb.de
