Edgar Wallace Films: Difference between revisions
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The [[Thriller|thrillers]] of the British novelist Edgar Wallace became very popular in [[Weimar Republic|Germany between the world wars]], partly thanks to a successful ad campaign based on the slogan "Es ist unmöglich, von Edgar Wallace nicht gefesselt zu werden!" ("It is impossible not to be captivated by Edgar Wallace!"). In 1927 the first of them was adapted into a (silent) German film, and four more followed until 1934, but then the franchise dried up. Until the late 1950s, German film producers would not touch the genre again. |
The [[Thriller|thrillers]] of the British novelist Edgar Wallace became very popular in [[Weimar Republic|Germany between the world wars]], partly thanks to a successful ad campaign based on the slogan "Es ist unmöglich, von Edgar Wallace nicht gefesselt zu werden!" ("It is impossible not to be captivated by Edgar Wallace!"). In 1927 the first of them was adapted into a (silent) German film, and four more followed until 1934, but then the franchise dried up. Until the late 1950s, German film producers would not touch the genre again. |
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In 1959 the Danish firm Rialto Film produced ''Der Frosch mit der Maske'', the first post-[[World War II]] Edgar Wallace film, for the [[West Germany]] distributor Constantin Film. It became a surprise hit and led to Rialto setting up a West German affiliate firm and buying the exclusive rights for all Wallace novels to produce more. All in all, Rialto produced 32 Edgar Wallace movies, and other firms also jumped on the bandwagon, producing six more Wallace-themed crime and detective films. Most were produced by Horst Wendlandt, the man also behind another very successful German film franchise of the 1960s, the [[Der Schatz |
In 1959 the Danish firm Rialto Film produced ''Der Frosch mit der Maske'', the first post-[[World War II]] Edgar Wallace film, for the [[West Germany]] distributor Constantin Film. It became a surprise hit and led to Rialto setting up a West German affiliate firm and buying the exclusive rights for all Wallace novels to produce more. All in all, Rialto produced 32 Edgar Wallace movies, and other firms also jumped on the bandwagon, producing six more Wallace-themed crime and detective films. Most were produced by Horst Wendlandt, the man also behind another very successful German film franchise of the 1960s, the [[Der Schatz im Silbersee|Karl May Westerns]]. The Edgar Wallace franchise was looked on as lowbrow by most movie critics, but was very popular with the German public and the films continue to be shown on German television to this day. |
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The films were produced on a comparatively small budget and thus were filmed [[California Doubling|not in England, where they are set, but in West Germany]], usually in Hamburg and its environs, the footage then intercut with [[Eiffel Tower Effect|stock establishing shots of places like Big Ben or Piccadilly Circus]]. The tone was often a bit tongue in cheek, and even some of the leading stars of West Germany's stages and screens liked to perform in an Edgar Wallace or two. From quite early, there was a tendency towards tongue-in-cheek comedy. The franchise was later parodied in ''[[ |
The films were produced on a comparatively small budget and thus were filmed [[California Doubling|not in England, where they are set, but in West Germany]], usually in Hamburg and its environs, the footage then intercut with [[Eiffel Tower Effect|stock establishing shots of places like Big Ben or Piccadilly Circus]]. The tone was often a bit tongue in cheek, and even some of the leading stars of West Germany's stages and screens liked to perform in an Edgar Wallace or two. From quite early, there was a tendency towards tongue-in-cheek comedy. The franchise was later parodied in ''[[Der Wixxer]]''. |
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The series had a number of [[Stock Character|stock characters]] and actors associated with it: |
The series had a number of [[Stock Character|stock characters]] and actors associated with it: |
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== '''The CCC Bryan Edgar Wallace Films 1961-1972''' == |
== '''The CCC Bryan Edgar Wallace Films 1961-1972''' == |
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* ''Das Geheimnis der schwarzen Koffer'' (The Secret of the Black Trunk, 1961) |
* ''Das Geheimnis der schwarzen Koffer'' (The Secret of the Black Trunk, 1961) |
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* ''[[The Strangler of Blackmoor Castle |
* ''[[The Strangler of Blackmoor Castle|Der Würger von Schloss Blackmoor]]'' (The Strangler of Blackmoore Castle, 1963) |
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* ''Der Henker von London'' (The Mad Executioners, 1963) |
* ''Der Henker von London'' (The Mad Executioners, 1963) |
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* ''Das Phantom von Soho'' (The Phantom of Soho, 1964) |
* ''Das Phantom von Soho'' (The Phantom of Soho, 1964) |
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** [[Klaus Kinski]], all over the place (but especially in ''The Creature with the Blue Hand'') |
** [[Klaus Kinski]], all over the place (but especially in ''The Creature with the Blue Hand'') |
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** [[Christopher Lee]] can be seen in three Edgar Wallace movies (as a former intelligence officer, he speaks fluent German). |
** [[Christopher Lee]] can be seen in three Edgar Wallace movies (as a former intelligence officer, he speaks fluent German). |
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** [[The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari |
** [[The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari|Lil Dagover]]. |
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* [[Locked Room Mystery]]: ''Das indische Tuch'' is a good example. |
* [[Locked Room Mystery]]: ''Das indische Tuch'' is a good example. |
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* [[Malevolent Masked Men]]: A lot of the villains, such as the Frog With the Mask, would not look out of place in a superhero comic or film. |
* [[Malevolent Masked Men]]: A lot of the villains, such as the Frog With the Mask, would not look out of place in a superhero comic or film. |
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