Films based on Edgar Wallace works
Encyclopedia
The Edgar Wallace movies are motion pictures based on the works of British novelist and playwright Edgar Wallace
.
Even though there are countless film adaptation
s of Edgar Wallace novels worldwide, the crime film
s produced by the German
company Rialto Film
between 1959 and 1972 are the best-known of those, to the extent that they form their own subgenre. Other Edgar Wallace adaptations in a similar style were made by the Germans Artur Brauner
and Kurt Ulrich
, and the British producer Harry Alan Towers
.
era, German film producers discovered that the novels of Edgar Wallace were easily adapted to the screen. The first German production of an Edgar Wallace story, Der große Unbekannte (The Unknown), was filmed in 1927. Wallace personally visited the production of the next movie Der rote Kreis (The Crimson Circle, 1929) in Berlin. The Crimson Circle was trade-shown in London in March 1929 in the Phonofilm
sound-on-film system.
In 1931, Carl Lamarc adapted The Squeaker
, one of Wallace's best known works, as the sound film
Der Zinker. Adaptations of The Ringer (Der Hexer
, 1932) by Lamarc and The Double (Der Doppelgänger, 1934) by E. W. Emo
followed. (In the United States, The Feathered Serpent reached the screen as The Menace
in 1932.) From 1934 to the mid 1950s, no German-language films based on works by Edgar Wallace were produced. Then, in the mid-1950s, the German film distributor Constantin-Film began plans for a series of films. Due to the perceived unpopularity of the crime genre in Germany at that time, however, no film producer
willing to take such a risk could be found.
company Rialto Film
, with its producer Preben Philipsen
produced Der Frosch mit der Maske (based on The Fellowship Of The Frog), targeting the German film market. The film turned out to be surprisingly successful and started a veritable fad of crime movies, known as Krimis (abbreviation for the German term "Kriminalfilm" (or "Kriminalroman")) which would last until significant changes in the direction of the German film industry in the early Seventies occurred. Rialto Film soon acquired the exclusive rights to nearly all the Wallace novels, founded a German subsidiary company and, unconcerned by the many copycat productions by others, moved towards the artistic and commercial peak of the series in the first half of the Sixties.
There would be 32 Rialto movies. Beginning with the fourth production Der grüne Bogenschütze (The Green Archer, 1960/61) all were under the artistic supervision of Horst Wendlandt
and directed
by Alfred Vohrer
or Harald Reinl
. These are the leading examples of the gernre. Following Der Bucklige von Soho (1966), all of Rialto's Krimis movies were in color. Additionally, the original novels were increasingly disregarded in favor of new stories based on motives from the stories. On one hand, this departure made them seem more up-to-date - on the other, the dramaturgy, presentation and content quality levels declined rapidly. From 1969 onwards, Rialto Film started four coproductions with Italian
producers to minimize their costs. Audiences increasingly ignored the series, which ended with Das Rätsel des silbernen Halbmonds in 1972.
In particular, the two directors Harald Reinl
(5 movies) and Alfred Vohrer
(14 movies) made their mark. While Reinl preferred long dolly shots /pan
s and exterior shots, Vohrer's films are known for their slight overacting
and their distinct zoom
and editing
styles.
The titles, which are usually the German novel titles, were intended to evoke the typical image of an Edgar Wallace movie. Most titles mention the villain, like Der Frosch mit der Maske (literally "The Frog with the Mask"), Der Zinker ("The Cheater") and Der Hexer ("The Warlock"). More abstract titles usually feature the words Rätsel ("mystery" or "enigma") or Geheimnis ("secret"), for example Das Rätsel der roten Orchidee ("The Mystery of the Red Orchid") Das Rätsel des silbernen Dreiecks ("The Mystery of the Silver Triangle") and Das Geheimnis der grünen Stecknadel ("The Secret of the Green Pin"), while others hint at the location of the story, for example Der Fälscher von London ("The Forger of London
"), Der Bucklige von Soho ("The Hunchback of Soho
") and Die Tote aus der Themse ("The Dead Girl in the Thames
").
The repeated casting
of the same actors, generally for similar roles, is typical for the sixties Wallace movies as well. Among the most popular investigators are Joachim Fuchsberger
, Heinz Drache
and Siegfried Lowitz
. Shady characters were mostly played by Fritz Rasp
, Pinkas Braun
, Harry Wüstenhagen
and especially Klaus Kinski
, while comic relief was offered by Eddi Arent
, Siegfried Schürenberg
and later Hubert von Meyerinck
, or even Chris Howland
. Additionally, well-known film and stage actors like Elisabeth Flickenschildt
, Gert Fröbe
, Dieter Borsche
, Lil Dagover
and Rudolf Forster
repeatedly acted in important guest roles.
The location of the story is, like in the novels, mostly London
and its proximity, with the characters mostly moving through old castles, mansions or country houses - even if the real sets were generally in Germany. Seedy night clubs, asylums, dark basements as well as, especially in later movies, girl's colleges and of course Scotland Yard
are popular main and side locations for Edgar Wallace movies.
The story are very similar across the series as well. The plot is most often centered around one inventively masked main villain. In contrast to thrillers, the most important technique of creating suspense is the "whodunit
". This means that it is generally unknown who the villain really is until the very end of the movie. The motivations for the crimes is mostly greed, revenge, legacy hunting, and, especially in later movies, white slavery and drug trade.
Not unlike the later Italian subgenre of Giallo
, the Wallace Krimi movies still heavily center around the work of the police or a private investigator. Another typical feature is the heroine, who has to be protected from the schemes and misdeed of the villain by the Scotland Yard inspector. This theme is repeated in virtually all Krimis movies, and it is not uncommon for the two protagonists to be happily in love at the conclusion of the story.
To make the movies even more recognizable besides the typical introduction (usually a murder is committed before the film's title sequence), the title sequence was in color from around 1961 onwards, even if the rest of the film was in black and white. There are only two exceptions. Also, in 1962 the voiceover "Hallo, hier spricht Edgar Wallace" ("Hello, this is Edgar Wallace speaking") was added to the beginning of the title sequence. A very distinct trait is the score by Martin Böttcher
and especially by Peter Thomas
. Three of the four late German-Italian coproductions are even scored by Ennio Morricone
. Little is known about the composer Keith Papworth, who scored Das Geheimnis der gelben Narzissen, except that he died in March 1992.
Doktor Mabuse
and Bryan Edgar Wallace (Wallace's son, also a crime novelist) movies such as Der Henker von London and Das Phantom Von Soho, and some Louis Weinert-Wilton adaptations. Also, the Jerry Cotton
and Kommissar X
movie series and Father Brown series are stylistically closely related to the Wallace movies and fall within the Krimi genre.
Besides the German adaptations, there is a lesser-known, but larger series of Wallace-based films for the English cinema, which also repeatedly featured the same actors and Bernard Ebbinghouse, Ron Goodwin
and Francis Chagrin
as composers.
The movies are still very well known in Germany today, and there are frequent reruns of them on television - even if a large part of their appeal is their high camp
factor. Since the Edgar Wallace style is a stock motive of German filmmaking, there are numerous parodies and spoofs, most recently the 2004 movie Der Wixxer (approximately "The Wanker", a parody of Der Hexer) and its 2007 sequel Neues vom Wixxer (a parody of Neues vom Hexer), making fun of the now clichéed conventions of the genre. A third film, Triple Wixx, is currently in production.
Edgar Wallace
Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace was an English crime writer, journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and playwright, who wrote 175 novels, 24 plays, and numerous articles in newspapers and journals....
.
Even though there are countless film adaptation
Film adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
s of Edgar Wallace novels worldwide, the crime film
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
s produced by the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
company Rialto Film
Rialto Film
Rialto Film is a Danish/German film company originally founded by Constantin Philpsen in 1897 . His son Constantin Preben Philipsen took over the company in 1950...
between 1959 and 1972 are the best-known of those, to the extent that they form their own subgenre. Other Edgar Wallace adaptations in a similar style were made by the Germans Artur Brauner
Artur Brauner
Artur "Atze" Brauner is a polish film producer and entrepreneur. He was born to a Jewish family in Łódź, Poland. Artur and his brother Wolf survived the Holocaust by fleeing to the Soviet Union, then emigrated to Berlin after the war. As a young man he saw Fritz Lang's film The Testament of Dr...
and Kurt Ulrich
Kurt Ulrich
Kurt Ulrich was a German film producer. He produced 143 films between 1933 and 1964.He was born in Berlin, Germany.-Selected filmography:* The Avenger * Das Kunstseidene Mädchen...
, and the British producer Harry Alan Towers
Harry Alan Towers
Harry Alan Towers was a British-born radio and film producer and screenwriter, regularly using the pseudonym Peter Welbeck. He produced over a hundred feature films and continued to write and produce well into his eighties...
.
Early history of the German Edgar Wallace movies
As early as the silent movieSilent Movie
Silent Movie is a 1976 satirical comedy film co-written, directed by, and starring Mel Brooks, and released by 20th Century Fox on June 17, 1976...
era, German film producers discovered that the novels of Edgar Wallace were easily adapted to the screen. The first German production of an Edgar Wallace story, Der große Unbekannte (The Unknown), was filmed in 1927. Wallace personally visited the production of the next movie Der rote Kreis (The Crimson Circle, 1929) in Berlin. The Crimson Circle was trade-shown in London in March 1929 in the Phonofilm
Phonofilm
In 1919, Lee De Forest, inventor of the audion tube, filed his first patent on a sound-on-film process, DeForest Phonofilm, which recorded sound directly onto film as parallel lines. These parallel lines photographically recorded electrical waveforms from a microphone, which were translated back...
sound-on-film system.
In 1931, Carl Lamarc adapted The Squeaker
The Squeaker (1931 film)
The Squeaker is a 1931 German drama film directed by Martin Frič and Karel Lamač.-Cast:* Lissy Arna as Lillie / Millie Trent * Karl Ludwig Diehl as Captain Leslie * Fritz Rasp as Frank Sutton...
, one of Wallace's best known works, as the sound film
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
Der Zinker. Adaptations of The Ringer (Der Hexer
The Sorceror (film)
The Sorceror is a 1932 German drama film directed by Martin Frič and Karel Lamač. It is a German screen adaptation of Edgar Wallace's thriller The Ringer, and is not to be confused with the 1964 remake of the same title, Der Hexer.-Cast:...
, 1932) by Lamarc and The Double (Der Doppelgänger, 1934) by E. W. Emo
E. W. Emo
E. W. Emo was an Austrian film director, specialising in comedies, 21 of them with the actor Hans Moser. He also worked outside Austria and wrote some screenplays....
followed. (In the United States, The Feathered Serpent reached the screen as The Menace
The Menace (film)
The Menace is a 1932 American drama film directed by Roy William Neill. The screenplay by Roy Chanslor, Dorothy Howell, and Charles Logue is based on the 1927 novel The Feathered Serpent by Edgar Wallace.-Plot:...
in 1932.) From 1934 to the mid 1950s, no German-language films based on works by Edgar Wallace were produced. Then, in the mid-1950s, the German film distributor Constantin-Film began plans for a series of films. Due to the perceived unpopularity of the crime genre in Germany at that time, however, no film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
willing to take such a risk could be found.
The "Krimi" film movement
In 1959, the DanishDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
company Rialto Film
Rialto Film
Rialto Film is a Danish/German film company originally founded by Constantin Philpsen in 1897 . His son Constantin Preben Philipsen took over the company in 1950...
, with its producer Preben Philipsen
Preben Philipsen
Preben Philipsen was a Danish film producer. He produced 41 films between 1949 and 1975.He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and died in Klampenborg, Denmark.-Selected filmography:...
produced Der Frosch mit der Maske (based on The Fellowship Of The Frog), targeting the German film market. The film turned out to be surprisingly successful and started a veritable fad of crime movies, known as Krimis (abbreviation for the German term "Kriminalfilm" (or "Kriminalroman")) which would last until significant changes in the direction of the German film industry in the early Seventies occurred. Rialto Film soon acquired the exclusive rights to nearly all the Wallace novels, founded a German subsidiary company and, unconcerned by the many copycat productions by others, moved towards the artistic and commercial peak of the series in the first half of the Sixties.
There would be 32 Rialto movies. Beginning with the fourth production Der grüne Bogenschütze (The Green Archer, 1960/61) all were under the artistic supervision of Horst Wendlandt
Horst Wendlandt
Horst Wendlandt was a German film producer. He produced 99 films between 1956 and 2002.He was born and died in Berlin, Germany.-Selected filmography:* Pappa ante Portas * L'as des as * Lola...
and directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Alfred Vohrer
Alfred Vohrer
Alfred Vohrer was a German film director and actor. He directed 48 films between 1958 and 1984.He was born in Stuttgart, Germany and died in Munich, Germany.-Selected filmography:...
or Harald Reinl
Harald Reinl
Harald Reinl was an Austrian film director. He is especially known for the movies he made based on Edgar Wallace and Karl May books .He started his career as an extra in the mountain-films of Arnold Fanck...
. These are the leading examples of the gernre. Following Der Bucklige von Soho (1966), all of Rialto's Krimis movies were in color. Additionally, the original novels were increasingly disregarded in favor of new stories based on motives from the stories. On one hand, this departure made them seem more up-to-date - on the other, the dramaturgy, presentation and content quality levels declined rapidly. From 1969 onwards, Rialto Film started four coproductions with Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
producers to minimize their costs. Audiences increasingly ignored the series, which ended with Das Rätsel des silbernen Halbmonds in 1972.
Style in 1960s "Krimis" films
The typical Krimi movie of the Sixties contains a number of distinct stylistic traits, which not only made the films a true series, but - seen in context with other, similar German crime movies of that time - makes it a true film subgenre as well.In particular, the two directors Harald Reinl
Harald Reinl
Harald Reinl was an Austrian film director. He is especially known for the movies he made based on Edgar Wallace and Karl May books .He started his career as an extra in the mountain-films of Arnold Fanck...
(5 movies) and Alfred Vohrer
Alfred Vohrer
Alfred Vohrer was a German film director and actor. He directed 48 films between 1958 and 1984.He was born in Stuttgart, Germany and died in Munich, Germany.-Selected filmography:...
(14 movies) made their mark. While Reinl preferred long dolly shots /pan
Panning (camera)
In photography, panning refers to the horizontal movement or rotation of a still or video camera, or the scanning of a subject horizontally on video or a display device...
s and exterior shots, Vohrer's films are known for their slight overacting
Overacting
Overacting is the exaggeration of gestures and speech when acting. It may be unintentional, particularly in the case of a bad actor, or be required for the role. For the latter, it is commonly used in comical situations or to stress the evil characteristics of a villain...
and their distinct zoom
Zoom
Zoom is an onomatopoeiac sound that indicates swiftness.Zoom may also refer to:-Technology:* Zoom lens, a lens assembly allowing for adjustable focal length* Digital zoom, an electronic emulation of focal length change...
and editing
Film editing
Film editing is part of the creative post-production process of filmmaking. It involves the selection and combining of shots into sequences, and ultimately creating a finished motion picture. It is an art of storytelling...
styles.
The titles, which are usually the German novel titles, were intended to evoke the typical image of an Edgar Wallace movie. Most titles mention the villain, like Der Frosch mit der Maske (literally "The Frog with the Mask"), Der Zinker ("The Cheater") and Der Hexer ("The Warlock"). More abstract titles usually feature the words Rätsel ("mystery" or "enigma") or Geheimnis ("secret"), for example Das Rätsel der roten Orchidee ("The Mystery of the Red Orchid") Das Rätsel des silbernen Dreiecks ("The Mystery of the Silver Triangle") and Das Geheimnis der grünen Stecknadel ("The Secret of the Green Pin"), while others hint at the location of the story, for example Der Fälscher von London ("The Forger of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
"), Der Bucklige von Soho ("The Hunchback of Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
") and Die Tote aus der Themse ("The Dead Girl in the Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
").
The repeated casting
Casting
In metalworking, casting involves pouring liquid metal into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowing it to cool and solidify. The solidified part is also known as a casting, which is ejected or broken out of the mold to complete the process...
of the same actors, generally for similar roles, is typical for the sixties Wallace movies as well. Among the most popular investigators are Joachim Fuchsberger
Joachim Fuchsberger
Joachim Fuchsberger is a German actor, television host, lyricist, businessman, activist, paratrooper and World War II veteran best known to a wide German-speaking audience as one of the recurring actors in various Edgar Wallace movies Joachim Fuchsberger (born 11 March 1927 in Zuffenhausen, today...
, Heinz Drache
Heinz Drache
Heinz Drache was a German film actor. He appeared in 42 films between 1953 and 2002.He was born in Essen, Germany and died in Berlin, Germany.-Selected filmography:* The Rest Is Silence...
and Siegfried Lowitz
Siegfried Lowitz
Siegfried Lowitz was a German actor who is most famous for playing Hauptkommissar Erwin Köster in the German television drama Der Alte....
. Shady characters were mostly played by Fritz Rasp
Fritz Rasp
Fritz Heinrich Rasp was a German film actor who appeared in 104 films between 1916 and 1976.His most notable film roles were "J. J. Peachum" in The Threepenny Opera , as Meinert in Diary of a Lost Girl , and as "Der Schmale" in Fritz Lang's Metropolis...
, Pinkas Braun
Pinkas Braun
Pinkas Braun was a Swiss film actor. He appeared in 70 films between 1954 and 2002.He was born in Zürich, Switzerland and died in Munich, Germany.-Selected filmography:* The Puzzle of the Red Orchid...
, Harry Wüstenhagen
Harry Wüstenhagen
Harry Wüstenhagen was a German film actor. He appeared in 45 films between 1953 and 1988.He was born in Berlin, Germany and died in Florida, United States.-Selected filmography:...
and especially Klaus Kinski
Klaus Kinski
Klaus Kinski, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski , was a German actor. He appeared in more than 130 films, and is perhaps best-remembered as a leading role actor in Werner Herzog films: Aguirre, the Wrath of God , Nosferatu the Vampyre , Woyzeck , Fitzcarraldo and Cobra Verde .-Early...
, while comic relief was offered by Eddi Arent
Eddi Arent
Eddi Arent is a German actor, cabaret artist and comedian. He has appeared in nearly 100 films since 1956.He was born in Danzig, Free City of Danzig, today Poland.-Selected filmography:...
, Siegfried Schürenberg
Siegfried Schürenberg
Siegfried Schürenberg was a German film actor. He appeared in 83 films between 1933 and 1974. He was born in Detmold, Germany and died in Berlin, Germany...
and later Hubert von Meyerinck
Hubert von Meyerinck
Hubert von Meyerinck was a German film actor. He appeared in over 280 films between 1921 and 1970.He was born in Potsdam, Germany and died in Hamburg, Germany.-Selected filmography:* Manon Lescaut ...
, or even Chris Howland
Chris Howland
John Christopher Howland is a British radio and TV presenterwho opened German radio programmes for English music. Hereby he has changed German radio broadcast which has been dominated by English music ever since....
. Additionally, well-known film and stage actors like Elisabeth Flickenschildt
Elisabeth Flickenschildt
Elisabeth Ida Marie Flickenschildt was a German actress, producer and author. She appeared in dozens of German language films and television productions from 1935 to 1976...
, Gert Fröbe
Gert Fröbe
Karl Gerhart Fröbe, better known as Gert Fröbe was a German actor who starred in many films, including the James Bond film Goldfinger as Auric Goldfinger, The Threepenny Opera as Peachum, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as Baron Bomburst, and in Der Räuber Hotzenplotz as Hotzenplotz.-Life:Born in...
, Dieter Borsche
Dieter Borsche
Dieter Borsche was a German film actor. He appeared in over 90 films between 1935 and 1981.He was born in Hanover, Germany and died in Nuremberg, Germany.-Selected filmography:* The Falling Star * Dr...
, Lil Dagover
Lil Dagover
Lil Dagover was a German stage, film and television actress whose career spanned nearly six decades.-Early life:...
and Rudolf Forster
Rudolf Forster
Rudolf Forster was an Austrian film actor. He appeared in 106 films between 1914 and 1968. His autobiography Das Spiel, mein Leben was published by Propyläen-Verlag in 1967....
repeatedly acted in important guest roles.
The location of the story is, like in the novels, mostly London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and its proximity, with the characters mostly moving through old castles, mansions or country houses - even if the real sets were generally in Germany. Seedy night clubs, asylums, dark basements as well as, especially in later movies, girl's colleges and of course Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
are popular main and side locations for Edgar Wallace movies.
The story are very similar across the series as well. The plot is most often centered around one inventively masked main villain. In contrast to thrillers, the most important technique of creating suspense is the "whodunit
Whodunit
A whodunit or whodunnit is a complex, plot-driven variety of the detective story in which the puzzle is the main feature of interest. The reader or viewer is provided with clues from which the identity of the perpetrator of the crime may be deduced before the solution is revealed in the final...
". This means that it is generally unknown who the villain really is until the very end of the movie. The motivations for the crimes is mostly greed, revenge, legacy hunting, and, especially in later movies, white slavery and drug trade.
Not unlike the later Italian subgenre of Giallo
Giallo
Giallo is an Italian 20th century genre of literature and film, which in Italian indicates crime fiction and mystery. In the English language it refers to a genre similar to the French fantastique genre and includes elements of horror fiction and eroticism...
, the Wallace Krimi movies still heavily center around the work of the police or a private investigator. Another typical feature is the heroine, who has to be protected from the schemes and misdeed of the villain by the Scotland Yard inspector. This theme is repeated in virtually all Krimis movies, and it is not uncommon for the two protagonists to be happily in love at the conclusion of the story.
To make the movies even more recognizable besides the typical introduction (usually a murder is committed before the film's title sequence), the title sequence was in color from around 1961 onwards, even if the rest of the film was in black and white. There are only two exceptions. Also, in 1962 the voiceover "Hallo, hier spricht Edgar Wallace" ("Hello, this is Edgar Wallace speaking") was added to the beginning of the title sequence. A very distinct trait is the score by Martin Böttcher
Martin Böttcher
Martin Böttcher is a German composer, arranger and conductor.-The beginning:Böttcher began taking piano lessons at an early age. But his first passion was flying, and he wanted to become a test pilot...
and especially by Peter Thomas
Peter Thomas (composer)
Peter Thomas is a German composer/arranger. He was born in Breslau on 1 December 1925, and his active career spanned more than 50 years between 1955 and 2006....
. Three of the four late German-Italian coproductions are even scored by Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
. Little is known about the composer Keith Papworth, who scored Das Geheimnis der gelben Narzissen, except that he died in March 1992.
Other Edgar Wallace movies and influences on other works
In the wake of the Edgar Wallace movies, the Krimi genre became a staple of the German filmmaking scene, which also featured some mostly less successful and definitely shorter-lived series based on the works of other authors. Especially notable are the Artur Brauner-producedDoktor Mabuse
Doctor Mabuse
Doctor Mabuse is a fictional character created by Norbert Jacques in the novel Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler, and made famous by the three movies director Fritz Lang made about the character; see Dr. Mabuse the Gambler. Although the character was designed deliberately to mimic pulp magazine-style...
and Bryan Edgar Wallace (Wallace's son, also a crime novelist) movies such as Der Henker von London and Das Phantom Von Soho, and some Louis Weinert-Wilton adaptations. Also, the Jerry Cotton
Jerry Cotton
Jerry Cotton is the fictional character in a series of crime novels by many different writers in German-speaking countries and in Finland.- Overview :...
and Kommissar X
Kommissar X
Kommissar X or Commissioner X is a German crime fiction series of books from the Pabel Moewig publishing house. "Kommissar X" is a private detective named Joe Louis Walker who was a counterpart of the German crime fiction FBI Special Agent Jerry Cotton...
movie series and Father Brown series are stylistically closely related to the Wallace movies and fall within the Krimi genre.
Besides the German adaptations, there is a lesser-known, but larger series of Wallace-based films for the English cinema, which also repeatedly featured the same actors and Bernard Ebbinghouse, Ron Goodwin
Ron Goodwin
Ronald Alfred Goodwin was a British composer and conductor known for his film music. He scored over 70 films in a career lasting over fifty years....
and Francis Chagrin
Francis Chagrin
Francis Chagrin ,) was a composer of film scores and popular orchestral music, as well as a conductor.- Career :...
as composers.
The movies are still very well known in Germany today, and there are frequent reruns of them on television - even if a large part of their appeal is their high camp
Camp (style)
Camp is an aesthetic sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its taste and ironic value. The concept is closely related to kitsch, and things with camp appeal may also be described as being "cheesy"...
factor. Since the Edgar Wallace style is a stock motive of German filmmaking, there are numerous parodies and spoofs, most recently the 2004 movie Der Wixxer (approximately "The Wanker", a parody of Der Hexer) and its 2007 sequel Neues vom Wixxer (a parody of Neues vom Hexer), making fun of the now clichéed conventions of the genre. A third film, Triple Wixx, is currently in production.
Filmography (1959 to 1972)
All Edgar Wallace films by Rialto Film, unless noted otherwise.| Year | Title | English (novel) title | Produced by | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Der Frosch mit der Maske | The Fellowship of the Frog | Harald Reinl Harald Reinl Harald Reinl was an Austrian film director. He is especially known for the movies he made based on Edgar Wallace and Karl May books .He started his career as an extra in the mountain-films of Arnold Fanck... |
|
| 1960 | Der rote Kreis | The Crimson Circle | Jürgen Roland Jürgen Roland - External links :*... |
|
| Der Rächer | The Avenger | Kurt Ulrich-Film | Karl Anton Karl Anton Karl Anton was a German film director, screenwriter and film producer. He directed 58 films between 1922 and 1960.He was born in Prague, Czech Republic and died in Berlin, Germany.-External links:... |
|
| Die Bande des Schreckens | The Terrible People | Harald Reinl Harald Reinl Harald Reinl was an Austrian film director. He is especially known for the movies he made based on Edgar Wallace and Karl May books .He started his career as an extra in the mountain-films of Arnold Fanck... |
||
| 1961 | Der grüne Bogenschütze | The Green Archer | Jürgen Roland Jürgen Roland - External links :*... |
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| Die toten Augen von London | The Dark Eyes of London | Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer was a German film director and actor. He directed 48 films between 1958 and 1984.He was born in Stuttgart, Germany and died in Munich, Germany.-Selected filmography:... |
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| Das Geheimnis der gelben Narzissen | The Devil's Daffodil The Devil's Daffodil The Devil's Daffodil is a 1961 German crime film directed by Ákos Ráthonyi and starring Joachim Fuchsberger.-Cast:* Joachim Fuchsberger - Jack Tarling... |
Ákos Ráthonyi Ákos Ráthonyi Ákos Ráthonyi was a Hungarian film director and screenwriter. He directed 42 films between 1936 and 1968.He was born in Budapest, Hungary and died in Munich, Germany.-Selected filmography:* Absender unbekannt... |
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| Der Fälscher von London | The Forger | Harald Reinl Harald Reinl Harald Reinl was an Austrian film director. He is especially known for the movies he made based on Edgar Wallace and Karl May books .He started his career as an extra in the mountain-films of Arnold Fanck... |
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| Die seltsame Gräfin | The Strange Countess The Strange Countess The Strange Countess is a 1961 German crime film directed by Josef von Báky and starring Joachim Fuchsberger based on Edgar Wallace's 1925 book of the same title.-Cast:* Joachim Fuchsberger - Inspektor Michael 'Mike' Dorn... |
Josef von Báky Josef von Baky Josef von Báky was a Hungarian filmmaker. He was also known as Josef v. Baky and József Baky. He was born in the town of Zombor in the Kingdom of Hungary in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, since 1920 Sombor in Yugoslavia., . He worked as an assistant to Geza von Bolvary.He worked as director or... |
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| 1962 | Das Rätsel der roten Orchidee | The Puzzle of the Red Orchid The Puzzle of the Red Orchid The Puzzle of the Red Orchid is a 1962 German crime film directed by Helmut Ashley and starring Christopher Lee.-Cast:* Christopher Lee as Captain Allerman* Adrian Hoven as Inspector Weston* Marisa Mell as Lilian Ranger* Pinkas Braun as Edwin... |
Helmut Ashley Helmut Ashley Helmut Ashley or Helmuth Ashley is an Austrian cinematographer, television and film director.-Selected filmography:Film* Der Stern von Afrika * Das schwarze Schaf... |
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| Die Tür mit den sieben Schlössern | The Door with Seven Locks The Door with Seven Locks (1962 film) The Door with Seven Locks is a 1962 German crime film directed by Alfred Vohrer and starring Heinz Drache. It is an adaptation of the Edgar Wallace novel The Door with Seven Locks.-Cast:* Heinz Drache - Inspektor Richard "Dick" Martin... |
Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer was a German film director and actor. He directed 48 films between 1958 and 1984.He was born in Stuttgart, Germany and died in Munich, Germany.-Selected filmography:... |
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| Das Gasthaus an der Themse | The Inn on the River The Inn on the River The Inn on the River is a 1962 German crime film directed by Alfred Vohrer and starring Joachim Fuchsberger.-Cast:* Joachim Fuchsberger - Insp. Wade* Brigitte Grothum - Leila Smith* Elisabeth Flickenschildt - Nelly Oaks* Klaus Kinski - Gregor Gubanow... |
Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer was a German film director and actor. He directed 48 films between 1958 and 1984.He was born in Stuttgart, Germany and died in Munich, Germany.-Selected filmography:... |
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| 1963 | Der Fluch der gelben Schlange | The Yellow Snake | CCC-Film | Franz Josef Gottlieb Franz Josef Gottlieb Franz Josef Gottlieb was an Austrian film director and screenwriter. He directed 60 films between 1959 and 2005... |
| Der Zinker | The Squeaker | Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer was a German film director and actor. He directed 48 films between 1958 and 1984.He was born in Stuttgart, Germany and died in Munich, Germany.-Selected filmography:... |
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| Der schwarze Abt | The Black Abbot The Black Abbot (1963 film) The Black Abbot is a 1963 German mystery film directed by Franz Josef Gottlieb and starring Joachim Fuchsberger.-Cast:* Joachim Fuchsberger - Dick Alford* Grit Boettcher - Leslie Gine* Dieter Borsche - Lord Harry Chelford... |
Franz Josef Gottlieb Franz Josef Gottlieb Franz Josef Gottlieb was an Austrian film director and screenwriter. He directed 60 films between 1959 and 2005... |
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| Das indische Tuch | The Indian Scarf The Indian Scarf The Indian Scarf is a 1963 German crime film directed by Alfred Vohrer adapted from the play The Case of the Frightened Lady and the successive movies The Case of the Frightened Lady and The Case of the Frightened Lady.-Cast:... |
Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer was a German film director and actor. He directed 48 films between 1958 and 1984.He was born in Stuttgart, Germany and died in Munich, Germany.-Selected filmography:... |
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| Zimmer 13 | Room 13 | Harald Reinl Harald Reinl Harald Reinl was an Austrian film director. He is especially known for the movies he made based on Edgar Wallace and Karl May books .He started his career as an extra in the mountain-films of Arnold Fanck... |
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| Death Drums Along the River Death Drums Along the River Death Drums Along the River or Sanders is a 1963 German/English international co-production using the same characters as Edgar Wallace's Sanders of the River. Filmed on location in South Africa, it features Richard Todd and Marianne Koch leading a cast of British, German and South African actors... |
Sanders of the River Sanders of the River Sanders of the River is a 1935 film directed by Zoltán Korda, based on the stories of Edgar Wallace. It was later spoofed in the 1938 Will Hay film Old Bones of the River, which also featured the characters of Commissioner Sanders, Captain Hamilton and Bosambo seen in this film, but played by... |
Constantin Film Constantin Film - History :Constantin Film Distribution GmbH was founded by Waldfried Barthel and Preben Philipsen on April 1, 1950 in Frankfurt, Germany. On December 21, 1964, the name of the company was changed to Constantin Film GmbH.... |
Lawrence Huntington Lawrence Huntington Lawrence Huntington was a British film director, screenwriter and producer.Huntington was born in London on 9 March 1900, he directed more than thirty films following his debut feature After Many Years in 1930, later going on to work in television before his death in 1968.-Partial filmography:*... |
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| 1964 | Die Gruft mit dem Rätselschloß | The Curse of the Hidden Vault The Curse of the Hidden Vault The Curse of the Hidden Vault is a 1964 German crime film directed by Franz Josef Gottlieb and starring Harald Leipnitz.-Cast:* Harald Leipnitz - Jimmy Flynn* Judith Dornys - Kathleen Kent* Rudolf Forster - Real* Werner Peters - Spedding... |
Franz Josef Gottlieb Franz Josef Gottlieb Franz Josef Gottlieb was an Austrian film director and screenwriter. He directed 60 films between 1959 and 2005... |
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| Der Hexer | The Ringer / The Gaunt Stranger | Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer was a German film director and actor. He directed 48 films between 1958 and 1984.He was born in Stuttgart, Germany and died in Munich, Germany.-Selected filmography:... |
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| Das Verrätertor | The Traitor's Gate Traitor's Gate (film) Traitor's Gate is a 1964 German-British co-production crime film directed by Freddie Francis and starring Albert Lieven and Gary Raymond. It was made by Rialto Films using Hammer Films' Freddie Francis and screenwriter Jimmy Sangster updating the 1927 novel by Edgar Wallace to present times... |
Freddie Francis Freddie Francis Frederick William Francis BSC was an English cinematographer and film director.He achieved his greatest successes as a cinematographer, including winning two Academy Awards, for Sons and Lovers and Glory... |
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| 1965 | Neues vom Hexer Neues vom Hexer Neues vom Hexer is a 1965 German crime film directed by Alfred Vohrer and starring Heinz Drache. It is part of a series of German screen adaptations of Edgar Wallace's thriller novels, and the direct sequel of the 1964 film Der Hexer.-Cast:* Heinz Drache - Inspector James W... |
Again the Ringer | Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer was a German film director and actor. He directed 48 films between 1958 and 1984.He was born in Stuttgart, Germany and died in Munich, Germany.-Selected filmography:... |
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| Der unheimliche Mönch | The Terror | Harald Reinl Harald Reinl Harald Reinl was an Austrian film director. He is especially known for the movies he made based on Edgar Wallace and Karl May books .He started his career as an extra in the mountain-films of Arnold Fanck... |
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| 1966 | Der Bucklige von Soho | Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer was a German film director and actor. He directed 48 films between 1958 and 1984.He was born in Stuttgart, Germany and died in Munich, Germany.-Selected filmography:... |
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| Das Geheimnis der weißen Nonne | Cyril Frankel Cyril Frankel Cyril Frankel is a British film and television director, now retired. His career in television began in 1953 and he directed for over 30 TV programmes until 1990.... |
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| 1967 | Die blaue Hand | The Blue Hand | Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer was a German film director and actor. He directed 48 films between 1958 and 1984.He was born in Stuttgart, Germany and died in Munich, Germany.-Selected filmography:... |
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| Der Mönch mit der Peitsche | Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer was a German film director and actor. He directed 48 films between 1958 and 1984.He was born in Stuttgart, Germany and died in Munich, Germany.-Selected filmography:... |
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| 1968 | Der Hund von Blackwood Castle | Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer was a German film director and actor. He directed 48 films between 1958 and 1984.He was born in Stuttgart, Germany and died in Munich, Germany.-Selected filmography:... |
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| Im Banne des Unheimlichen | The Hands of Power | Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer was a German film director and actor. He directed 48 films between 1958 and 1984.He was born in Stuttgart, Germany and died in Munich, Germany.-Selected filmography:... |
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| Der Gorilla von Soho | Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer was a German film director and actor. He directed 48 films between 1958 and 1984.He was born in Stuttgart, Germany and died in Munich, Germany.-Selected filmography:... |
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| 1969 | Der Mann mit dem Glasauge | Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer was a German film director and actor. He directed 48 films between 1958 and 1984.He was born in Stuttgart, Germany and died in Munich, Germany.-Selected filmography:... |
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| Das Gesicht im Dunkeln | Riccardo Freda Riccardo Freda Riccardo Freda was an Egyptian-born Italian film director. Best known for his horror and thriller movies, Freda had no great love for the horror films he was assigned, but rather favored the epic sword and sandal pictures... |
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| 1970 | Der Teufel kam aus Akasava | The Devil Came from Akasava | CCC-Film | Jesus Franco Jesús Franco Jesús "Jess" Franco is a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England... |
| 1971 | Die Tote aus der Themse | The Dead One in the Thames River | Harald Philipp Harald Philipp -Selected filmography:* Manhattan Night of Murder * Um Null Uhr schnappt die Falle zu * The Blonde Connection * Angels of Terror * Hurray We Are Bachelors Again -External links:... |
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| 1972 | Das Geheimnis der grünen Stecknadel | The Clue of the New Pin | Massimo Dallamano | |
| Das Rätsel des silbernen Halbmonds | Umberto Lenzi Umberto Lenzi Umberto Lenzi , is an Italian film director who was very active in low budget crime films, peplums, spaghetti westerns, war movies, cannibal films and giallo murder mysteries .... |
Bryan Edgar Wallace movies
- Das Geheimnis der schwarzen Koffer (1961)
- Der Würger von Schloß Blackmoor (1963)
- Der Henker von London (1963)
- Das Phantom von Soho (1964)
- Das Ungeheuer von London City (1964)
- Das Geheimnis der schwarzen Handschuhe (1970)
- Das Geheimnis des gelben Grabes (1972)
- Der Todesrächer von Soho (1972)
Discography
(CDs predominately featuring the musical scores of Wallace movies)- "Kriminalfilmmusik von Martin Böttcher" - Rough Trade, BSC 307.6518.2
- "Kriminalfilmmusik Martin Böttcher Vol. 2" - Prudence, BSC 398.6534.2
- "Peter Thomas Kriminalfilmmusik" - Prudence, BSC 398.6533.2
- "Kriminalfilmmusik No. 4" - Prudence, BSC 398.6560.2
- "Peter Thomas Film Musik" - Polydor, 517 096-2 (1 CD)
- "Peter Thomas Film Musik" - Polydor, 845 872-2 (2 CDs)