Werner Jorg Luddecke Movies
This unrealistic, routine drama is the second half of a story that began with Der Tiger von Eschnapur. This sequel was later cut slightly, combined with the first story then released in English as Journey to the Lost City. Both halves were written by Thea von Harbou and the 1959 films are both directed by Fritz Lang, von Harbou's former husband. In this continuation, Seetha (Debra Paget) and the architect Harald (Paul Hubschmid) have fallen in love. The biggest stumbling block to their romance is Chandra, the Maharaja of Eshnapur (Walther Reyer). He wants Seetha for himself. Because of that, the lovers fled from Eshnapur and are now being hunted by the Maharaja's henchmen. That leads to inevitable killings, cruelties, and inhuman conduct until the Maharaja himself is the only one left who can right the situation. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Debra Paget, Paul Christian, (more)
- 1958
Writer/director Robert Siodmak based his German-filmed The Devil Strikes at Night on an actual case. Set during the last months of the Hitler regime, the film concerns a series of rapes and stranglings of young women. Gestapo officer Rossdorf (Hannes Messemer) and non-party member Axel Kersten (Claus Holm) investigate the trail of evidence. They discover that the criminal is Bruno Leudke, a mental defective (played by Mario Adorf). An open-and-shut case...except for the fact that Adorf is a loyal Nazi Party member! The dilemma now is to stem the crime spree without publicizing the embarrassing fact that "Aryan supremacy" is capable of yielding a monster like Adorf. Originally titled Nachts, Wenn der Teufel Kam, The Devil Strikes at Night has also been released as Nazi Terror at Night and Nights When the Devil Came. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mario Adorf, Claus Holm, (more)
- 1955
Released one day before G. W. Pabst's Es Gescham am 20 Juli, Der 20 Juli was one of two concurrently produced German films dealing with a 1944 plot to kill Adolf Hitler. As in the Pabst film, the protagonist is Oberst Graf von Staufenberg, here played by Wolfgang Priess. In semi-documentary fashion, director Falk Harnack recounts the growing disaffection between Hitler and his military staff, culminating in Von Staufenberg's decision to assassinate Der Fuhrer and stage a coup. Curiously, Harnack's Von Staufenberg wears his trademarked eyepatch over his left eye, while Pabst's version of the character wears the patch over the right eye. It hardly matters, since history records that Von Staufenberg failed in his attempt, sparking a series of sham trials and thousands of brutal executions. Of the two "July 20" films, Pabst's is the better all-around production, while Harnack's is the more thorough so far as explaining Von Staufenberg's motives. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wolfgang Preiss, Fritz Tillmann, (more)
