Franz Schafheitlin Movies

Originally titled Die Toten Augen von London, this German melodrama is the second film version of Edgar Wallace's The Testament of Gordon Stewart. The story centers on a seemingly kindly blind man who covertly controls a sinister criminal organization comprised of sightless henchmen. Actually, he isn't blind at all, but the police are (figuratively speaking) until lovely Karin Baal foils the villain's scheme. Dead Eyes of London was released in the US in 1965 as Dark Eyes of London. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This humorous presentation covers the everyday ups and downs of a very large family. In German only. ~ All Movie Guide

Maria Schell, who attained international stardom with her performance in The Last Bridge, essays the title role in Angelika. Based on a popular radio serial, the story revolves around the incurably ill daughter of wealthy Herr Alberti (Carl Wery). Angelika falls in love with her doctor, a young man named Holl (Dieter Borsche), who marries the girl out of pity. Only after developing a miracle serum that will save Angelika's life does Dr. Holl truly fall in love with her. The couple's future happiness is threatened by the presence of Holl's disgruntled fiancee Helga (Heidemaire Hatheyeer). Angelika was scripted by Thea von Harbou, best known for her 1920s and 1930s collaborations with her ex-husband, director Fritz Lang. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on a true story (believe it or don't!), The Wooden Horse is set in a wartime German prison camp. It being the duty for every British POW to attempt escape, internees Leo Genn, David Tomlinson and Anthony Steel hit upon a daring scheme. Building an outsized, boxlike vaulting horse, purportedly for exercise purposes, the trio begin digging a tunnel beneath the horse-right under the noses of their German captors. As one of the first of the British "prison camp getaway" genre, The Wooden Horse establishes many of the form's cliches, including the rule-bound German soldiers whose grasp of the obvious is appalling. Eric Williams adapted the screenplay from his novel The Tunnel Escape. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally In Jenen Tagen, In Those Days was the first postwar directorial contribution by Germany's Helmut Kautner. The film is an episodic recollection of life under the Third Reich, told from the viewpoint of an automobile. Kautner introduces the audience to the car's various owners, each of whom is in one way or another a victim of Nazism. The most poignant vignette concerns a businessman whose life and career are destroyed by the Nazi persecutors of his Jewish wife. Because of a shortage of studio space, most of In Jenen Tagen was lensed out-of-doors, adding a realistic, documentary-like veneer to the proceedings. Though held in low esteem by American film critics, In Jenen Tagen was deemed worthy enough to be entered into the 2nd International Film Festival at Locarno; the film was later released in the U.S. as Seven Journeys. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This German only video tells the story of Paracelsus nefarious activities after quarantining the city of Basel from the plague and using unusual means of healing, saves a man. ~ All Movie Guide

Filmed in German by a Swiss production firm, The Eternal Mask (Die Ewige Maske) was adapted by Leo Lapaire from his own novel. Mathias Weimann plays an idealistic doctor who believes he has discovered a cure for meningitis. Ordered not to experiment with this serum, Weimann does so anyway, utilizing the supposed wonder drug on a terminal patient. When the man dies, Weimann is reprimanded by his superiors, and wanders out of the hospital, believing himself a failure. His depression deepens into delirium, and soon the doctor is wandering through a Caligariesque world of distorted shapes and distended shadows, where he finds it impossible to separate illusion from reality. Meanwhile, Weimann's superiors determine that the meningitis serum is indeed effective; now they must snap the doctor out of his nightmare in order for him to reveal the formula. One of the very few successful attempts to convey madness on screen, The Eternal Mask has been surprisingly overlooked by many otherwise thorough reference books on horror films. Perhaps some scholars have been put off by the lethargic pace of the film, which seems to go on far longer than its 74 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A homeless boy is taken into a Vienna orphanage, where it is discovered that he possesses a beautiful singing voice. Later, he is unjustly accused of stealing. ~ All Movie Guide

King August the Strong was how this German historical pageant was billed in English-speaking countries. Michael Bohnen, a popular opera singer of the period, stars as the famed Saxon king of the title. August spends the better part of the picture fighting with King Charles of Sweden (Gunther Handack) over the possession of Poland. Charles is ultimately defeated by the Russians, allowing August to stake his claim in Polish terror. In essence, August Der Starke seems to advocate the subjugation of another country for the glory of the Fatherland (ironically, Germany's 20th-century invasion of Poland would serve as the spark for WWII). Beyond its propagandistic content, the film boasts several lavish "bacchanal" scenes, an apparent specialty of noted actor-director Paul Wegener. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide