Das Gasthaus an der Themse

This is one of the better entries in the Edgar Wallace krimi series. There's a heavy emphasis on the fog-bound (supposedly) Soho environment, several sleight-of-hand camera angles (including a great one with Kinski and a mirror), and a creepy denizen-of-the-depths villain known as The Shark, who uses harpoons as his weapons of choice. Eddie Arent contributes his always welcome comic relief as an eccentric nautical wag this time (instead of his usual assistant inspector), and gives a wonderful demonstration of "The Twist" with a local hipster. Of course the inspector falls for a lovely (barely of-age) fraulein. The wacky score contributes greatly.

Between 1959 and 1972 a stream of 32 (!) films, based on criminal novels from famous British author Edgar Wallace had been produced by the German Rialto film company. "The Inn on the River" is an early example and surely one of the highlights of the series. The film benefits tremendously from the atmospheric black and white photography shot by cameraman Karl Loeb. There are plenty of impressive night scenes with eerie lights and shadows. Foggy canalization funnels, lonesome harbor quays, subterranean and underwater locations capture the audience from the beginning. Though some side aspects of the script seem to be far fetched and only loosely connected with the entire plot, it doesn't distract from the main story line, which is loosely based on Wallace's novel "The India Rubber Man". The film focuses on the police chasing a mysterious Jewel robber known only as the "Shark". Disguised in a black divers suit, he frequently kills in proper style with his harpoon! "The Inn on the Thames", so the exact translation of the German film title, was a huge success, when released in 1962. Apart from the suspenseful crime story, one of the reasons for this might be, that the thriller elements are complimented here more than usual by a simple but effective fairytale-like romance.

The film's young heroine Leila (Brigitte Grothum: very pretty, though she seems rather limited here as an actress) is captured at the sinister harbor Inn "Mekka" just like a 20th century Cinderella. She is repressed by her evil stepmother (excellent: Elisabeth Flickenschild) and threatened not only by the "Shark", but by numerous gangsters around, some of them lustfully longing for the under aged girl. The prince coming to her rescue is of course Scotland Yard's Inspector Wade (in his usual role, handsome Joachim Fuchsberger): he even calls her "Princess" at their first encounter. Wade suspects that the "Mekka" Inn is a smuggler's nest, somehow connected with the "Shark". Among the many doubtful characters he finds here is the sneaky Russian merchantman Gubanow (great: Klaus Kinski, in one of his typical supporting roles, that became a trademark of the series)

As usual in German Wallace Krimis of that time, the film wasn't shot on location. Hamburg and the Elbe river doubled in for London and the Thames. There is only few (badly fitting) original British stock footage from a rowing boat race. Other minus points are the uneven title music and the comical character of Barnaby (Eddie Arend), an eccentric fan of water sports. Arend, who can be funny at times, is allowed to overact so shamelessly, that his screen presence becomes annoying here. Nonetheless, this is a great little thriller. It's impact on filmmakers can be viewed in Dick Maas Horror action flick "Amsterdamned" (1988), which borrowed more than the idea of a killer in a diving-suit from this one.

The last 'Krimi'/Edgar Wallace adaptation I watched was "Der Hexer" (a.k.a. "The Magician"), and since that was great, I'm slightly worried the next couple of ones won't live up to its standards. This is already noticeable with "The Inn on the River". Although my expectations were set quite high, based on the plot synopsis of a serial killer in a diving suit terrorizing London and eliminating his/her victims with a harpoon, I found the film rather dull and predictable.

The disappointment mostly comes from the fact our scuba diver isn't a serial killer at all, but merely just the mysterious leader of a smuggling ring. And, with that, we're back in an overly familiar and derivative Edgar Wallace terrain. The regular Krimi-actors star in their usual roles, like Joachim Fuchsberger as the tough Scotland Yard inspector, Eddi Arent as the pointless comic relief, and Klaus Kinski as the sinister guy creeping around the crime scenes and popping up everywhere. Speaking of Klaus, I must say he never looked so good! With his fancy white suits and subtle beard, his character here is the handsomest of all the Krimi-characters he depicted... And there are many! Regarding the climax (as in: the revelation of the culprit), if you pay close attention and think logically, it's fairly simply to guess who's inside the wetsuit.

This is another film made in Germany in the sixties, based on a story by Edgar Wallace, and directed by Alfred Vohrer. It's also one of the best films of its type. The plot is typical of Edgar Wallace; it's wacky and features a plethora of strange and unique characters. As the title suggests, the film makes a river (the Thames, naturally) its central setting and this is very important for the plot as it focuses on a murderer with a strange modus operandi. Scotland Yard have been called in to investigate a series of murders happening on the river - witnesses have reported seeing a man in a wetsuit and all of the victims are found to have been killed by a harpoon - thus leading the murderer to be nicknamed 'The Shark'. Inspector Wade is called in to look into the murders and it soon becomes apparent that they may have something to do with a local smuggling operation. His efforts are concentrated on one family in particular that owns a bar and, allegedly, a large fortune also.

Alfred Vohrer stylishly directs the film, and seems to have a fascination with mirrors - as there's plenty of shots featuring characters' reflections. The plot is well worked and the way that the investigation is presented is interesting; although to be honest I would have proffered to have seen more of The Shark. A murderer swimming around a river and shooting people with a harpoon gun is a fascinating idea, but it's not capitalised upon as much as it could have been. The central cast is good and features many familiar Krimi faces - including Joachim Fuchsberger, Eddi Aren't and Klaus Kinski, who has a small but memorable role as a smuggler. There's plenty of good set pieces to keep the interest up, although the focus of the mystery is not on the identity of The Shark but on the reasons for the killing; meaning the final unveiling of the villain at the end is a bit of a moot point; although it does at least come as a surprise. Overall, this is an excellent Krimi that works in spite of a couple of problems and it will certainly be of interest to fans of the genre.

This 1962 mystery is the first exposure I've had to the Edgar Wallace krimi adaptations. I enjoyed it quite a bit although the mystery was a bit too convoluted. There is even a "So and so did this because..." explanation towards the end but I still have a few questions. Anyway, the film is about a killer named The Shark who is killing people in London with a speargun. He is able to get away because he dresses in a scuba outfit and uses the city sewer lines to escape. Inspector Wade (Joachim Fuchsberger) of Scotland Yard is on the case.

The film has a lot going for it, especially in the Theremin themed bits involving The Shark. The image of the killer in an all black wetsuit is atmospherically shot and suitably creepy. Dick Maas was definitely impressed by it because he used it to similar effect in the 80s action thriller AMSTERDAMNED. Another plus is a young Klaus Kinski in a major supporting role as sleazy French businessman. On the downside, the film features some awkward comic relief in the form of the bumbling Barnaby character. And, as I mentioned earlier, it does get confusing for a bit. At one point three men in black scuba suits are running around. However, the end revelation of who The Shark is pretty unexpected and director Alfred Vohrer does his best to send you off the track.